Cleo is a fast-growing fintech company on a mission to transform humanity's relationship with money. They are seeking an Applied Research Engineering Manager to lead a team of research scientists and machine learning engineers, focusing on solving complex AI problems and turning research into impactful product solutions.
Responsibilities:
- Define and own the applied research roadmap that delivers measurable impact
- Identify high-value research opportunities aligned to product and AI priorities
- Balance blue-sky investigation with focused execution and delivery
- Hire, grow, and retain a high-performing research team (scientists + research engineers)
- Provide coaching, career development, and mentorship that elevates individual and team performance
- Set clear expectations, review work rigorously, and reinforce high standards
- Work directly with Product and Engineering to prioritise research work that aligns to business impact
- Advocate for research needs, constraints, and timelines across teams
- Communicate priorities and results clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders
Requirements:
- Advanced degree in Machine Learning, AI, Computer Science, or related quantitative field
- Strong foundation in ML fundamentals, research methods, and evaluation design
- Proven experience managing and developing research teams - scientifically curious, technically strong, and motivated
- Able to set direction, make decisions with imperfect information, and move a team confidently forward
- Skilled in mentoring, performance management, and fostering a psychologically safe culture
- Experience turning research outcomes into concrete product value
- Strong communicator - can explain complex results to engineers, product partners, and leaders
- Experience with generative AI, LLM evaluation & fine-tuning workflows
- Track record of published research or contributions to open science
- Practical experience with production ML systems and data infrastructure