Senior AI/ML Engineer

AI-First Digital Transformation at Salford City Council Salford City Council is on a mission to harness the power of AI and data to reimagine public services for the future. As part of our newly formed AI team, you’ll support the design, development and deployment of intelligent solutions that improve the lives of residents and create a fairer, greener, and healthier Salford. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced engineer or developer to build and integrate AI/ML technology with meaningful results, while working in a supportive team. You will work closely with the Senior AI/ML Engineer and wider digital teams to turn innovative ideas into working solutions using Microsoft Azure as our core platform. You’ll contribute across the AI/ML lifecycle, preparing data, building and deploying models, and integrating solutions into council systems. Your previous experience with development and delivery in enterprise and cloud platforms will be invaluable, as will your problem solving and collaboration skills, in addressing challenges and opportunities. In this role, you’ll build your skills in AI/ML engineering, Azure cloud services and other toolchains, and responsible AI practices and ethics. If you’re passionate about the next wave of digital transformation and want to become an expert in emerging AI technology, want to apply your development expertise to solve real-world challenges and want to see your work make a tangible impact on society, this role is for you. Key Outcomes AI Solution Design \& Delivery * Design, develop and deploy AI/ML solutions within Azure Machine Learning and Azure AI Foundry, integrating with other platforms and applications. * Assist with model training, evaluation, and deployment, applying established frameworks and tools. * Support the creation of pipelines for data preparation, model testing, and monitoring. AI Platform \& Toolchain * Support establishment of the council’s target architecture and AI development toolchain, with an initial focus on Azure AI Foundry, Azure Integration Services, and Azure ML pipelines. * Employ MLOps practices (CI/CD, model versioning, retraining pipelines) aligned with Azure-native tooling. * Support evaluation and experimentation with open-source frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, PyTorch, Hugging Face) and other platforms (AWS SageMaker, OCI Data Science) where relevant. Cross-functional Collaboration * Work closely with the Senior AI/ML Engineer, architects, and service teams to understand requirements and translate them into working solutions. * Communicate progress clearly, escalating challenges where needed. * Share knowledge with peers and take part in internal learning activities. Governance, Security \& Compliance * Support development of policies for data governance, security, and responsible AI use. * Support the documentation of AI solutions, ensuring transparency and reproducibility. * Contribute to testing and monitoring for data quality, accuracy, and bias. Innovation \& Continuous Improvement * Stay current with emerging AI research, frameworks, and platform feature releases. * Take part in proofs of concept to evaluate new approaches, frameworks, and models. * Contribute to building an internal culture of innovation, sharing knowledge and best practices across the organisation. Cost Management \& Financial Governance * Evaluate technology and platform options during discovery phases, producing cost-benefit analyses that inform investment decisions including justifying higher-cost solutions where the strategic or operational benefit is demonstrable. * Take ownership of cost optimisation across deployed applications, cloud infrastructure and AI/ML resources, proactively identifying inefficiencies and implementing improvements. * Monitor and report on Azure consumption and cloud resource expenditure on a regular basis, providing spend visibility to the Senior AI/ML Engineer and Digital leadership. * Contribute to budget planning cycles for AI/ML tooling, licensing and infrastructure, providing spend forecasts based on usage projections and architectural decisions. Requirements What we need from you Essential * Proven experience designing, developing, and deploying solutions in production environments. * Strong familiarity with Python (pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn, PyTorch or TensorFlow). * Exposure to working in structured, cloud-native delivery environments (e.g. Salesforce, ServiceNow, UiPath, Azure, MS Power Platform, or equivalent) with an understanding of solution lifecycle management. * Awareness of data structures, databases, and basic analytics (SQL or equivalent). * Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences. Desirable * Hands-on experience with Azure services (Azure Machine Learning, Azure AI Foundry, Azure Integration Services). * Exposure to AI/ML concepts such as model training, evaluation, or deployment. * Knowledge of MLOps concepts or tooling (MLflow, Airflow, CI/CD pipelines). * Experience with data visualisation or reporting tools (Power BI, Tableau). * Knowledge of AI ethics, explainability, or responsible AI practices. * Solid understanding of enterprise architecture principles and solution architecture practices. Approach \& Ways of Working * Curious, innovative, and eager to experiment with new approaches. * Able to work in a lean, agile, startup-like environment, balancing delivery with exploration. * Collaborative mindset with strong influencing and facilitation skills. * Passion for public sector innovation and a commitment to improving outcomes for citizens. * Commitment to developing new skills and contributing to team success. * Strong troubleshooting, analytical and design skills. * Operates with a high degree of autonomy in ambiguous and pioneering environments where established procedures do not exist, exercising professional judgement to define approaches, set technical standards and determine appropriate courses of action. * Takes the initiative in identifying emerging technologies, risks and opportunities, proactively bringing recommendations forward without being directed to do so. Qualifications * Degree, apprenticeship, or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related discipline. * Microsoft certifications (e.g. Azure Fundamentals, Azure AI Fundamentals, Power Platform Developer Associate) are desirable. * Evidence of continuous learning, either through formal study, online training, or project work. What we need from you if you are invited to interview: * Passport/ID - You will be required to provide original documentation confirming your right to work in the UK. Successful candidates will also be required to provide proof of address. * Qualifications/registrations if applicable for the role. * Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a sponsorship for this position at the moment. Want to know more about Salford? As an authority we are dedicated to improving the lives of our residents, and as an employer we are passionate about helping individuals to thrive in their work. We are committed to developing a diverse and inclusive culture and are proud of our professional accreditations which champion this. Find out about our city as a place to live, work \& grow, and learn more about the amazing work we are doing. You’ll also find out about the wealth of benefits we have to offer you on our Salford pages! Continuous Service commitment New employees can keep their service related benefits when moving between a whole host of public sector organisations within Greater Manchester, which include: Councils, NHS, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue, Transport for Greater Manchester, as well as many others under this scheme. Find out if this applies to you on our Continuous Service page.. Guaranteed Assessment Schemes We have made a commitment to improve the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, care leavers, carers, and ex-military personnel by way of a Guaranteed Assessment Scheme. Our application forms ask you to indicate if you meet any of the criteria within this scheme, and so to find out more and if you qualify please visit our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme page.. Privacy Statement and Data Protection Our core data protection obligations and commitments are set out in the council’s primary Recruitment and Employment Privacy Notice which can be found at https://www.salford.gov.uk/gdpr .