Senior / Lead Machine Learning Operations Engineer

Job Title:

Senior / Lead Machine Learning Operations Engineer

Company: Upwork (via Hybrid Workforce Solutions)

Location: Remote (Hungary)

Job Type: Contract (Long-term)

Overview:

Upwork is seeking a Senior or Lead ML Ops Engineer to join its Algorithms & Research team. This role is ideal for someone who thrives on productizing advanced machine learning technologies, especially Generative AI and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and wants to innovate at scale within a global platform.

You’ll play a critical role in designing, deploying, and maintaining cutting-edge ML infrastructure that powers search, recommendation, and AI-enhanced experiences on the Upwork marketplace.

Key Responsibilities:

• Build and manage production ML & ETL pipelines, especially for Generative AI and LLMs
• Design RAG systems using knowledge graphs to enhance search and recommendation relevance
• Implement ML observability, monitoring, and active learning systems
• Optimize model performance and ensure scalability under heavy traffic
• Collaborate with engineering, data science, and platform teams for seamless integration

Must-Have Skills & Qualifications:

• 6+ years experience in MLOps and production ML systems
• Strong proficiency in Python for ML/data pipelines
• Solid experience with Java for high-throughput microservices
• Experience with real-time and batch ETL tools
• Expertise in graph databases and graph algorithms
• Deep familiarity with AWS infrastructure (GCP/Azure transferable)
• Experience deploying LLMs, Generative AI, or RAG systems
• Comfortable with distributed systems (handling 1000+ RPS)
• Proactive mindset with startup-style “zero-to-one” execution
• Strong collaboration and remote work skills