Senior Machine Learning Research Engineer – Speech/Audio/Gen-AI at Samsung Electronics, Staines/Remote, £Contract Rate

Samsung Research UK (SRUK) is seeking exceptional and highly motivated Senior ML Research Engineer to join our growing AI team in Staines-upon-Thames. We are at the forefront of developing innovative technologies for future Samsung devices and services, and this role offers a unique opportunity to shape the next generation of mobile experiences. You will be instrumental in translating cutting-edge research into real-world impact, working on challenges that demand both creative problem-solving and robust engineering practices.

This is a chance to contribute to a dynamic team, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in AI for mobile, and to see your contributions deployed to millions of users worldwide. We encourage applications from individuals with a strong academic background and proven expertise in the development of complex audio and speech-related applications. You will have the opportunity to expand your expertise within a challenging and rewarding environment.

This role is available on a permanent basis but we are also open to hiring a contractor for an initial 6 month period, working via agency. The role is inside IR35.

• Drive the research, design, development, and evaluation of innovative AI algorithms and models, with a primary focus on audio and speech processing.
• Lead the development of robust and scalable software solutions for deployment on flagship Samsung mobile devices.
• Independently own and deliver significant components of complex research projects, from initial concept to production readiness.
• Design, implement, and maintain high-quality, well-documented code, adhering to best software development practices.
• Collaborate closely with a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and engineers, providing technical guidance and mentorship.
• Proactively identify and address technical challenges, proposing creative solutions and ensuring the successful delivery of projects.
• Contribute to the development of internal tools and infrastructure to support research and development efforts.

• MSc/PhD degree in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science/Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, or a related discipline.
• Professional software development experience with Python (experience with C++, Java, or Kotlin is a plus).
• Deep understanding of machine learning and deep learning fundamentals, including various architectures, training techniques, and evaluation metrics.
• Strong experience in audio/speech processing, including areas such as speech recognition, speech enhancement, audio analysis, text-to-speech synthesis, and natural language processing.
• Proficiency with machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow or PyTorch.
• Solid understanding of software engineering principles, including version control (Git), CI/CD pipelines, and agile development methodologies.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to translate research ideas into practical, production-ready solutions.

• Experience with in generative AI, particularly in the context of audio/speech technologies.
• A strong publication record in top-tier machine learning, artificial intelligence, or signal processing conferences and journals (e.g., ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR, CVPR, SysML, INTERSPEECH, ICASSP, IEEE/ACM TASLP, IEEE TPAMI, JMLR).
• Experience with open-source speech processing toolkits (e.g., Hugging Face Transformers, SpeechBrain, ESPnet, Kaldi, NeMo).
• Experience developing and deploying AI models on Android mobile platforms.
• Proven experience in building and maintaining large-scale, distributed training pipelines.
• Experience with cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP).

• Highly competitive salary with performance bonus up to 21.5%.
• Employer pension contributions of 8.5%.
• 25 days paid holiday (increasing to 30 with time served).
• Life assurance, medical insurance, and income protection.
• Flexible benefits scheme with £600 annually to spend on benefits.
• Samsung product discounts, subsidised employee restaurant, and free parking.

• The role is based at Samsung R&D Institute in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey, UK.
• Samsung currently operates a hybrid working policy of 3 days onsite and 2 days working from home weekly