Part-time Engineer (Temporary Appointment)

This position is posted by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Job Ref: 261009012 學系/部門：Research Institute for Federated Learning Category: Management / Professional 截止日期：16 October 2026 Source: PolyU Careers Apply: https://jobs.polyu.edu.hk/job_detail.php?job=261009012 ---

(Ref. 261009012)

[Appointment period: three to twelve months]

Duties

The appointee will be required to work for one of the constituent research units – Research Institute for Federated Learning (RIFL) under the PolyU Academy for Artificial Intelligence (PAAI). He/She will be required to:

(a) design and implement robust Large Language Model (LLM)-powered agent systems in specific domains, be capable of data collection and processing, model inference, model fine-tuning, self-evolution and long-term planning;

(b) integrate and optimise advanced autonomous coding and browser-control tools, such as Claude Code and OpenClaw, to automate internal developer workflows and external data-gathering tasks;

(c) fine-tune and prompt-engineer various LLMs, such as Claude 3.5, GPT-4 and Llama 3, to achieve specific agentic behaviors, with a focus on reducing latency and improving accuracy and efficiency;

(d) build the backend services, vector databases and state-management systems required to maintain agent "memory" across complex sessions;

(e) develop rigorous testing frameworks to measure agent reliability, safety and performance, moving beyond simple accuracy to evaluate "reasoning" paths;

(f) build a federated agentic system incorporating privacy-enhanced techniques to provide private and collaborative solutions to the agentic workflow; and

(g) perform any other duties as assigned by the Director of RIFL under PAAI or their delegates.

Qualifications

Applicant should:

(a) have a recognised degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Electronic Engineering or a related discipline;

(b) have at least five years of relevant post-qualification work experience;

(c) have in-depth knowledge in working with LLM APIs, such as Anthropic and OpenAI, and local deployments;

(d) have proven experience in agentic frameworks such as Claude Code, OpenClaw or Cursor;

(e) be proficient in coding and Machine Learning tools, such as Python and PyTorch;

(f) have experience in data and infrastructure with vector stores and containerization, such as Docker and Kubernetes, and GPU infrastructure;

(g) have a good command of both written and spoken English and Chinese; and

(h) have good communication skills.

Preference will be given to those with experience in federated learning and privacy computing.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to sit for a written test.

Conditions of Service

The remuneration rate is HK$220 per hour.

Consideration of applications will commence on 16 October 2026 until the position is filled.