We're seeking a hands-on ML Research Engineer to accelerate our Machine Intelligence research area. You work confidently across training, fine-tuning, inference and evaluation, at single- and multi-GPU scale, with strong data-pipeline, debugging and data-analysis skills. Working closely with researchers, you'll design, implement and validate proof-of-concept solutions to Machine Intelligence problems, then partner with product teams to land that research in shipping products used by millions of people world-wide.
This role is within the Research Engineering team at MSR Cambridge. Our team has broad experience spanning front-end, systems, networking and ML engineering at datacenter scale. We work across all the research areas in MSR Cambridge, deeply embedded in research projects.
Responsibilities
Combine strengths in ML research and software engineering competence to contribute to the design and prioritisation of research activities.
Build prototypes of ML systems to demonstrate research value, in some cases bringing these prototypes all the way to product-level readiness. You like getting things done.
Evaluate research prototypes, and help write up results to communicate outcomes clearly.
Collaborate with researchers and product teams, helping smooth technology transfer between them.
Reinforce a positive environment by applying best practices and high-quality engineering standards.
Gain deep expertise in one (or more) subareas of research, and general understanding of a broad area. Understand the relevant literature and applicable research techniques.
Contribute to academic publication of research outcomes.
Proactively ensure high standard of software security over research prototypes and library supply chains.
Understand and follow ethics and privacy policies relating to research processes and data handling, as appropriate.
Qualifications
Required
Master degree in Computer science or related area, or equivalent training and experience in research.
Experience with modern ML model architectures in PyTorch.
Proficient in collaborative software development in Python.
Skills in data analysis and model evaluation.
Experience of performance tuning in ML systems.
Experience communicating in English, both written and spoken, including the skill to communicate technical results and justify assumptions to diverse technical audiences.
Willingness and flexibility to operate in a highly agile and dynamic environment.
Preferred
Doctorate (PhD) in Computer Science or related area, or equivalent training and experience in research.
Demonstrated ability to work in large codebases.
Proficient in lower-level engineering skills (eg C/C++/Rust) or equivalent systems languages.
Experience of cluster-based distributed data processing techniques.
Research Sciences IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across United Kingdom is £ 74,700.00 - £ 122,600.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.
Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/united-kingdom-corporate-pay.html
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.
Skills Required
- Master’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent research training and experience
- Experience with modern machine learning model architectures in PyTorch
- Proficiency in collaborative software development using Python
- Skills in data analysis and model evaluation
- Experience with performance tuning in machine learning systems
- Written and spoken English communication skills, including communicating technical results and justifying assumptions to diverse technical audiences
- Willingness and flexibility to work in a highly agile and dynamic environment
- Doctorate or PhD in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent research training and experience
- Demonstrated ability to work in large codebases
- Proficiency in lower-level engineering languages such as C, C++, or Rust
- Experience with cluster-based distributed data processing techniques
Microsoft Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Microsoft and has not been reviewed or approved by Microsoft.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is presented as broadly competitive overall, with clear role/level/location variation and an emphasis on using posted ranges and band information for apples-to-apples comparisons.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits are described as a standout, highlighted by a strong 401(k) match structure and immediate vesting, plus additional plan features for tax-advantaged saving.
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Parental & Family Support — Family-oriented benefits are portrayed as a meaningful strength, with substantial paid parental leave and added supports like back-up care and adoption/surrogacy assistance.
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