About the Role
At Sainsbury’s, AI & Machine Learning are central to making better decisions across the business. We work in cross-functional teams—combining Engineering, Data Science, Product, and Architecture—to build automated decision systems that have real impact.
We are hiring an ML Engineering Manager to lead our Digital & Retail team. Reporting to the Head of ML Engineering, you will build and operate systems that impact millions of online customers and tens of thousands of store colleagues.
What you'll do
1. Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of ML engineers.
2. Design, build, scale, and operate critical ML applications—from data sourcing and feature engineering to training, deployment, real-time serving, and monitoring.
3. Collaborate with data scientists to develop and productionize models, ensuring they are scalable, reliable, and maintainable.
4. Drive innovation and automation in partnership with other ML Engineering teams.
5. Manage end-to-end delivery and operations, balancing feature development with sustainability.
6. Oversee delivery timelines, prioritize tasks, and remove blockers to keep projects on track.
7. Promote agile/lean practices, oversee budgets, and monitor DORA metrics.
8. Contribute to technical strategy, roadmap planning, and recruitment.
Who you are
* Experienced in managing or leading ML engineering teams, preferably in large-scale organizations.
* A people-first leader capable of hiring, developing, and retaining top talent while fostering an inclusive, high-performance culture.
* Hands-on experience deploying machine learning models at scale, using tools such as Pytorch, MLflow, Airflow, and Docker.
* Deep understanding of ML lifecycle challenges, including feature stores, model deployment, monitoring, data drift, and retraining.
* Familiarity with cloud platforms (preferably Azure), infrastructure as code (preferably Terraform), and containerization.
* Strong communication skills to bridge technical and non-technical stakeholders.
* Advocate for modern engineering practices, bringing innovative tools and methodologies to improve team efficiency.
* Results-oriented problem solver with strong business acumen to maximize value from investments.
Qualifications
We are committed to inclusivity. You’ll be welcomed regardless of your background or location. We support your development and celebrate extra efforts, offering flexible working where possible. Our benefits include:
* Colleague discounts at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU, and Habitat, with increasing discounts over time.
* Pensions and life cover schemes.
* Performance-related bonuses up to 20%.
* Annual holiday allowance, with options to buy additional days.
* Additional benefits like season ticket loans, interest-free car loans up to £10k, cycle schemes, health cash plans, pay advances, and retail discounts.
* Up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave, and up to 4 weeks for paternity leave.
More details are available at www.sainsburys.jobs (eligibility and length of service may apply).
Responsibilities
We value meaningful work and work-life balance. Our scale involves substantial data, transactions, and variety, requiring a modern software engineering environment. We invest in a Tech Academy and uphold standards such as Agile, Scrum, and XP, offering opportunities across AI and reusable technology.
#J-18808-Ljbffr