Junior Machine Learning Engineer

Who we are

Arkeus builds AI-powered sensing systems that help autonomous platforms detect, track and understand what's happening in the most complex and contested environments. Our technology is deployed across defence and national security applications — already protecting lives and strengthening security across the U.S. and allied markets.

Backed by QIC, Main Sequence, R+VC, Salus Ventures, Folklore Ventures, DYNE Ventures and Beaten Zone Venture Partners, Arkeus is entering a major growth phase. We are a small, fast-moving company with the energy and ambition of a start-up and the technical credibility of a world-class defence technology provider.

We work at the intersection of optics, autonomy, robotics and real-time AI and we deploy what we build. If you want to ship technology that matters, not technology that ships decks, this is where you belong.

Check it yourself on News | Arkeus

We have developed an inclusive, transparent and engaging culture that focuses on building a diverse workforce — realising that to attract the very best, we need to ensure our culture is ready to welcome people from all ages, genders and backgrounds.

About The Role

As a Junior Machine Learning Engineer at Arkeus, you will work with the Machine Learning team to prepare data and develop ML models, joining specialists working at the intersection of machine learning, computer vision, optical science and engineering design. Your work will be central to our image-based optical sensing technology — training, optimising and deploying models that detect and classify objects from the airborne perspective, in real time, on real hardware.

This is a genuine growth role. You will work alongside senior ML and computer vision engineers, learn how state-of-the-art research translates into deployed capability, and build depth across the full ML lifecycle — from data pipelines through to models running on edge devices.

About You

• A curious, motivated engineer at the start of your ML career.
• A recent graduate or completing a Master's degree in a relevant discipline.
• Able to take a machine learning problem from idea to working result — demonstrated through coursework, thesis work, internships or personal projects.
• Enjoys reading research, experimenting and asking good questions.
• Wants to see your models running in the real world, not sitting in a notebook.
  
  

Key Responsibilities

• Implement and improve the ETL process.
• Make data readily available to engineers across the team and improve and organise our datasets.
• Use PyTorch, OpenCV and scikit-learn to create, modify and train neural networks for image classification and object detection.
• Support the implementation and optimisation of state-of-the-art deep-learned neural networks in computer vision applications.
• Contribute to accurate object detection across varied environments (over sea, littoral zone, rural and city) and at various target sizes.
• Participate in team meetings and conduct code reviews.
• Report software bugs and issues in the issue-tracking system in a timely manner.
• Develop and maintain documentation.
  
  

Your Experience And Skills

• Tertiary qualification (Bachelor's or Master's) in computer science, engineering, mathematics or a related discipline — recent graduates are encouraged to apply.
• Demonstrated machine learning experience through university projects, thesis/research work, internships or personal projects.
• Confident working in Python, with hands-on exposure to PyTorch.
• Solid understanding of the fundamentals of neural networks and convolutional neural networks (CNNs).
• Exposure to object detection and/or segmentation problems.
• Familiarity with common libraries such as scikit-learn, scikit-image, PIL, Pandas and OpenCV.
• Sound research practices — able to read, understand and apply findings from technical literature.
• Eligibility to obtain and maintain an Australian Defence security clearance.
  
  

Desirable

• Exposure to C++.
• Experience with data science workflows and data pipelines.
• Technical experience reading from and controlling cameras.
• Exposure to airborne remote sensing, GIS or optical technologies.
• Strong physics and mathematics background.
• Examples of personal or open-source technical projects (GitHub links welcome).
  
  

Why Join Arkeus

• You will work on the hardest problems in deep-tech — optics, autonomy, real-time AI and hardware-software integration in a single product. The gap between what you build and where it ends up is almost nonexistent.
• You will collaborate with exceptional leaders who have 40+ years of combined experience in autonomy, optics and defence. You will be learning from — and contributing to — the best in the field.
• You will become part of a close-knit, ego-free team where ideas compete on merit, not seniority. Low politics, high trust. The kind of team you will still be talking about in ten years.
• You will work hard and be expected to bring your best — and in return, you will grow faster than you ever would at a large organisation.
• You will work on technology that is already deployed in real environments — protecting lives and strengthening security across defence and national security applications.
• You will receive a competitive, market-benchmarked salary, structured career pathways built to grow with you, and the opportunity to participate in our Employee Share Option Plan (ESOP).
• You will have the opportunity to mentor bright emerging talent through our highly sought-after intern program and strong connections with leading universities.
  
  

If this sounds like you, please apply even if you don't check every box — we care more about how you think than whether your CV is perfect. Join our growing team and help us change the world through autonomous systems.