Machine Learning Engineer II

The University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) is seeking a Machine Learning Engineer II to independently design and develop advanced machine learning software and systems supporting Earth System Science applications. The role focuses on training, evaluating, deploying, and operating ML models using large-scale Earth science datasets and high-performance computing resources.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement scalable machine learning software and systems to solve complex Earth System Science problems.
• Train, evaluate, and deploy machine learning models and supporting software components using modern programming languages, frameworks, and software engineering practices.
• Develop workflows and infrastructure for end-to-end ML activities, including data preparation, model training, evaluation, inference, and deployment.
• Create reusable software tools, libraries, APIs, and workflows that enable researchers and developers to integrate machine learning into Earth System Science applications.
• Collaborate with scientists, software engineers, and domain experts to convert scientific requirements into well-designed, maintainable solutions.
• Analyze and optimize machine learning application performance, including computational efficiency, memory usage, I/O, scalability, and GPU utilization.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, examples, and resources for both developers and end users.
• Stay current with machine learning engineering practices, software frameworks, computing technologies, and methods relevant to Earth System Science.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated proficiency applying machine-learning methods and frameworks to practical problems, including model training, technical evaluation, and inference.
• Ability to build reliable, maintainable software using testing, version control, code review, documentation, and reproducibility practices.
• Capability to independently analyze moderately complex AI/ML models, data, software, and computing challenges and make sound technical decisions.
• Ability to translate customer or scientific requirements into scoped technical work and communicate trade-offs to a range of audiences.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor of Science degree and 4 years of related experience, or
• Master’s Degree, or
• An equivalent combination of education and experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience implementing and optimizing machine learning workflows for large-scale datasets in high-performance computing environments.
• Experience collaborating effectively with scientists, software engineers, and other technical and domain experts to address complex Earth System Science problems.
• Experience leading small technical teams through the software development lifecycle, from requirements and design through implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance.
• Experience designing and implementing automated workflows for data preparation, model training, evaluation, inference, and deployment.
• Experience applying software engineering practices for reliable, maintainable scientific software, including testing, continuous integration, version control, documentation, and reproducibility.

Location and Position Details

• Location: United States (Onsite)
• Work expectations: All hybrid staff are expected to work on-site approximately 3 days per week.
• Position type: Term - 6 months or more (Fixed Term)
• Regular term: This is a Regular, 2-Year Term position.
• Relocation assistance: Eligible
• Visa sponsored job: No

Compensation

• Hiring range: USD 113,470.00 - 141,840.00 per year
• Salary: USD 113,470 - 141,840 per yearly

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Short & Long Term Disability Insurance
• Generous retirement plan: UCAR contributes 10% of base salary
• Minimum 20 days of annual PTO
• 10 paid holidays
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• FAMLI Leave
• Tuition Assistance Program
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible employer

Application Requirements

• Questionnaire and Resume/CV
• For full consideration, all application materials must be submitted by 12am (MST) at the start of the application deadline.
• Supplemental questionnaires are often requested in lieu of a cover letter.
• Background checks and/or federal screenings are conducted for candidates selected for hire.

Application Deadline

Application closes at 12:00AM MST on 2026-11-01.

Equal Opportunity and Additional Information

• UCAR is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes applications from all individuals.
• Applicants are not required to provide age-related information (such as date of birth or graduation dates) in initial submissions.
• All roles require compliance with U.S. export control regulations and work location requirements.