Senior/Lead Machine Learning Operations Engineer

Senior/Lead Machine Learning Operations Engineer

Company: Upwork

Location: Poland (Remote)

Employment Type: Contract (Long-term)

About the Role:

Join Upwork’s Algorithms and Research team as a Senior Machine Learning Operations Engineer focused on productizing advanced technologies like Generative AI. Work at the intersection of machine learning, knowledge graphs, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to transform search and recommendation systems on a global scale.

Key Responsibilities:

• Deploy, scale, and maintain ML and ETL pipelines for production Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs).
• Design and optimize retrieval-augmented generation systems using knowledge graphs to improve search accuracy and recommendations.
• Implement ML monitoring and alerting systems integrated with active learning pipelines for continuous model improvement.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to integrate ML solutions into Upwork’s platform.
• Continuously monitor and optimize model performance, accuracy, and scalability during high-traffic periods.

Required Skills:

• 6+ years of professional experience in ML operations and software engineering.
• Proven ability to deploy and scale complex ML models in production.
• Strong Python expertise focused on data and ML pipelines.
• Experience with batch and real-time ETL tooling.
• Proficiency in Java for building and maintaining high-traffic microservices.
• Deep knowledge of graph databases, graph data models, and graph algorithms.
• Experience building scalable distributed systems handling 1000+ requests/second at peak.
• Proficient with AWS cloud infrastructure; GCP and Azure familiarity is a plus.
• Familiarity with Generative AI and Large Language Models.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving skills, and innovation-driven mindset.
• Ability to thrive in remote, collaborative teams.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and driving projects from concept to execution.
• Results-oriented and rapid iteration focus.