Senior machine learning engineer

Band 7 · Machine learning engineer · 495 job evaluation points

UK GDaD PCF level: Senior machine learning engineer

Most often performed at Civil Service grade SEO or G7 or G6.

A senior machine learning engineer develops machine learning models so they can be used in products and services.
At this role level, you will:
decide what model is most suitable for use in products and services
customise, optimise, re-train and maintain existing models
deploy models into production, testing and assuring them to ensure they meet performance requirements
work with others to integrate models with existing systems
check that models used in live products and services stay safe, secure and continue to work effectively

Contains public sector information from the UK Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (https://understand-digital-data-roles-skills.service.gov.uk/), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.

Responsibilities

Deploy models into production clinical and operational services, with automated testing, versioning, and rollback.
Build monitoring for model performance, drift, and fairness across patient groups, with alerts and clear owners.
Integrate models with clinical systems, using open standards such as HL7 FHIR where possible.
Produce the testing, change, and monitoring evidence needed for clinical safety cases and medical device technical files.
Assess and adapt supplier and open source models for local use, including generative AI models.
Coach data scientists and engineers on machine learning engineering practice.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Applied maths, statistics and scientific practicesUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: apply designated quantitative techniques such as time series analysis, optimisation and simulation to create and embed appropriate models for analysis and prediction provide guidance on matching data sources with relevant applied mathematics and statistical techniques to meet analysis goals apply appropriate statistical techniques to available data to discover new relations and offer insight into research problems, helping to improve organisational processes and support decision making access and use the statistical tools available within the organisation
Communicating between the technical and non-technicalUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: listen to and interpret the needs of technical and non-technical stakeholders, and manage their expectations manage active and reactive communication support or host difficult discussions within the team or with diverse senior stakeholders
Data ethics and privacyUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: work with stakeholders to identify and address ethical and privacy concerns demonstrate and communicate how data ethical issues fit into the wider organisational context research developments in data ethics and privacy to improve compliance and processes assess and constructively challenge proposed data ethics policies
Data science innovationUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: demonstrate practical knowledge of data science tools and techniques develop data science solutions that maximise insight identify opportunities for how data science can improve data practices
Programming and build (software engineering)UK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: collaborate with others when necessary to review specifications use the agreed specifications to design, code, test and document programs or scripts of medium-to-high complexity, using the right standards and tools
Systems integrationUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: define the integration build co-ordinate build activities across systems understand how to undertake and support integration testing activities
Understanding health and care servicesThis reference	Working (2)	You can: explain the clinical and care workflows your work supports use common health care terms correctly with clinical and care colleagues recognise when a change could affect patient care and raise it
Clinical risk managementThis reference	Working (2)	You can: take part in hazard workshops and contribute to a hazard log follow the clinical risk management process for your work provide evidence for a clinical safety case, such as test results
Information governance and data protectionThis reference	Working (2)	You can: apply data protection principles to your work contribute to data protection impact assessments handle information requests and records correctly
Health data interoperabilityThis reference	Working (2)	You can: read and use FHIR resources, profiles, and APIs build or test simple integrations under guidance check messages against a specification
Medical device software regulationThis reference	Working (2)	You can: follow a software life cycle process that meets medical device standards produce the records that such a process requires
Safe and fair AI in health careThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: plan the validation, bias assessment, and live monitoring of a model with clinical colleagues decide when a model needs retraining, restricting, or withdrawing advise teams on when a model may be regulated as a medical device and what evidence it needs

Typical qualifications and experience

Substantial experience of building and running machine learning systems in production, at a level equivalent to a master's degree.

Band 7 outline

Knowledge: Highly developed specialist knowledge, typically to master's level or equivalent experience.
Autonomy: Works to organisational policy; decides how results are achieved; is the expert others consult.
Scope: Several products or services, or a specialist function.
Leadership: Leads a team or a professional practice area.
Accountability: Delivery of a service or specialist function, and its budget if held.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	4	Gives complex, sensitive, or contentious information needing persuasion, negotiation, or training skills, or highly complex information.	32
Knowledge, training, and experience	7	Highly developed specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (master's level or equivalent).	196
Analytical and judgemental skills	5	Judgements on highly complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	60
Planning and organisational skills	3	Plans several complex activities, adjusting plans as needed.	27
Physical skills	3	Developed skills needing speed or accuracy, such as advanced keyboard use.	27
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	3	Implements policies for own area and proposes changes that affect other areas.	21
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	1	Takes personal care of equipment and resources used in own work.	5
Responsibility for people	2	Supervises or coordinates staff day to day, trains others regularly, or gives basic HR advice.	12
Responsibility for information resources	5	Designs and develops major information systems, or runs information systems for several services as the main duty.	34
Responsibility for research and development	2	Regularly does research, development, trials, or equipment and system testing as part of the job.	12
Freedom to act	4	Results are defined, but the job holder decides how to achieve them, within broad policy.	32
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	4	Frequent prolonged concentration, or occasional intense concentration.	18
Emotional effort	1	Rare exposure, or occasional indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	5
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 7: 466 to 539)			495