Machine Learning Systems Engineer

Motional; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 144,000 - 192,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

401k with company match

Health saving accounts

Life insurance

Pet insurance

Job summary

Motional is seeking a Machine Learning Systems Engineer to join our ML Acceleration team in San Francisco. You will help build core systems enabling researchers to train frontier models at scale, focusing on speed, cost, reliability, and throughput.

You will profile and optimize data loading, gradient computation, and communication, develop high-performance GPU kernels, and contribute to distributed training pipelines using PyTorch Distributed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in CS/CE or related field.
• Strong Python proficiency.
• Experience with PyTorch and ML training/inference optimization.

Responsibilities

• Performance profiling and optimization of data loading, gradient computation, and communication.
• Distributed training pipeline optimization using PyTorch Distributed.
• Design and development of high-performance GPU kernels in CUDA/Triton.
• Data pipeline optimization for training throughput.

Skills

Python

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's, Master's or PhD in CS/CE or related field

Tools

PyTorch

Nsight

CUDA

Triton

Job description

Mission Summary:

We are looking for a Machine Learning Systems Engineer to join our ML Acceleration team. In this role, you will be responsible for the core systems that enable our researchers to train frontier models at scale, focusing obsessively on speed, cost, reliability, and throughput. You will work at the intersection of machine learning research and high-performance systems engineering. Your work will directly impact our ability to scale large-scale distributed model training and reduce the time-to-convergence for our next generation of models.

What you'll be doing:

• Performance Profiling & Optimization: Utilize profiling tools (e.g., Nsight, PyTorch Profiler) to identify bottlenecks in data loading, gradient computation, and communication. Implement optimizations like kernel fusion, sharding, and tiling to improve step time.
• Distributed Training: Optimize distributed training pipelines using frameworks such as PyTorch Distributed.
• Kernel Development: Design and maintain high-performance GPU kernels in Triton or CUDA for state-of-the‑art ML workloads.
• Data Pipeline Engineering: Optimize robust data loading pipelines that maximize training throughput.

What we're looking for

• Education: Bachelor's, Master's degree, or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Software Engineering: Strong proficiency in Python.
• ML Frameworks: Extensive hands‑on experience with PyTorch.
• ML Knowledge: Experience optimizing machine learning model execution during training and inference, alongside a strong understanding of fundamental machine learning concepts, architectures, and processes.
• Problem Solving: Exceptional analytical and problem‑solving skills, with a bias for action and a data‑driven approach to technical challenges.

We encourage a hybrid schedule with in‑office time at one of our locations in Boston, Pittsburgh, or Las Vegas to support collaboration, or this role can be fully remote.

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors including but not limited to specific skills, experience and expertise, role location, certifications, licenses, and business needs. The estimated compensation range listed in this job posting reflects base salary only. This role may include additional forms of compensation such as a bonus or company equity. The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process. Candidates for certain positions are eligible to participate in Motional's benefits program.

Salary Range: $144,000 USD - $192,000 USD

Motional is a driverless technology company making autonomous vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality. We're driven by something more.

Our journey is always people first.

We aren't just developing driverless cars; we're creating safer roadways, more equitable transportation options, and making our communities better places to live, work, and connect. Our team is made up of engineers, researchers, innovators, dreamers and doers, who are creating a technology with the potential to transform the way we move.

Higher purpose, greater impact.

We're creating first‑of‑its‑kind technology that will transform transportation. To do so successfully, we must design for everyone in our cities and on our roads. We believe in building a great place to work through a progressive, global culture that is diverse, inclusive, and ensures people feel valued at every level of the organization. Diversity helps us to see the world differently; it's not only good for our business, it's the right thing to do.

Scale up, not starting up.

Our team is behind some of the industry's largest leaps forward, including the first fully‑autonomous cross‑country drive in the U.S, the launch of the world's first robotaxi pilot, and operation of the world's longest‑standing public robotaxi fleet. We're driven to scale; we're moving towards commercialization of our technology, and we need team members who are ready to embrace change and challenges.

Formed as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, Motional is fundamentally changing how people move through their lives. Headquartered in Boston, Motional has operations in the U.S and Asia. For more information, visit www.Motional.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

• medical
• dental
• vision
• 401k with a company match
• health saving accounts
• life insurance
• pet insurance

Motional AD Inc. is an EOE. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. To comply with Federal Law, we participate in E-Verify. All newly-hired employees are queried through this electronic system established by the DHS and the SSA to verify their identity and employment eligibility.