Graduate Machine Learning Engineer

About Stratable

Stratable is a technology start-up located in the heart of Leeds, just minutes from the train station. We develop proprietary AI and software designed to help organizations make precise decisions in high-stakes environments, operating securely in-house. As a founder-led and well-backed company, we are committed to long-term growth and innovation.

We are looking to recruit two graduate engineers eager to grow with us and contribute significantly to our projects. If you have an interest or experience in AI and possess a proactive attitude, this opportunity is ideal for you.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist with post-training and in-context training of our offline small language models.
• Select, fine-tune, quantize, and assess performance of open-weight models.
• Develop retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines leveraging our codebase and databases.
• Support the creation and use of evaluation harnesses to benchmark models.
• Maintain GPU workstations and manage local machine learning tools used by the team.
• Contribute to the design of AI architectures integrating multiple AI components and databases to improve model accuracy.

Candidate Profile

• Experienced in practical machine learning using Python, with demonstrable projects or code.
• Passionate about running models locally with emphasis on data privacy and ownership.
• Strong software engineering skills including delivering production-ready code, comprehensive testing, and documentation.
• Familiarity with backend typed programming, relational databases, and containerization or the aptitude to quickly learn these.
• Self-motivated with the capability to independently manage tasks, use sound judgment, and meet deadlines.
• Comfortable navigating development, research, and engineering tasks, including reading papers, prototyping, and iterative improvement.
• Holds a degree in computer science, machine learning, data science, or equivalent demonstrable skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge or experience integrating multiple large and small language models to enhance processing and output efficiency.
• Familiarity with local inference tools.
• Understanding of methods for RAG, embeddings, and vector search techniques.
• Experience in building evaluation or benchmarking suites to assure model quality.
• Expertise in GPU management and optimizing performance on limited hardware.
• Exposure to secure or air-gapped environments and edge computing is an advantage.

Work Environment

You will collaborate closely with the company founders who are actively involved in directing daily work. Independent work is expected during some periods, requiring initiative and continued progress without constant supervision.

The team values logical and structured problem-solving combined with strong fundamentals. There is a culture of mutual support focused on improving proprietary software and developing robust language models. Integrity, kindness, and patience guide our interaction with no room for ego. The workflow involves development, research, and engineering cycles.

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive salary of £38,000 per annum, with potential performance-based bonuses.
• Management and delivery responsibility for a suite of NLP and machine learning models aligned with your expertise.
• Opportunity to influence company developments significantly within a small, hands-on team.
• Exposure to diverse areas including NLP, machine learning, and automation, supported by product usage and customer feedback.
• Occasional international travel primarily to subsidiaries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Eligibility and Location Requirements

• Position located in Leeds – working on-site only (remote work not available).
• Full-time role with occasional international travel; a valid passport is required.
• Candidate must be eligible for UK Security Clearance (SC), including sole British citizenship and continuous UK residency for at least five years.
• Successful completion of a Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) check, followed by the SC clearance process during initial months.
• Applicants must have lived continuously in the UK for the last five years, possess a legal right to work, have verifiable employment or education history for the past three years, and be willing to undergo a basic criminal DBS check.

Application Instructions

Please send your CV along with a link or description of a project or work you have created (such as GitHub or portfolio). We prioritize practical experience and enthusiasm over formal qualifications. Include a brief explanation of your project and confirm your eligibility for SC and BPSS clearance.