Senior Machine Learning Engineer - remote job

Sona is hiring a Senior Machine Learning Engineer - a senior role, so the employer expects you to make the calls yourself. The role sits in IT and programming and is fully remote. The company hires candidates based in Europe.

The advert singles out Machine Learning, so experience with that one tool is what will decide it.

The employer published the pay: £95k - £110k a year. The advert sets no condition on working hours.

This vacancy passed an automated check: the list excludes any advert requiring a foreign work permit, visa sponsorship, a particular citizenship, or residence in a specific country.

Navigating the operational complexities of frontline businesses presents a unique challenge, unlike those faced in white-collar sectors. Shift-based labor costs, regional and role-specific compliance issues, and razor-thin margins mean that a poorly designed schedule can severely impact financial performance. Addressing this issue requires more than conventional software; it demands innovative AI solutions. Frontline industries, which employ the majority of the global workforce, have seen minimal software investment in recent years.

At Sona, we believe that the core problem needs a fundamentally different approach, leveraging AI to unlock operational insights. Our team harnesses vast amounts of operational data to empower frontline workers to manage business operations, not just report on them. We are in the early stages of this journey, and the systems you build today will be integral to our future success.

Sona has secured significant funding from investors like N47, Felicis, Gradient, and Northzone. We have more than 100 enterprise clients across the UK and the US, and we have expanded our operations to offices in London, New York, Austin, and Lisbon. Learn more about working at Sona here.

About the Role

You will join a small, dynamic machine learning (ML) team focused on forecasting demand for multiple restaurant chains. Your role will involve validating data, selecting models, running user acceptance testing (UAT), going live, and monitoring performance. You will engage directly with clients, build relationships, and ensure the kitchen prepares the right amount of food based on accurate predictions.

You will thrive in this role if:

- You take full ownership of the product and its impact, ensuring that both the models and the client's business thrive. - You prioritize solving real-world problems, opting for practical solutions over complex, theoretical approaches. - You collaborate closely with industry experts to understand the intricacies of our clients' businesses and the challenges they face. - You see the bigger picture, understanding the processes that generate data and the opportunities and challenges that come with it. - You have experience in transforming business ideas into fully functional, production-ready ML systems. - You integrate AI development tools into your workflow daily, such as Claude Code, Cursor, or Copilot, as your standard working method.

This role may not be suitable if:

- You are seeking to conduct extensive research and publish academic papers. - You prefer a more managerial role with less direct technical involvement. - You are eager to explore new technologies without immediate application. - You work best in isolation, preferring to perfect one project before moving on to the next.

Requirements

To be successful in this role, you should have:

- Extensive experience in production ML, including deploying systems that handle messy data, fail gracefully, and require ongoing monitoring. - Strong ML fundamentals, allowing you to reason about trade-offs in practice, explain the rationale behind model choices, and make sound judgments when unexpected issues arise. - Experience with client-facing deployments, owning the end-to-end process and effectively communicating with non-technical stakeholders. - Proficiency in Python, including the ML and scientific Python stack (e.g., numpy, scikit-learn). - Regular use of AI development tools like Claude Code, Cursor, or Copilot in your daily work.

Additional experience in the following areas would be beneficial:

- Forecasting, time-series analysis, or demand planning. - Familiarity with our technology stack: Python, scikit-learn, MLflow, Docker, GCP. - A culture where individual responsibility and frequent context-switching are expected.

Benefits

- Competitive salary: £95,000-£110,000 - Fully remote work with the option for European time zones - Employee stock options - 35 days of annual leave (25 standard days plus 10 flexible public holiday days) - An extra day of leave for every year of service - Pension contributions matched up to 5% - Comprehensive health insurance - Enhanced parental leave and pay - Salary sacrifice childcare scheme (Workplace Nursery) - Co-working space stipend for those not based in London - Annual all-expenses-paid team retreats - Latest Macbook and home office equipment budget - Professional development budget - Unlimited access to free books

Please consult your Talent team contact for specific details on the benefits available to you.