Senior Machine Learning Engineer (Outside IR35) | 6‑Month Contract Bristol (Hybrid – ~20% onsite)Build Machine Learning that Actually MattersThis isn’t another recommender system. This isn’t ad‑tech. And it definitely isn’t “just moving notebooks into production”.We’re looking for a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to help design, build, and deploy mission‑critical ML systems used across defence, security, and high‑integrity public sector programmes.You’ll be working on problems where correctness, robustness, and trust matter as much as raw performance — and where your work has real‑world impact at national scale. Why This Role Is DifferentReal ML engineering: production systems, not demosWork on secure, high‑integrity platforms where ML decisions matterInfluence architecture, not just implementationJoin a team that treats ML as software engineering, not science experimentsHybrid working with minimal onsite requirementIf you care about engineering quality, system design, and deploying ML the right way, you’ll feel at home here. What You’ll Be DoingYou’ll take ownership across the entire ML lifecycle, working hands‑on and strategically:Design, build, and optimise ML models across: Natural Language Processing (NLP)Computer VisionPredictive / statistical modellingOwn solutions from data preparation → training → evaluation → deploymentDesign and maintain robust MLOps pipelines (CI/CD for ML, model versioning, monitoring)Work closely with Data Engineers and DevOps to deliver scalable, production‑ready systemsShape ML architecture decisions — pipelines, data flows, and deployment patternsApply secure‑by‑design coding practices aligned with compliance and assurance standardsMentor junior engineers, raise the bar, and lead by exampleResearch and evaluate emerging ML techniques and tooling, feeding innovation back into the platformThis is a role where your technical judgment genuinely matters. What You’ll Get£70/hour LTD (Outside IR35)6‑month contract with meaningful scope from day oneHybrid working: Bristol + remoteA team that values engineering rigour and technical leadershipThe chance to work on ML systems that actually get deployed and relied upon Who This Is Perfect ForThis role is ideal if you’re:A senior ML engineer who’s tired of throwaway modelsAn engineer who enjoys ownership and architectural influenceSomeone who wants their work to have real‑world impactA contractor who values interesting problems over hypeReady to build ML that matters?If you want to work on serious systems, with serious engineers, solving serious problems — we’d love to hear from you.