Technical Contractor - Scaling Compute (AI System Simulation) at Advanced Research + Invention Agency (ARIA), London, Up to £990 per day DoE

Urgent Contract: Technical Contractor for ARIA Scaling Compute programme (AI System Simulation)

Start date: immediate/July 2026

Location: London; Tues - Thurs (3 days) at HQ, Monday + Friday, anywhere

Duration: 6 months

Closing Date: 05.07.26

Please send your application to: isabella.roberts@aria.org.uk

We have an urgent, 6 month requirement for a Technical Contractor to join ARIA’s Scaling Compute programme team to support a critical phase of the programme’s operations.

Backed by nearly £100m, This programme aims to open up new vectors of progress seeking to bring the cost of AI hardware down by >1000x.

We are seeking an elite software-hardware co-design engineer to rapidly stand up and scale ARIA’s AI simulation capabilities. This is a critical infrastructure initiative; you will be expected to take immediate ownership of the environment and deliver actionable architecture insights from week one.

Scope of work and deliverables

• Lead the development and management of AI system simulation capabilities within ARIA, using and adapting existing open-source simulation toolkits.
• Ensure developed simulation tools generate actionable insights that support programme decision-making and inform future programme design.
• Assess, benchmark, and improve simulation environments to evaluate emerging AI systems, capabilities and risks.
• Hand over and knowledge transfer to the core team upon project completion.

Required expertise

• Availability to start immediately / July 2026.
• Practical experience in multiple levels of the AI software/hardware stack (including some combination of PyTorch, CUDA kernels, network communication libraries like NCCL). Familiarity with profiling frameworks like Nsight to identify performance bottlenecks.
• Strong proficiency in python, pytorch and CUDA.
• Strong alignment and enthusiasm for the programme’s mission, broader technical vision, and societal goals.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to connect ideas, teams, and research areas in ways that create new opportunities in this rapidly developing space.

The Offer:

• Rate: Up to £990 per day dependent on experience
• Contract: 6 months fixed.
• Status: Inside IR35.

Submission Requirements

If you are interested in this assignment, please send your CV and provide a response to the following:

Using these three websites, what are the first three steps that you would take to run these simulators, understand what they do, and how they differ from one another?

• LLMServingSim
• AISysSim
• LLMCompass

Also, please confirm your availability to start.

Please send your application   by Sunday 5 July 2026

Note: This is a contract engagement. We are looking for a self-starter who can hit the ground running and add immediate value to programme goals.