Foundation Model Leadership | Applied AI Research & Systems
Location: London, UK (on-site preferred; remote with monthly visit possible)
Job Type: Full-time | Senior
Our Client: VC-backed AI/ML start-up
Work Authorization
* Must have the right to work in the UK or be able to obtain it
* On-site presence in London preferred
* Remote candidates must commit to at least monthly London visits
* Visa sponsorship not available
About the Opportunity
Our client is developing a novel foundation model to enable fully automated, unsupervised software delivery in embedded control systems. As a VC-backed, early-stage AI company based in West London, they are building the core ML stack from first principles.
This is a hands-on technical leadership role focused on architecting, optimizing, and deploying large-scale foundation models in a high-urgency, high-impact environment.
What You'll Do
* Lead research, development, and production deployment of the foundation model
* Define long-term technical strategy for high-performance ML systems
* Optimize models across diverse hardware environments
* Architect scalable distributed training and inference pipelines
* Build GPU-accelerated components, including custom CUDA kernels
* Profile and optimize the full ML stack end-to-endCreate internal tooling, benchmarks, and evaluation harnesses
* Work closely with founders to translate product goals into technical roadmaps
Tech Environment
* Python and CUDA C/C++
* PyTorch (preferred) or similar deep learning frameworks
* Distributed training and large-scale inference systems
* Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
What We're Looking For
* Proven experience designing and implementing large-scale foundation models
* Strong hands-on performance optimization and debugging skills
* Practical experience with distributed training and inference
* Deep knowledge of modern deep learning frameworks
* Experience operating ML systems in production environments
* High urgency, ownership mindset, and comfort with ambiguity
Nice to Have
* Internal ML tooling or benchmarking experience
* Containerisation and orchestration exposure
* Embedded or control systems background
* Experience at top-tier AI/ML companies or research labs
Why This Role Stands Out
* Ground-floor role shaping a novel foundation model
* Direct collaboration with founders
* High technical ownership and strategic influence
* Streamlined interview process (2 stages)
If you've built and optimized foundation-scale models and want real technical ownership in an ambitious AI start-up, we'd love to meet you...
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