Senior Artificial Intelligence Engineer

POSITION SUMMARY:

This position is responsible for helping to expand our capabilities in the intersection of traditional software development and artificial intelligence, focusing on building reliable systems that leverage state of the art language models and related technologies effectively. Also responsible for designing and implementing sophisticated retrieval systems, fine-tune models, develop robust prompting strategies, and create efficient smaller models for on premise deployment.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and implement retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems with both semantic and traditional search capabilities.
• Develop and optimize vector search systems for effective information retrieval.
• Create data preparation pipelines for model fine-tuning.
• Execute and evaluate model fine-tuning experiments.
• Design and test prompt engineering strategies and in-context learning approaches.
• Build fault-tolerant applications integrating with AWS Bedrock and SageMaker.
• Implement production-grade Python backends for AI-powered features.
• Develop evaluation frameworks for RAG and fine-tuning performance.
• Design and implement knowledge distillation pipelines for smaller, deployable models.
• Optimize models for on-premise deployment in data center environments.
• Engineer reasoning capabilities in smaller self-hosted models.
• Evaluate trade-offs between model size, performance, and reasoning capabilities.
• Manage model deployment and monitoring in on-premise environments.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

• • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field is required with a minimum of three years of relevant experience.
  • Master’s degree with two years of relevant experience.
  • Ph.D. in relevant field with focus on machine learning, NLP, or related issues.
• Experience designing and implementing production AI systems, including:
  • Prompt engineering and in-context learning.
  • Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems.
  • Model fine-tuning and evaluation.
  • Knowledge distillation for deployment.
• Production experience with Python and modern web frameworks.
• Cloud platform experience, preferably AWS AI/ML services.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Deep understanding of:
  • LLM capabilities, limitations, and evaluation methodologies
  • Vector databases and embedding systems
  • On-premise model deployment considerations
• Demonstrated ability to:
  • Design and optimize production-grade AI systems
  • Apply systematic, data-driven approaches to experimentation and evaluation
  • Balance technical constraints with business requirements
  • Make sound technical decisions in complex situations
  • Lead technical discussions and present solutions effectively
  • Collaborate across engineering, research, and business teams
• Working knowledge of:
  • Model optimization techniques
  • Data center operations
  • Infrastructure-as-code practices
• Demonstrated critical thinking and analytical skills, as well as the ability to handle complex situations and demonstrate sound judgment and problem-solving
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to organize, present, and articulate ideas both verbally and in writing
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills
• Ability to balance model performance with resource constraints

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This position requires the ability to communicate and exchange information, utilize equipment necessary to perform the job, and move about the office. 

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The position is typically performed in a traditional office environment or remotely as needed. 

COMPENSATION SUMMARY

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $101,400 to $154,700. This salary range represents a general guideline as MSD considers other factors when presenting an offer of employment, such as scope and responsibilities of the position, external market factors, and the candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities, education and experience. Employees may qualify for a discretionary or non-discretionary bonus in addition to their base salary. These annual bonuses are intended to recognize individual performance and enable employees to benefit from the Company's overall success.

BENEFITS SUMMARY

At MSD, we offer a comprehensive benefits package to support our employees' well-being and financial security. In addition to competitive salaries, our benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, along with prescription benefits. We provide a 401(k) plan with company matching, flexible spending accounts, and company-paid short- and long-term disability insurance as well as group life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance. Our offerings also encompass paid vacation, paid sick leave, paid holidays, and paid parental leave, along with an employee assistance program. Additional voluntary perks include a fitness club membership contribution, pet insurance, identity theft protection, home and auto insurance discounts, and optional supplemental life insurance.

EEO STATEMENT

MSD is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates, making employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, genetic information, marital status, national origin, age, protected veteran status, pregnancy, disability status, or any other protected characteristic. For our full EEO statement, please visit here. Meso Scale Diagnostics uses E-Verify to validate the work eligibility of candidates.