Senior Machine Learning Engineer

$110,000 - $135,000/Yr

Nelnet

Full-time - Senior

Credit Intermediation and Related Activities

About the position

The Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Nelnet Business Services (NBS) will play a pivotal role in the design, development, and deployment of advanced machine learning applications. This position is not only about technical expertise but also involves strategic leadership, as the engineer will guide a small team of developers. The ideal candidate will be skilled in managing projects while also being hands-on with technical tasks, ensuring the team successfully delivers high-performance machine learning solutions. The role requires a deep understanding of machine learning architectures, coding, and reviewing models and applications, as well as ensuring the high availability and performance of machine learning solutions by leveraging both established and emerging technologies. In this position, the Senior Machine Learning Engineer will lead and mentor a small team, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment. They will partner with Product and Data Solutions teams to design, build, and deliver machine learning models and components that address various business challenges. The engineer will tackle complex problems by writing and testing application code, developing and validating machine learning models, and automating tests and deployment processes. Additionally, they will be responsible for retraining, maintaining, and monitoring models in production, utilizing or building cloud-based architectures to deliver optimized machine learning models at scale. The role also emphasizes the importance of implementing code management practices to minimize vulnerabilities and ensure that models are well-governed from a risk perspective. The Senior Machine Learning Engineer will adhere to machine learning best practices in Responsible and Explainable AI, while also educating and communicating complex AI concepts and solutions to both technical and non-technical audiences. This position is crucial for driving innovation and ensuring the success of machine learning initiatives within the organization.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a small team of developers, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment.
• Partner with Product and Data Solutions teams to design, build, and deliver machine learning models and components to address business challenges.
• Address complex problems by writing and testing application code, developing and validating machine learning models, and automating tests and deployment.
• Retrain, maintain, and monitor models in production.
• Utilize existing or build cloud-based architectures and technologies to deliver optimized machine learning models at scale.
• Implement code management practices to minimize vulnerabilities, ensure models are well-governed from a risk perspective, and adhere to machine learning best practices in Responsible and Explainable AI.
• Educate and communicate complex AI concepts and solutions to technical and non-technical audiences.

Requirements

• Bachelor's in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in machine learning engineering or related roles, with experience mentoring junior developers and leading projects.
• Hands-on experience with machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or scikit-learn.
• Experience in deploying machine learning models in production environments.
• Proficiency in programming languages and in the use of machine learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch or scikit-learn).
• Strong expertise in deep learning frameworks and architectures.
• Excellent skills in data manipulation, preprocessing, and feature engineering.
• Strong knowledge of data management processes for large-scale datasets.

Nice-to-haves

• Passion for learning new AI skills.
• Drive to experiment and innovate, as well as the ability to stay updated on the latest developments in the AI field.
• Proficiency in rapid Prototyping tools and experimentation aids.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to build relationships across the organization.
• Initiative to drive positive outcomes and set high standards.
• Strong critical thinking, analytical and quantitative problem-solving ability.
• Ability to adapt quickly to change and thrive in an ever-evolving environment.
• Strong organization, time management and coordination skills to drive projects to completion.

Benefits

• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Generous earned time off
• 401K/student loan repayment
• Life insurance & AD&D insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee stock purchase program
• Tuition reimbursement
• Performance-based incentive pay
• Short- and long-term disability
• Robust wellness program