Machine Learning Engineer
Train, deploy and maintain ML models that power recommendations, predictions, NLP and vision.
This UK machine learning engineer career guide covers what the role involves day to day, typical salary at each stage, the usual entry route, the skills employers expect, and related careers worth comparing.
Quick facts
- Starting salary
- £45,000 - £70,000
- Mid-career salary
- £80,000 - £130,000
- Senior salary
- £140,000 - £220,000+
- Work environment
- Office or remote, deep focus work
- Time to entry
- 3 - 5 Years
- Degree required
- Usually required (CS, maths, stats or related)
- Category
- Technology
What a Machine Learning Engineer does
Train, deploy and maintain ML models that power recommendations, predictions, NLP and vision.
- MLOps Engineer - Get ML models running reliably in production at scale.
- NLP Engineer - Build systems that understand and generate language.
- Applied Research Engineer - Take cutting-edge papers and turn them into products.
How to become a Machine Learning Engineer
- Look up Machine Learning Engineer roles on LinkedIn or Indeed and read 5 real job ads
- Talk to someone already working as a Machine Learning Engineer - even a 15-minute call helps
- Find one beginner course or qualification used by people in this role
- Build one small piece of evidence you've explored this (project, shadowing, short course)
- Apply to one entry-level role or related opportunity within the next month
Key skills
- Python
- Maths and stats
- PyTorch or TensorFlow
- MLOps
- Data engineering basics