Flexible working: we support full time, part time (minimum three days a week), compressed hours, job share and other flexible working patterns. Due to the sensitive nature of our work, this role is primarily office based. Home working is not guaranteed and is based on business needs.
About us
We’re MI6, also known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). Our mission is to protect the security and economic wellbeing of the UK from overseas threats such as regional instability, terrorism, and cyber‑attacks. Working across the globe and in close partnership with MI5 and GCHQ, we help the Government to counter these threats through the provision of secret intelligence. A role in MI6 will see you providing vital support to this work, within a supportive and encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.
The role
Enhancing how we operate today will better prepare us for the challenges of tomorrow. That’s why we’re creating dedicated teams focused on bringing Artificial Intelligence (AI) into some of our most mission critical areas. As a Machine Learning Engineer, you’ll be at the heart of our efforts, working with our technical teams to design, build and operate mission‑critical machine learning capabilities. This includes everything from infrastructure and MLOps through to training, fine‑tuning, deployment, and live model management. While you’ll be hands‑on in engineering, your work will also be advisory, ensuring models are reliable, scalable and fit for use.
Day to day, you’ll collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of data scientists, researchers, and hosting specialists, acting as the subject‑matter expert for ML deployment, reliability, and best practice. You’ll be the critical bridge between research and production, making sure ideas don’t stay theoretical but instead become robust, impactful systems.
A large part of your role will be leading on the technical evaluation of environments and workflows, driving innovation‑led initiatives, and continuously improving how we monitor, measure, and optimise model performance. Just as importantly, you’ll champion model explainability, transparency, and ethical AI as core engineering principles. Across multiple projects, you’ll also support and mentor junior ML engineers, help software engineers design ML‑ready hosting environments, and translate complex systems into a clear, practical understanding for non‑technical stakeholders.
About you
There’s no single route into this role – what matters most is your genuine, end‑to‑end understanding of the ML lifecycle and real, practical experience of model deployment, monitoring, and optimisation. This may come from working as a Machine Learning Engineer already, years spent as a Software Engineer building applied ML systems, or a data science background grounded in strong mathematical foundations.
You’ll have seen at least one full project lifecycle through from start to finish, ideally within an environment with centralised standards and platforms. With your background of managing model lifecycles and deployments, you’ll know what it takes to fine‑tune and operationalise models in live environments, and you’ll be comfortable working across platforms with the ability to adapt to customer‑embedded models as needs evolve. Hands‑on experience working alongside scientists and within deployment environments is central to this role, as is familiarity with MLOps tooling, scheduling, and orchestration. You’ll be comfortable working in cloud environments and with ML lifecycle tools such as Weights & Biases, and you’ll have Python experience too. Experience with Docker or Kubernetes is beneficial, but not essential.
You’re also curious, self‑directed, and always keen to learn more. You’re comfortable with ambiguity, calm under pressure, and able to see beyond the immediate task. You communicate clearly, work well within technical communities, and bring the resilience to keep things moving should any obstacles arise.
Training and development
We take professional development seriously, and you’ll be joining a community that invests in helping people grow their skills. You’ll have access to a broad mix of learning opportunities, including in‑house and online training, technical deep dives and development pathways shaped around your interests and the needs of the organisation. This includes support to strengthen your capability across modern AI techniques, Cloud technologies and wider analytical or engineering practices.
We use the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (formerly known as DDaT) as a compass to provide guidance and tools to support you. You can find out more about the framework on the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework page. You’ll also have opportunities to work with external professional bodies and training providers who offer routes to specialist accreditation, advanced AI training or broader professional recognition. Whether you choose to deepen your expertise in a specific technical area or broaden your capability across new domains, you’ll have the guidance and support you need to progress.
Rewards and benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £63,823 plus other benefits including:
- 25 days of annual leave automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years’ service, and an additional 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays
- Opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
- An interest‑free season ticket loan
- An excellent pension scheme
- A cycle‑to‑work scheme
- Facilities such as a gym, restaurant and on‑site coffee bars (at some locations)
- Paid parental and adoption leave
- Interest‑free loan to assist with relocation into privately rented accommodation (subject to availability)
Equal opportunities
At MI6 diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK, we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. This includes diversity in every sense of the word: those with different backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from groups that are under‑represented in our workforce such as women, those from an ethnic minority background, people with disabilities, and those from low socio‑economic backgrounds.
Eligibility & requirements
To work at MI6, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British nationality.
This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting (DV). Please review the vetting process and eligibility criteria before applying.
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