Technical Specialist - AI Hardware Systems
Department: Programmes
Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time
Location: London
Compensation: £70,000 - £105,000 / year
Description
Salary Levels: c.£70,000, c.£90,000, c.£105,000 (eventual offers will be based on benchmarked experience levels in combination with our selection criteria)
Location: Kings X, London; Tues - Thurs (3 days) at HQ, Monday + Friday, anywhere
Employment Type: Full‑time; Contract: Permanent
ARIA is a new R&D funding agency built to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible. From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world‑class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on.
Our success is shaped by one question: how will ARIA transform the lives of the UK’s future generations? Whether that’s a life‑changing new technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role.
If you want to help make breakthroughs like these possible, come and build ARIA with us.
Learn more here.
Role Summary
As an ARIA Technical Specialist, you will have the rare chance to catalise breakthroughs that could change the world. You'll sit alongside Programme Director Suraj Bramhavar and their Programme Specialist on ARIA's Scaling Compute programme (including the newly announced Scaling Inference Lab). You’ll be exposed to every aspect of the programme's technical management from design through approval, project selection, and delivery.
We’re looking for an adaptable technical professional who’s strongly motivated by the opportunity to catalyse a technological step change. You’ll be working in a bold, talented & agile team, funding projects (‘Creators’) across the entire R&D ecosystem, from startups to universities, in the pursuit of groundbreaking advancements that will shape the future of science & technology.
Meet Suraj Bramhavar
Suraj Bramhavar is an electrical engineer and member of ARIA’s first cohort of Programme Directors. His work focuses on how we can redefine the way computers process information to build dramatically more efficient computers. Suraj joined ARIA from Sync Computing, where he was co‑founder and CTO. Prior to that he was a scientist at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and Intel Labs.
Suraj Bramhavar is leading an ARIA programme to reduce the cost of AI hardware by 1000x.
Find out more about what they’re working on here.
“I am looking for someone to be a true thought partner in defining a roadmap for future AI systems. This role will help identify innovative technologies (both inside or outside our existing portfolio), estimate when/how they can be reasonably inserted in working systems, and figure out how ARIA’s programmes can facilitate it all. In addition to that, you will have a hand in identifying orthogonal opportunities to build research programmes within the Nature Computes Better Opportunity Space ”
Suraj Bramhavar, Programme Director
What you'll do
The scope of the role will evolve as ARIA continues to grow, but will broadly involve the following:
Technical Programme Advisory and Support
* Act as the technical lead, with the Programme Director and their Programme Specialist, to shape and deliver a bold programme of research aimed at reducing the cost of AI hardware by 1000x.
* You will serve as the ‘first user’ of the technologies being developed within the programme.
* Review project proposals, grant applications, assess technical milestones, and stay close to the ground on what’s being built and tested by Creator teams.
* Plan, lead, and contribute to technical discussions in project meetings, workshops, and formal reviews, bringing depth, challenge, and direction to every interaction.
* Provide evidence‑based technical insight to the Programme Director and the ARIA team to support high‑quality decisions and sharpen the programme’s strategic direction.
* Confidently communicate complex scientific ideas surrounding the programme to stakeholders, from government and funders to key players across the ecosystem.
* Identify emerging trends and surface the most promising technologies, people, and ideas across the programme and its surrounding opportunity space.
* Work closely with the Programme Specialist and Creator teams to drive project delivery, tracking against ambitious technical milestones, benchmarking progress against the state of the art, and spotting opportunities for research cross‑pollination to sustain momentum.
* Be the technical bridge between the PD and other functional teams within ARIA, ensuring execution aligns with the needs of the ecosystem’s understanding of the programme.
Connecting the Programme to the Ecosystem
* Represent the programme, often on behalf of the Programme Director, at events, workshops and talks.
* Build trusted relationships with world‑class researchers, labs, and founders working at the forefront of the programme’s focus area.
* Work closely with ARIA’s Activation Partners to ensure Creator teams can access the right tools, platforms, and networks to accelerate translation and achieve impact beyond ARIA’s direct reach.
Define and Cultivate ARIA’s Technical Culture
* Collaborate across ARIA on funding models, budgets, tooling, and operational mechanisms to support effective, flexible funding and programme delivery.
* Contribute as a member of ARIA’s team of Technical Specialists (‘T‑Specs’), sharing best practices and learnings between programmes to strengthen ARIA’s portfolio of work.
* Help build and sustain ARIA’s scientific and operational culture.
Who you are
Essential Criteria
* You have first‑hand exposure to building/running modern AI models or building systems using those models.
* You have proven adept at learning new ideas/technologies extremely quickly, assessing their risks, and understanding how they may fit into or shift existing industries.
* You are familiar with a variety of programming languages/frameworks and have demonstrated proficiency with at least one.
* You have built something tangible yourself from start to finish in any engineering capacity that was used by someone other than yourself.
* You can uncover non‑obvious opportunities and risks, connecting teams, ideas, and research threads in novel ways that drive adoption and translation.
* Highly adaptable, you are okay with uncertainty and a fast‑paced environment.
* You comprehend and articulate complex concepts clearly and with conviction, think and communicate with structure, and interrogate ideas effectively.
Desirable Criteria
* You have hands‑on experience with the modern AI software stack (PyTorch/JAX/ CUDA/Triton/etc).
* You have a solid understanding of modern AI architectures (e.g., Transformers, Diffusion Models, etc.) and you can clearly articulate a view of existing system‑level performance limitations for each.
* You possess an understanding of the hardware technologies underpinning modern AI systems.
* You have a strong working knowledge of the UK R&D ecosystem.
Qualifications
You have a Scientific qualification, with a preference for PhD or other deeper technical experience in one of the listed areas of interest, or similar; AI System Design.
Benefits
* 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
* Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
* Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
* Enhanced family leave arrangements
* A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
* 2 days of paid volunteer days
* 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
* Cycle to Work scheme
* An excellent office location in Kings X, London
Not sure you meet 100% of our criteria? Don’t worry. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We want to attract the broadest array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you’re new to this, returning to work after a gap in employment, simply looking to transition, or taking the next step in your career path, we will be glad to have you on our radar. Please use your cover letter to tell us about your interests and what you hope to bring to this role.
If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests is intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process.
ARIA adopts a highly considered approach to ethical and social responsibility. You can read our policy here. Our research and development activity will abide by the 3Rs principle. You can read about those here.
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