Principal Machine Learning Engineer

About the Role

We’re looking for a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to join a highly technical team building advanced AI and machine learning solutions that process large-scale real-time data and power innovative digital products used by a broad user base.

This is an opportunity to play a key role in shaping the direction of a growing AI platform, working on complex technical challenges across machine learning, software engineering, and distributed systems.

Team Overview

You’ll join a team focused on developing and deploying cutting-edge AI solutions within a large-scale production environment. The team works across the full lifecycle of machine learning systems, from research and experimentation through to deployment, optimisation and ongoing operation.

This is a Principal Individual Contributor role within a small, high-performing engineering team. While you’ll provide technical leadership and influence strategic direction, the role remains highly hands-on. We’re specifically seeking candidates with recent experience designing, building, deploying and operating production-grade machine learning systems, rather than those who have primarily transitioned into people management.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead complex machine learning initiatives from concept through to production, contributing directly to solution design, model development, software engineering and deployment.
• Act as a technical authority within a critical area of the AI platform, setting direction and making key technical decisions.
• Define architecture and engineering best practices for scalable, production-ready AI systems.
• Collaborate with and mentor senior engineers, data scientists and technical stakeholders through design reviews and technical leadership.
• Drive improvements in quality, reliability, scalability and operational excellence across the platform.
• Influence technical strategy through deep expertise and hands-on delivery.
• Remain actively involved in the codebase through architecture, implementation, code reviews, prototyping and production support activities.

Required Experience

• Extensive hands-on experience in Machine Learning, Deep Learning and production AI systems.
• Proven track record of designing, building and deploying machine learning solutions into live production environments.
• Experience operating at Lead, Staff or Principal Engineer level while remaining actively engaged in technical delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to take complex AI solutions from concept through to scalable, reliable production services.
• Strong understanding of model design, system architecture, engineering trade-offs, performance optimisation and low-latency systems.
• Recent hands-on experience writing production code, developing ML pipelines, deploying models and supporting live systems.
• Experience working with large-scale data platforms, real-time processing environments or complex distributed systems would be advantageous.

Ideal Profile

You’ll thrive in this role if you:

• Enjoy solving complex technical challenges hands-on.
• Regularly write, review and improve production code.
• Balance strategic thinking with practical delivery.
• Prefer to lead through technical expertise and influence rather than line management.
• Enjoy shaping technical direction while remaining close to the technology.
• Are passionate about building robust, scalable and high-impact AI solutions.

This version is much safer from a confidentiality perspective as it reads like a role from any large-scale technology, media, streaming, data, fintech, telecoms or digital organisation, rather than pointing directly towards Sky.