Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Nelnet Business Services (NBS), a division of Nelnet, Inc., provides payment technology, education services, and learning management solutions to education and faith-based organizations, serving more than 1,300 higher education institutions, 11,500 K-12 schools, 3,500 churches, and millions of individual students, families, and supporters across the globe. Our culture of service enables us to form long-lasting and trusted partnerships, while our focus on creativity and innovative solutions empowers our customer communities to thrive.

 

As a Nelnet company, the perks at NBS go beyond our benefits package. You’re part of a community, invested in you as an individual and united by our mission to create opportunities for people where they live, learn and work.

The Senior Machine Learning Engineer will serve as a key technical leader, driving the design, development, and deployment of advanced machine learning applications. This role combines hands-on technical expertise with strategic leadership to guide a small team of engineers. The ideal candidate will be adept at both managing projects and performing technical tasks when necessary, ensuring the team's success in delivering high-performance machine learning solutions. Primary responsibilities include designing machine learning architectures, coding and reviewing models and applications, and ensuring the high availability and performance of our machine learning solutions, leveraging both established and emerging technologies.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:
1.     Lead and mentor a small team of developers, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment.

2. Partner with Product and Data Solutions teams to design, build, and deliver machine learning models and components to address business challenges.
3.    Address complex problems by writing and testing application code, developing and validating machine learning models, and automating tests and deployment.
4.    Retrain, maintain, and monitor models in production.
5.    Utilize existing or build cloud-based architectures and technologies to deliver optimized machine learning models at scale.
6.    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.
7.    Educate and communicate complex AI concepts and solutions to technical and non-technical audiences.
 

EDUCATION: 
Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field

EXPERIENCE: 
1.     Minimum of 5 years of experience in machine learning engineering or related roles, with experience mentoring junior developers and leading projects.
2.    Hands-on experience with machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or scikit-learn.
3.    Experience in deploying machine learning models in production environments.

COMPETENCIES – SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/ABILITIES:
1.    Passion for learning new AI skills.
2.    Drive to experiment and innovate, as well as the ability to stay updated on the latest developments in the AI field.
3.    Proficiency in rapid Prototyping tools and experimentation aids.
4.    Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to build relationships across the organization.
5.    Initiative to drive positive outcomes and set high standards.
6.    Strong critical thinking, analytical and quantitative problem-solving ability.
7.    Ability to adapt quickly to change and thrive in an ever-evolving environment.
8.    Strong organization, time management and coordination skills to drive projects to completion.
9.    Proficiency in programming languages and in the use of machine learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch or scikit-learn).
10.    Strong expertise in deep learning frameworks and architectures.
11.    Excellent skills in data manipulation, preprocessing, and feature engineering.
12.    Strong knowledge of data management processes for large-scale datasets.
13.    Ability to lead end-to-end development of new products.
 

Salary range for this position is $110,000 to $135,000 depending on experience.

Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, HSA and 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, and a robust wellness program. Click here to learn more about our benefits: LINK.

Nelnet is an Equal Opportunity Employer, complies with Executive Order 11246, and takes affirmative action to ensure that qualified applicants are employed, and