Machine Learning Engineer

Machine Learning Engineer

About Us:

BlackSky is a real-time intelligence company. We own and operate the world's most advanced space-based intelligence platform and provide customers satellite imagery, automated analytics and high-frequency monitoring of strategic locations, economic assets and events from around the globe. BlackSky is trusted by the most demanding allied military and intelligence organizations and commercial companies to deliver foresight into critical matters that affect national security and the economy. BlackSky's data enables governments and businesses to see, understand and anticipate change as it happens, giving them the ultimate strategic advantage so they can act quickly. Our global team works with cutting-edge technology to make a difference around the world and prides itself on being people-first, customer-focused and fun.

BlackSky is looking for a talented and creative Machine Learning Engineer to support the development, operation, and capability evolution of Spectra AI, BlackSky’s cutting edge AI/ML Platform. As part of the machine learning team, you are instrumental in supporting the automated monitoring mission at BlackSky.  You will help ensure that Spectra AI produces consistent, reliable, and relevant analytics to BlackSky’s growing user base. The ideal candidate has AI model development, operations, and test experience; familiarity with national security use cases; and success working in an agile development environment. Additionally, the ideal candidate has demonstrated the ability to manage their own efforts over a broad scope of work as an independent contributor. Finally, the candidate should be an independent thinker with the demonstrated ability and willingness to lean in and solve new problems. This position reports to Analytics Manager in the AI/ML team.

While the locations listed in the job posting are ideal, we would love candidates near either our Herndon, VA or Seattle, WA offices. We may also consider remote candidates in certain states.

Responsibilities: 

• Design and implement solutions for internal and external customers that exploit traditional machine learning and novel deep learning for next-generation satellite imagery analytics.
• Plan and conduct research projects related to computer vision, time series analysis, content curation, probabilistic modeling, machine learning, predictive analytics, and geometric modeling.
• Develop algorithms, models, and analytical tools for solving domain specific business problems.
• Implement production quality analytics and models into the SpectraAI codebase (Python).
• Collaborate with management and technical team on product strategy.
• Collaborate with infrastructure developers and machine learning quality engineers to build robust analytics for production use cases.
• Independently design and conduct experiments, tests hypothesis, implement model and loss function code, train models, and interpret experiment results following a machine learning process based on high level project objectives.
• Other job-related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications: 

• A minimum of three years of hands-on experience as a machine learning engineer or data scientist.
• Bachelor’s Degree or higher in one of the following fields: computer science, mathematics, physics, statistics, or another computational field with a strong background of using machine learning/data mining for predictive modeling or time series analysis.
• Extensive experience developing machine learning based software solutions. In particular, developing models in Python 3, PyTorch, Tensorflow, Keras, or scikit-learn.
• Working knowledge of a wide range of machine learning concepts including supervised and unsupervised deep learning methods for both classification and regression.
• Experience performing research in both groups and as a solo effort with a history of implementing algorithms directly from research papers.
• Experience conducting literature review and applying concepts to programs or products.
• Strong ability to communicate concepts and analytical results with customers, management, and the technical team, highlighting actionable insights.
• Hands-on experience working with large data sets including data cleansing/transformation, statistical analyses, and visualization (using Python libraries such as Pandas, NumPy, etc.).   
• Must be a US Citizen.

Preferred Qualifications: 

• A minimum of five years of hands-on experience as a machine learning engineer or data scientist.
• PhD./Master's degree in the previously mentioned fields.
• Experience working with remote sensing data, ideally satellite imagery.
• Experience with clou