Machine Learning Engineer - Foundation Models & AI Research

Ifm Us; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Bonus

401K Plan

Generous paid time off

Parental Leave

Employee Assistance Program

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Job summary

The Institute of Foundation Models seeks a Machine Learning Engineer to develop and deploy innovative ML models, focusing on foundation models and large-scale systems. You’ll work with cross‑functional teams to push AI research boundaries and deploy scalable solutions worldwide.

You will enhance performance of large language models, contribute to research, and help build transformative AI tools across industries, with visa sponsorship availability.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 3 years of software engineering experience, incl. ML models/infrastructure.
• 2 years programming experience or 1 year with advanced degree.
• 2 years data structures/algorithms experience.
• 2 years ML algorithms/tools (TensorFlow, DL, NLP).
• Strong problem solving and collaboration skills.
• Experience with improving large-scale data processing performance.
• Hands-on experience with LLMs (SFT, RLHF).
• Proficient data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Research to integrate new technologies into codebase.
• Develop systems supporting ML model lifecycle (data prep, pre-training, evaluation).
• Lead design reviews and select technologies with peers.
• Review code for best practices, testing, and efficiency.
• Contribute to docs and educational content; update with product changes.
• Troubleshoot issues affecting hardware, networks, or services.
• Contribute to research papers and represent MBZUAI at conferences.
• Perform other duties as directed by the line manager.

Skills

Python

TensorFlow

NLP

Large Language Models

RLHF

ML infrastructure

Cloud | GPUs

Education

Bachelor or equivalent practical experience

Master/PhD in CS or related field

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Job description

About the Institute of Foundation Models

We are a dedicated research lab for building, understanding, using, and risk-managing foundation models. Our mandate is to advance research, nurture the next generation of AI builders, and drive transformative contributions to a knowledge-driven economy.

As part of our team, you’ll have the opportunity to work on the core of cutting-edge foundation model training, alongside world-class researchers, data scientists, and engineers, tackling the most fundamental and impactful challenges in AI development. You will participate in the development of groundbreaking AI solutions that have the potential to reshape entire industries.Strategic and innovative problem-solving skills will be instrumental in establishing MBZUAI as a global hub forhigh-performance computing in deep learning, driving impactful discoveries that inspire the next generation of AIpioneers.

The Role

As a Machine Learning Engineer at the Institute of Foundation Models, your primary responsibility is to develop and implement innovative machine learning models that address real-world challenges, pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence research. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to deploy scalable solutions, contributing to MBZUAI’s mission of driving impactful AI discoveries and positioning the institution as a leader in the global AI research community. Your expertise will be key in enhancing the performance of large-scale machine learning models, while supporting the development of transformative AI tools that can influence industries worldwide.

Collaborate with Research teams to understand technologies, adapting and integrating them into codebase.

Develop and implement systems to support the lifecycle of machine learning models, such as data preprocessing, pre-training, post-training, evaluation and so on, especially foundation models.

Participate in, or lead design reviews with peers and stakeholders to decide amongst available technologies.

Review code developed by other developers and provide feedback to ensure best practices (e.g., style guidelines, checking code in, accuracy, testability, and efficiency).

Contribute to existing documentation or educational content and adapt content based on product/program updates and user feedback.

Triage product or system issues and debug/track/resolve by analyzing the sources of issues and the impact on hardware, network, or service operations and quality.

Contribute to research papers and represent MBZUAI at industry conferences and events, showcasing the institution’s cutting-edge HPC anddeep learning capabilities and establishing MBZUAI as a global leader in AI research and innovation.

Perform all other duties as reasonably directed by the line manager that are commensurate with thesefunctional objectives.

Minimum: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred: Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science or related technical field.

3 years of experience in software engineering, including experience with Machine Learning (ML) models, ML infrastructure, Natural Language Processing or Computer Vision.

2 years of experience with software development in one or more programming languages, or 1 year of experience with an advanced degree in an industry setting.

2 years of experience with data structures or algorithms in either an academic or industry setting.

2 years of experience with machine learning algorithms and tools (e.g., TensorFlow), artificial intelligence, deep learning, or natural language processing.

Excellent problem-solving and troubleshooting skills to address complex technical challenges.

Effective communication and collaboration skills to work with cross functional teams.

2 years of experience with improving performance during large scale data processing

Hands-on experience with LLM algorithms, such as Supervised Fine-Tuning (SFT) and Reinforcement Learning with Human Feedback (RLHF).

Excellent data analysis skills.

Visa Sponsorship

This position is eligible for visa sponsorship.

Benefits Include

*Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits

*Bonus

*401K Plan

*Generous paid time off, sick leave and holidays

*Paid Parental Leave

*Employee Assistance Program

*Life insurance and disability