AI Scientist, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)

Avathon; Pleasanton (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Avathon in the Bay Area, CA, is hiring an AI Scientist to build models behind PLM on the Avathon platform. Engineers work with a Computational Knowledge Graph linking BOMs, CAD data, drawings and specifications to enable AI-driven product engineering.

You will advance models from research to production in a fast-growing startup. You will apply graph learning and NLP/LLMs on engineering data, develop production-ready ML systems, and help engineers search and interpret complex datasets.

Qualifications

• PhD or MS with 5+ years of industry experience is required.
• Strong foundation in machine learning with depth in graph learning, NLP/LLMs or computer vision on documents.
• Experience applying ML to engineering or manufacturing data such as BOMs, CAD, drawings or part catalogs.
• Experience shipping models to production, not just notebooks.
• Publications or patents in related areas are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop part similarity, classification and substitution models using attributes, BOM structure and CAD metadata.
• Predict downstream impact of engineering changes across BOMs, suppliers and production.
• Extract structured data from drawings, specifications and documents using vision and language models.
• Apply graph learning on the knowledge graph for link prediction and entity resolution.
• Build retrieval and LLM-based tools so engineers can search parts, drawings and change history in plain language.

Skills

Python

ML fundamentals

NLP/LLMs

Graph learning

Production ML

Education

PhD in CS/ML/ME

MS with 5+ years

Tools

PyTorch

Hugging Face

Graph libraries

Job description

Who We Are & Why Join Us

Avathon is the leading Industrial AI autonomy platform, helping customers across heavy industries - energy, mining, manufacturing, aerospace, defense, and logistics - accelerate the journey toward autonomous operations. Our platform is built on a Computational Knowledge Graph foundation that contextualizes and connects operational data across siloed systems, bringing together time series, structured, unstructured, and machine vision data to power AI-driven applications in asset performance management, supply chain intelligence, visual AI, and global trade management. With capabilities spanning digital twins, normal behavior modeling, natural language processing, and computer vision, Avathon delivers real-time predictive intelligence and agentic decision-making at industrial scale.

Cutting-Edge AI Innovation - Join a team at the forefront of AI, developing groundbreaking solutions that shape the future. High-Growth Environment - Thrive in a fast-scaling startup where agility, collaboration, and rapid professional growth are the norm. Meaningful Impact - Work on AI-driven projects that drive real change across industries and improve lives.

Learn more at: avathon.com

We are hiring an AI Scientist to build the models behind PLM on the Avathon platform. Engineering data is some of the richest and least used data in a manufacturer: BOMs, part attributes, CAD metadata, drawings, specifications and years of engineering change history. You will build models that find similar and substitute parts, predict the impact of an engineering change, extract structure from drawings and documents, and help engineers search across all of it. Our models run on top of a Computational Knowledge Graph that links parts to suppliers, orders, production and assets in the field. This role sits in Product Engineering. You will take models from research to production with the PLM engineering team.

You Will

Engineering Data Intelligence

• Build part similarity, classification and substitution models using part attributes, BOM structure and CAD metadata
• Build models that predict the downstream impact of an engineering change across BOMs, suppliers and production
• Extract structured data from drawings, specifications and engineering documents using vision and language models

Graph and Language Models

• Apply graph learning on the Computational Knowledge Graph for link prediction, entity resolution and change impact
• Build retrieval and LLM-based tools so engineers can search parts, drawings and change history in plain language
• Use Normal Behavior Models to flag unusual change activity, such as spikes in ECR volume on a product line

Productization

• Work with engineering to put models into production with evaluation, monitoring and clear explanations
• Work with AI agents that help engineers and planners act on change impact
• Write up methods and results clearly for product, customers and leadership

You'll Have

• PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Mechanical Engineering or a related field, or an MS with 5+ years of relevant industry experience
• Strong foundation in machine learning, with depth in at least one of graph learning, NLP / LLMs or computer vision on documents
• Experience applying ML to engineering or manufacturing data such as BOMs, CAD, drawings or part catalogs
• Experience at a PLM or CAD vendor such as Siemens, PTC, Dassault Systemes, Autodesk or Oracle, or at an engineering-heavy manufacturer, is a strong plus
• Strong Python and the standard ML stack (PyTorch, Hugging Face, graph libraries)
• Experience shipping models to production, not only notebooks
• Publications or patents in related areas are a plus

Compensation

Pay Range:$160k - $240k salary annually. Pay for this position is based on a number of factors including geographic location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Location:This role is not remote. Candidates must be based in the Bay Area, CA and are expected to report to our Pleasanton office 5 days a week.

Avathon is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Avathon is committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruiting process. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact us to discuss how we can assist you.