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Base pay range

Head of AI (R&D)

Location: Manchester – 3 days in the Manchester office (flexible)

Compensation: up to £140,000 base + equity

Company Overview

Our client is an AI start-up at the forefront of redefining how intelligent systems solve real-world problems. With an ambitious roadmap and investor backing, they are entering a pivotal growth phase. We’re exclusively partnered with them to build a team of elite engineers, applied scientists, and technical leaders who will shape the company’s trajectory.

As they enter their next stage of evolution, they’re hiring a Head of AI (R&D) — a hybrid hands-on technical and leadership role designed for a builder, strategist, and innovator.

The Opportunity

As the Head of AI (R&D), you will take end-to-end ownership of the company’s research and engineering function, spanning hands-on model development through to managing and scaling a high-performing AI team. You’ll lead the development of cutting-edge machine learning systems, guide the research strategy, and ensure seamless integration of novel AI capabilities into real-world applications.

This is a unique opportunity to operate at the intersection of hands-on technical delivery, strategic leadership, and deep R&D ownership, directly influencing the company’s product direction.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Execution & Leadership

• Lead by example with strong hands-on contributions in model development, experimentation, and architecture.
• Build and train foundational models (LLMs, multimodal, or domain-specific) on large-scale datasets.
• Own overall direction of the AI model from research to production
• Make critical architectural decisions, ensuring robustness, scalability, and performance.
• Own Engineering capability for all models and integrated SDKs
• Own overall testing and scaling of the platform
• Provide Leadership to the AI/ML & engineering teams responsible for outcomes.

Research & Development Direction

• Serve as the Head of R&D, shaping the research agenda and ensuring the commercial viability of innovations.
• Own overall direction of AI models from research to production
• Drive exploratory research and manage cross-disciplinary technical investigations across AI subfields.
• Bridge cutting-edge academic research with applied product development—going from prototype to production.
• Build, lead, and mentor a UK-based technical team of AI / ML engineers.
• People Management and allocation of work scheduling
• Hire and retain talent while scaling a leading technical organisation.
• Foster a culture of scientific rigour, innovation, and delivery discipline.

Cross-Functional & External Collaboration

• Partner with founders, design, and commercial teams to align AI development with company objectives.
• Represent the company’s deep tech story with external stakeholders, including VCs, strategic partners, and at AI forums.
• Contribute thought leadership and insight into emerging technologies and competitive AI landscapes

Requirements

• Significant hands-on experience in AI/ML engineering and building ML systems end-to-end.
• Demonstrated success in training large-scale models from scratch, including transformers and/or multimodal architectures.
• PhD in Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Computational Linguistics, or related field.
• Proven ability to lead technical R&D teams with a focus on translating research into commercial impact.
• Experience operating in startup or high-growth environments with full lifecycle product integration.
• Willingness to travel internationally (UK/US) and domestically as required
• Strong publication record or public presence in AI research communities.
• Experience engaging with VCs, including technical due diligence or R&D storytelling during fundraising.
• Exposure to AI commercialisation within Big Tech or enterprise-scale infrastructure.

What’s on Offer

• Base Salary: Up to £140,000 (DOE)
• Generous equity package
• Flexible and remote-friendly working environment
• Leadership at one of the UK’s most ambitious deep tech start-ups
• Visibility and influence at the board level

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Director

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Information Technology

• Industries

  Technology, Information and Media

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