Senior Computational Linguist

Preply

London, United Kingdom

Hybrid

Who this role is best for

Aimed at mid-level to senior Computational Linguists who can design and evaluate AI-powered language-learning solutions.

Best fit for

Candidates with 2–3 years of experience in NLP and a background in AI model evaluation
— “2–3 years of experience in Computational Linguistics, NLP, or a related role.”
Individuals who can formalize linguistic rules and create scalable datasets
— “Formalise linguistic phenomena into clear rules, taxonomies, annotation criteria, and system or model requirements.”
Professionals skilled in Python and comfortable automating evaluation processes
— “Proficiency in Python for data processing, evaluation, and automation.”

Things to consider

The role demands strong attention to detail in model behavior and quality assurance.
— “Evaluate model behaviour using qualitative and quantitative methods, investigate failure modes and quality issues, and validate fixes.”
The position requires a deep understanding of annotation workflows and data quality control.
— “Strong understanding of datasets, annotation workflows, evaluation methods, and quality assurance for AI systems.”

How to stand out

Highlight experience with LLM prompt design and model behavior analysis in your resume.
— “Hands-on experience working with LLMs, including prompt design, evaluation, and model behaviour analysis.”
Showcase your ability to build and refine datasets with clear annotation criteria.
— “Build representative datasets for training, calibration, and evaluation, including annotation guidelines and quality-control processes.”
Emphasize your technical fluency in Python for automation and data processing.
— “Use Python and existing tooling to process linguistic data and automate evaluation.”
Demonstrate your ability to work in cross-functional teams with product and engineering roles.
— “Collaborate with engineers, product managers, learning designers, and computational linguists.”
Show your awareness of NLP and LLM research trends and how you apply them.
— “Stay informed of best practices and advances in NLP and LLM research.”

Pace · SteadyCollaboration · HighAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

formalising linguistic phenomena
designing and evaluating prompts
building datasets

Typical background

2-3 years of experience in Computational Linguistics

Skills & requirements

Required

Computational LinguisticsNLPLLMPythonData Processing

Preferred

Degree In Linguistics

Stack & domain

Computational LinguisticsNLPLlmsPrompt DesignEvaluationModel Behaviour AnalysisPythonData ProcessingAutomationCollaborationCommunicationProblem-solvingAdaptabilityPragmatismAILanguage Learning

About the role

Original posting from Preply via Ashby

WE POWER PEOPLE’S PROGRESS.
At Preply, we’re all about creating life-changing learning experiences. We help people discover the magic of the perfect tutor, craft a personalised learning journey, and stay motivated to keep growing. Our approach is human-led, tech-enabled - and it’s creating real impact.
We’ve just reached unicorn status with a $150M Series D, accelerating our vision to transform education through human-led, AI-enhanced learning. Today, 100,000+ tutors teach 90+ languages to learners in 180 countries - and we’re only getting started. As a category-defining company, we’re shaping what the future of learning looks like at global scale.
Every Preply lesson sparks change, fuels ambition, and drives progress that matters. Joining Preply means helping define the future of education at global scale, and building something that truly matters for millions of people, every day.
ROLE OVERVIEW
As a Computational Linguist at Preply, you will combine linguistic expertise with technical skills to build and evaluate language-learning solutions powered by AI. You will analyse and formalise linguistic phenomena, design prompts and linguistic logic, build evaluation, training, and calibration datasets, investigate model behaviour and quality issues, and contribute to tooling and pipelines that help us scale reliable language-learning experiences across languages.
WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING:
Formalise linguistic phenomena into clear rules, taxonomies, annotation criteria, and system or model requirements.
Design, evaluate, and improve prompts and other AI components for language-learning use cases.
Build representative datasets for training, calibration, and evaluation, including annotation guidelines and quality-control processes.
Evaluate model behaviour using qualitative and quantitative methods, investigate failure modes and quality issues, and validate fixes across prompts, models, data, and downstream processing.
Use Python and existing tooling to process linguistic data and automate evaluation.
Collaborate with engineers, product managers, learning designers, and computational linguists to develop reusable solutions, resources, and practices that scale across use cases and languages.
Stay informed of best practices and advances in NLP and LLM research.
WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED:
2–3 years of experience in Computational Linguistics, NLP, or a related role.
Hands-on experience working with LLMs, including prompt design, evaluation, and model behaviour analysis.
Proficiency in Python for data processing, evaluation, and automation.
Strong understanding of datasets, annotation workflows, evaluation methods, and quality assurance for AI systems.
AI-native mindset: comfortable using AI tools as part of day-to-day problem solving, analysis, and workflow automation.
Strong qualitative and quantitative analysis skills for evaluating linguistic data, model behaviour, and system quality.
Ability to collaborate effectively in cross-functional teams.
Degree in Linguistics, Computational Linguistics, NLP, Language Technology, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Excellent command of English, both spoken and written, with strong linguistic precision.
Why you’ll love it at Preply
An open, collaborative, dynamic, and diverse culture;
A generous monthly allowance for lessons on Preply.com http://preply.com/, Learning & Development budget, and time off for your self-development;
A competitive financial package with equity, leave allowance, and health insurance;
Access to free mental health support platforms;
The opportunity to unlock the potential of learners and tutors through language learning and teaching in 175 countries (and counting!)
OUR PRINCIPLES
Care to change the world - We are passionate about our work and care deeply about its impact to be life changing.
We do it for learners - For both Preply and tutors, learners are why we do what we do. Every day we focus on empowering tutors to deliver an exceptional learning experience.
Keep perfecting - To create an outstanding customer experience, we focus on simplicity, smoothness, and enjoyment, continually perfecting it as every detail matters.
Now is the time - In a fast-paced world, it matters how quickly we act. Now is the time to make great things happen.
Disciplined execution - What makes us disciplined is the excellence in our execution. We set clear goals, focus on what matters, and utilize our resources efficiently.
Dive deep - We leverage business acumen and curiosity to investigate disparities between numbers and stories, unlocking meaningful insights to guide our decisions.
Growth mindset - We proactively seek growth opportunities and believe today's best performance becomes tomorrow's starting point. We humbly embrace feedback and learn from setbacks.
Raise the bar - We raise our performance standards continuously, alongside each new hire and promotion. We build diverse and high-performing teams that can make a real difference.
Challenge, disagree and commit - We value open and candid communication, even when we don’t fully agree. We speak our minds, challenge when necessary, and fully commit to decisions once made.
One Preply - We prioritize collaboration, inclusion, and the success of our team over personal ambitions. Together, we support and celebrate each other's progress.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
Preply.com http://Preply.com is committed to creating an inclusive environment where people of diverse backgrounds can thrive. We believe that the presence of different opinions and viewpoints is a key ingredient for our success as a multicultural Ed-Tech company. That means that Preply will consider all applications for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age or veteran status.

Source: Preply careers (Ashby)