Junior AI Research Engineer

ABOUT

Inlecom Innovation designs and develops cutting-edge digital transformation solutions, combining research excellence with real-world impact. We work alongside leading industrial organisations and research institutions across Europe to deliver AI-driven technologies within EU-funded innovation projects. Our Athens R&D team builds and deploys applied AI solutions across transport and logistics, critical infrastructure, environmental monitoring, cultural heritage, and chemical processes and materials, contributing to the next generation of trustworthy, interoperable intelligent systems.

ROLE

We are looking for a Junior AI Engineer to join our R&D team in Athens (Kifissia), working in a hybrid on-site/remote model. You will work hands-on on AI/ML components within EU-funded research projects, from prototyping through to integration and evaluation, guided by senior engineers and in collaboration with partners across Europe. The work spans applied ML, LLM-based and agentic systems, and the secure, trustworthy infrastructure that lets them operate in real settings. This is a role for someone early in their career who wants to build AI systems that reach real users while developing a solid research and engineering profile.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Implement, test and evaluate AI/ML components in EU-funded research projects (predictive models, LLM/SLM pipelines, RAG and agentic workflows) and integrate them into project platforms.
• Contribute to secure and trustworthy AI infrastructure: identity and access management, policy enforcement, observability and traceability of automated systems.
• Contribute to data-driven modelling and explainable AI for domains such as transport and critical infrastructure.
• Work with partners and end-users to understand requirements and help translate them into working solutions.
• Contribute to technical deliverables, scientific publications and demonstrations, following EU priorities on trustworthy AI, openness, interoperability and security.
• Participate in research visits and secondments at partner organisations across Europe, and bring the acquired knowledge back into INLECOM’s projects.

QUALIFICATIONS

• MSc in Computer Science, Computer/Electrical Engineering, AI/ML, Cybersecurity or a closely related field (recent graduates welcome).
• 0–2 years of experience through employment, internships, thesis work or substantial personal projects.
• Solid foundation in ML (predictive modelling, classification and clustering, deep learning fundamentals) and in software engineering for distributed systems (APIs, containers, cloud basics).
• Proficiency in Python; familiarity with the ML stack (PyTorch or TensorFlow, scikit-learn, Pandas).
• Working understanding of security fundamentals: authentication and authorisation, access control, basic cryptography.
• Familiarity with LLMs, RAG and agentic frameworks through coursework, projects or experimentation.
• Ability to read and summarise scientific literature; good problem-solving and collaboration skills; excellent written and spoken English.
• Availability and willingness to undertake research secondments abroad of 1-3 months at a time at partner universities and industrial labs (Ireland, Spain and other European countries) within a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Staff Exchanges project, as INLECOM staff and returning to the Athens team afterwards.

NICE TO HAVE

• Exposure to decentralised identity (DIDs, Verifiable Credentials, SSI), blockchain or smart contracts.
• Experience with Kubernetes, microservices or serverless deployments, or with telemetry/observability tooling.
• Graph neural networks, agent-based modelling or explainable-AI methods (SHAP, counterfactuals).
• Experience with locally deployed open-source LLMs or lightweight/edge models.
• Awareness of the EU AI Act, GDPR and trustworthy-AI principles.
• MSc thesis, publication, open-source contributions or a public GitHub portfolio in any of the above.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Competitive compensation depending on experience, plus private health insurance.
• Hybrid working model, based at our Kifissia office.
• Mentoring by experienced AI and security engineers and a clear growth path within the R&D team.
• Funded research secondments at leading European industrial labs and universities, with travel and subsistence covered.
• Collaboration with European research institutions and industry partners, with travel to project meetings across Europe.
• A friendly, international R&D team and support for publishing and conference participation.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply via LinkedIn with your CV, highlighting your projects (thesis, internships, personal work) and your role in them. Links to a thesis, publications, GitHub repositories or demos are welcome.