Senior Machine Learning Operations Engineer

The Athletic; Remote; USD 140,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading sports media company is seeking a senior machine learning operations engineer to design and maintain infrastructure for ML models. This role, which is 100% remote for candidates in the U.S. or Canada, requires strong expertise in Python and SQL, along with experience in ML frameworks like scikit-learn and cloud platforms such as AWS. The position offers a competitive salary range of $140,000 - $150,000, along with comprehensive benefits including medical insurance and 401(k) matching.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) with employer match

Paid parental leave

Paid time off and holidays

Qualifications

• 4-6 years in data science, data engineering, or ML engineering.
• Experience building ML model pipelines and infrastructure.
• Strong knowledge of data handling with Python and SQL.
• Experience with cloud platforms like GCP, AWS, or Azure.
• Ability to work independently and prioritize effectively.
• Excellent communication skills for diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain ML model production infrastructure.
• Streamline model training and deployment with data science team.
• Implement monitoring and alerting for model performance.

Skills

Python

SQL

Machine learning frameworks

Docker

Kubernetes

Airflow

Project management

Verbal communication

Written communication

Tools

GCP

AWS

Azure

Job description

About Us Powered by one of the largest global newsrooms in sports media, The Athletic brings sports fans the most comprehensive stories about the teams, sports and athletes they love. The Athletic’s newsroom of 500+ full-time staff delivers in-depth coverage of hundreds of professional and college teams across more than 47 North American markets and all 20 football clubs in the English Premier League, as well as many Championship clubs.

About The Role

We are looking for a senior machine learning operations engineer who understands data pipelines, infrastructure, and model monitoring. In this role, you will work closely with our data science and data engineering teams to help us productionize and maintain advanced machine learning models. As the first machine learning operations engineer on our small data science team, your work will be critical to both the data team at The Athletic and the company as a whole.

This role is 100% remote for candidates currently residing in either the United States or Canada.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain machine learning model productionization infrastructure. These models will drive very visible product features at The Athletic, and your infrastructure is key to their success
• Work with the rest of the data science team to streamline model training, validation, and deployment
• Implement robust monitoring and alerting for model performance, drift, and data quality, ensuring our models remain accurate in production
• Cultivate an outstanding data science environment by championing best practices in ML Ops and evaluating and integrating new technologies into our data science stack

Requirements

• 4-6 years of experience as a data scientist, data engineer, or machine learning engineer with a proven ability to build machine learning model pipelines and infrastructure
• Strong working knowledge of Python and SQL to pull, transform, and otherwise deal with data in all of its forms
• Proven experience with ML frameworks (e.g., scikit-learn, PyTorch) and cloud platforms (e.g., GCP, AWS, Azure)
• Hands‑on experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and Airflow
• Ability to drive projects with minimal guidance and prioritize high‑impact work
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with ability to build cross‑functional relationships
• Can explain sophisticated concepts to diverse audiences and craft compelling stories with data

Benefits

The annual base salary range for this role is $140,000.00 - $150,000.00 USD. The total compensation offered for this position may vary based on factors such as education, experience, skills, and location. It may also include non‑cash rewards and benefits. The base salary range is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

Our comprehensive US benefits package includes:

• Highly competitive, employer‑contributed medical, dental, vision, basic life and disability insurance plans
• Savings accounts for medical, wellness, and childcare expenses
• 401(k) retirement savings plan and employer match
• Paid time off including paid sick leave, 12 paid holidays, 15 days of accrued vacation to start, and up to 20 weeks of Paid Parental Leave

For international candidates: Our global benefits packages offer similar benefits and perks, competitive to the local market.

The Athletic Media Company is an equal opportunity employer and enthusiastically encourages people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. The Athletic will consider all applicants without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

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