ML Engineer

At The Football Association, we are harnessing the power of data, machine learning and advanced analytics to help shape the future of football. As we continue our journey from experimentation to meaningful, real‑world impact, we're looking for an ML Engineer to play a pivotal role in building the platforms, tools and operational foundations that make innovation possible at scale.

Working alongside talented colleagues across data science, analytics and technology, you will ensure that machine learning models and analytical products can be deployed, monitored and trusted in live environments, and help create robust, scalable solutions that deliver value across the organisation.

At The FA, we’re committed to creating an inclusive and supportive working environment. Flexible working options are available, and we encourage applications from people with varied backgrounds and experiences.

What will you be responsible for?

• MLOps & Platform Enablement
• Build, operate, and improve production‑grade ML and analytics pipelines, ensuring they are reliable, reproducible, and well‑governed.
• Support the packaging, deployment, and lifecycle management of machine learning models developed across the organization.
• Implement and maintain MLOps practices including versioning, automated testing, monitoring, logging, and controlled release processes.
• Put in place model observability (performance tracking, drift monitoring, alerting) and work with delivery teams to agree appropriate measures.

Collaboration & Enablement

Act as a technical enabler for data scientists and analysts - providing patterns, tooling, and guardrails.

Translate analytical and business requirements into scalable, supportable platform components, aligned with FA architecture and governance standards.

Support the transition from prototype to production without redefining analytical ownership or methodological approach.

Engineering Standards & Reliability

Contribute to shared engineering standards, templates, and automation that reduce friction for analytics and data science teams.

Ensure ML services are secure, compliant, cost‑aware, and auditable in line with FA policies.

Maintain clear technical documentation to support handover, continuity, and internal assurance.

Execute additional tasks as required to meet the FA’s changing priorities.

Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure that the highest standards of health, safety, and well‑being can be maintained.

Essential for the role:

• Strong Python engineering experience (testing, packaging, environment management).
• Hands‑on experience operationalising ML or advanced analytics in a cloud environment (e.g. Microsoft Fabric, Azure ML, Azure Synapse, or equivalent).
• Practical experience with CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions).
• Solid understanding of security, governance, data quality, and operational reliability in production systems.
• Enough familiarity with common ML frameworks (e.g. scikit‑learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow) to productionise models authored by others.

Beneficial to have:

• Experience with model registries, feature management, or responsible AI tooling.
• Exposure to monitoring and observability platforms for data/ML systems.
• Knowledge of containerisation (Docker) or cloud orchestration patterns.

About you:

• Collaborative and pragmatic, sharing knowledge within a team and ensuring best practices are followed.
• Comfortable working in a matrix organisation with multiple partner teams.
• Able to explain complex technical concepts clearly to non‑engineering stakeholders.

What's in it for you?

We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles. To achieve this, we have unique office spaces under the arch of the iconic Wembley National Stadium, which is the home of English Football. We are also delighted to offer a world‑class Elite Performance Centre, St. George’s Park in Staffordshire, which is an exceptional setting to develop and inspire high‑performing England teams and leaders.

We pride ourselves on offering a competitive salary as well as great opportunities to develop and grow in your role. But that is not all; we also have a range of exciting benefits, some of which can be found below:

• Access to event day tickets at Wembley Stadium, alongside a host of regular internal events throughout the season, encouraging you to connect and learn with your colleagues and look after your mental health and well‑being.
• Free, nutritious lunches at Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park.
• Free private medical cover.
• A contributory pension scheme.
• An additional 'Thank You' day's leave, volunteering days, as well as 25 days of annual leave (based on a full‑time, permanent contract).
• A hybrid working model which offers greater flexibility.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.

As part of the FA’s commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.

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