ML Engineer

Catalyst Labs; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Catalyst Labs, a New York-based startup, is seeking an ML Engineer to design, build, and deploy production-grade ML systems focused on audio data and real-time inference. You will own the full model lifecycle from data collection to deployment and monitoring.

You will collaborate with cross-functional teams and work with cloud infrastructure (AWS) and tools like FastAPI, OpenAI APIs, Baseten, and LiveKit to deliver practical AI solutions for clients.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, ML, AI, or related field.
• 1–6 years of professional ML engineering experience.
• Strong Python programming and experience with ML frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and deploy production-grade ML systems with end-to-end ownership.
• Architect AI-powered solutions for natural speech interaction and real-time audio understanding.
• Develop and optimize ML models to extract insights from unstructured voice data.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to shape the AI stack and tooling.
• Work directly with customers to identify needs and deliver impactful solutions.
• Handle data acquisition, preprocessing, training, deployment, inference, and monitoring.

Skills

Python

ML Engineering

Data Pipelines

Real-time Inference

AWS

PyTorch

TensorFlow

OpenAI APIs

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in CS/ML

Tools

FastAPI

OpenAI APIs

Baseten

LiteLLM

LiveKit

PostgreSQL

Redis

S3

Job description

Is a rapidly growing Tier 1 VC backed startup based in New York with $60 million in funding revolutionizing how outside sales and service teams work. Their AI technology captures and analyzes real-world conversations, providing full visibility into every customer interaction without the need for traditional ride-alongs.

By turning field conversations into searchable, actionable data, they empower teams to coach more effectively, close more deals, and boost average ticket sizes. Combining cutting-edge AI with a deep understanding of field sales dynamics, this company is redefining how businesses learn from and optimize their in-person customer experiences.

About Us

Catalyst Labs is a leading talent agency with a specialized vertical in Applied AI, Machine Learning, and Data Science. We stand out as an agency that’s deeply embedded in our clients’ recruitment operations.

We collaborate directly with Founders, CTOs, and Heads of AI in those themes who are driving the next wave of applied intelligence from model optimization to productized AI workflows. We take pride in facilitating conversations that align with your technical expertise, creative problem-solving mindset, and long-term growth trajectory in the evolving world of intelligent systems.

Location

New York, NY

Work type

Full Time,

Design, build, and deploy production-grade ML systems with end-to-end ownership of the model lifecyclefrom conception to deployment and maintenance.

Architect and deliver AI-powered solutions enabling natural speech interaction and real-time audio understanding.

Develop and optimize ML models focused on audio data to extract business-critical insights from previously unstructured voice data.

Build agents capable of operating natively on real-world audio inputs.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams to shape the foundations of the AI stack, improve tooling, and drive innovation in LLM and audio ML applications.

Work directly with customers to identify needs, gather feedback, and deliver impactful real-world solutions.

Handle the entire AI lifecycle, including data acquisition, preprocessing, model training, deployment, inference, and monitoring in production environments.

Participate in continuous improvement of the ML infrastructure and processes for scalability and performance.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.

1-6 years of professional experience in ML engineering.

Strong programming skills in Python (TypeScript experience is a plus).

Hands-on experience with ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.

Familiarity with cloud environments and infrastructure (preferably AWS).

Strong understanding of data pipeline design, real-time inference, and model monitoring.

Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage directly with customers and stakeholders.

Core Experience

Proven experience building and deploying ML models into production environments.

Demonstrated ability to own the full model lifecyclefrom data ingestion and model development to deployment and monitoring.

Experience with audio-focused ML projects or similar domains involving unstructured data.

Proficiency in building scalable data pipelines for model training and evaluation.

Familiarity with FastAPI, OpenAI APIs, Baseten, LiteLLM, LiveKit, PostgreSQL, Redis, and S3 is a plus.

Solid grasp of ML systems architecture, feature engineering, evaluation strategies, and deployment best practices.