Interested in this AI/ML Engineer role at Octus?
Apply Now →Skills & Technologies
About This Role
Octus
Octus is a leading global provider of credit intelligence, data, and analytics. Since 2013, tens of thousands of professionals across hedge fund, investment banking, management consulting, and law firm verticals have come to rely on Octus to make better, faster, and more confident decisions in pace with the fast\-moving credit markets.
For more information, visit: https://octus.com/
Working at Octus
Octus hires growth\-minded innovators and trailblazers across the globe to drive our business and culture. Our core values – Action Oriented, Customer First Mindset, Effective Team Players, and Driven to Excel – define an organizational ethos that’s as high\-performing as it is human. Among other perks, Octus employees enjoy competitive health benefits, matched 401k and pension plans, PTO, generous parental leave, gym subsidies, educational reimbursements for career development, recognition programs, pet\-friendly offices (US only), and much more.
Role
As a Senior AI Engineer focused on CreditAI, our flagship GenAI product, you will own complex technical problems across the full AI stack — designing distributed systems, orchestrating multi\-agent workflows, and ensuring production reliability at scale.
Responsibilities
- Design and implement multi\-agent and agentic orchestration frameworks using agent SDKs such as the Claude Agent SDK, Google ADK, or AWS AgentCore, incorporating tools, external data sources, memory, and state management
- Build and maintain MCP servers and integrations to extend AI system capabilities with structured tool use and external context
- Build and optimize RAG pipelines including embedding strategies, vector database, retrieval quality tuning, and cost\-aware ingestion design
- Integrate with managed LLM services across cloud providers to support diverse deployment and cost optimization strategies.
- Fine\-tune, optimize, and deploy open\-source deep learning models for production use cases, leveraging GPU infrastructure for training and inference
- Apply systems thinking to design and optimize AI and LLM systems, balancing quality, scalability, latency, cost, and operational complexity, while implementing efficiency improvements using model selection, prompt design, batching, caching, and retrieval strategies.
- Design and implement automated evaluation frameworks to assess LLM system quality, accuracy, and performance across production workloads
- Apply reinforcement learning techniques (e.g., RLHF, RLAIF) to improve model alignment and task\-specific performance
- Architect and manage high\-throughput, real\-time data pipelines using Kafka
- Design, deploy, and scale production AI services on AWS (Batch, Lambda, ECS, S3, etc), applying modern containerization, CI/CD, and infrastructure\-as\-code practices
- Implement comprehensive observability frameworks using Datadog — tracking token usage, pipeline latency, error rates, consumer lag, and model performance with actionable alerting
- Identify and resolve production bottlenecks across distributed systems, including database query optimization, consumer scaling, and LLM throughput tuning
- Apply strong problem\-solving and critical thinking skills to break down complex, ambiguous requirements into clear, implementable technical components and system designs.
- Conduct code reviews; contribute to team standards around reliability, testing, and operational excellence
- Communicate progress, trade\-offs, and outcomes to relevant stakeholders.
- Continuously learn and adapt to advancements in NLP and Generative AI to ensure solutions remain innovative and effective.
Requirements
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).
- 5\+ years of experience as an AI Engineer, Machine Learning Engineer, or applied AI practitioner, with a strong foundation in computer science and algorithms.
- Deep Python expertise with a track record of shipping production systems at scale; strong software engineering practices including clean code, testing, code review, and CI/CD.
- Hands\-on experience designing, building, and deploying LLM\-driven or GenAI applications, including multi\-agent architectures and agentic workflows, with familiarity with vector databases, embeddings pipelines, or semantic search systems.
- Hands\-on experience designing and implementing automated evaluation frameworks for LLM systems
- Solid understanding of machine learning and applied AI concepts, with the ability to take solutions from prototype to production and translate research ideas into scalable, real\-world systems.
- Experience with GPUs for model training or inference, including tuning and deploying open\-source deep learning models in production; proficiency with PyTorch or TensorFlow for model development and fine\-tuning.
- Practical experience with cloud\-based deployments and infrastructure tools (e.g., AWS, Docker, GitHub) and an understanding of modern DevOps practices, containerization, orchestration, and caching strategies.
- Strong problem\-solving and systems thinking, with the ability to balance trade\-offs across model quality, scalability, inference latency, and cost.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with experience working closely with product managers, engineers, and domain experts to deliver actionable technical solutions.
- Strong ownership and initiative, with the ability to independently drive projects from problem definition to delivery; a passion for learning and staying current with the rapidly evolving AI/ML landscape.
At Octus, we consider a range of factors in connection with compensation decisions, including experience, skills, location, and our business needs and limitations. As a result, compensation may vary within and across similar roles and positions. Please note that the salary range information below is a good faith estimate for this position and actual compensation for any individual may fall outside this range if warranted by the circumstances applicable to that individual. If we identify a role that would be suitable for a broader range of skills and experience such that we would consider hiring at multiple levels then the range listed below may reflect that breadth.
The salary range estimate for this position is $160,000 \- $170,000\.
The actual compensation will be at Octus' sole discretion and will be determined by the aforementioned and other relevant factors.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Octus is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. We strive to create an inclusive and diverse work environment where all individuals are valued, respected, and treated fairly. We believe that diversity enriches our workplace and enhances our ability to innovate and succeed.
Salary Context
This $160K-$170K range is below the median for AI/ML Engineer roles in our dataset (median: $180K across 1937 roles with salary data).
View full AI/ML Engineer salary data →Role Details
About This Role
AI/ML Engineers build and deploy machine learning models in production. They work across the full ML lifecycle: data pipelines, model training, evaluation, and serving infrastructure. The role has evolved significantly over the past two years. Where ML Engineers once spent most of their time on model architecture, the job now tilts heavily toward inference optimization, cost management, and integrating LLM capabilities into existing systems. Companies want engineers who can ship production systems, and the experimenter-only role is fading fast.
Day-to-day, you're writing training pipelines, debugging data quality issues, setting up evaluation frameworks, and figuring out why your model performs differently in staging than it did on your dev set. The best ML engineers are obsessive about reproducibility and measurement. They instrument everything. They know that a model is only as good as the data feeding it and the infrastructure serving it.
Across the 3,823 AI roles we're tracking, AI/ML Engineer positions make up 69% of the market. At Octus, this role fits into their broader AI and engineering organization.
Demand for AI/ML Engineers has been strong and consistent. Unlike some AI roles that spike with hype cycles, ML engineering is a foundational need. Every company deploying AI models needs people who can keep them running, and the gap between research prototypes and production systems keeps growing.
What the Work Looks Like
A typical week might include: debugging a data pipeline that's silently dropping 3% of training examples, running A/B tests on a new model version, writing documentation for a feature flag system that lets you roll back model deployments, and reviewing a junior engineer's PR for a new evaluation metric. Meetings tend to be cross-functional since ML touches product, engineering, and data teams.
Demand for AI/ML Engineers has been strong and consistent. Unlike some AI roles that spike with hype cycles, ML engineering is a foundational need. Every company deploying AI models needs people who can keep them running, and the gap between research prototypes and production systems keeps growing.
Skills Required
Python and PyTorch dominate the requirements. Most roles expect experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and familiarity with ML frameworks like TensorFlow or JAX. RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) has become a top-3 skill requirement as companies integrate LLMs into their products. Docker and Kubernetes show up in about a third of postings, reflecting the production focus of the role.
Beyond the core stack, employers increasingly want experience with experiment tracking tools (MLflow, Weights & Biases), feature stores, and vector databases. Fine-tuning experience is valuable but less common than you'd think from reading Twitter. Most production LLM work is RAG and prompt engineering, not fine-tuning. If you have both, you're in a strong position.
Companies that are serious about AI/ML hiring tend to post specific infrastructure details in the job description: the frameworks they use, their model serving stack, their data pipeline tools. Vague postings that just say 'ML experience required' without specifics are often companies that haven't figured out what they need yet.
Compensation Benchmarks
AI/ML Engineer roles pay a median of $181,170 based on 12,692 positions with disclosed compensation. Senior-level AI roles across all categories have a median of $227,400. This role's midpoint ($165K) sits 9% below the category median. Disclosed range: $160K to $170K.
Across all AI roles, the market median is $200,100. Top-quartile compensation starts at $253,500. The 90th percentile reaches $307,500. For comparison, the highest-paying categories include AI Engineering Manager ($275,000) and AI Safety ($274,200). By seniority level: Entry: $97,880; Mid: $165,000; Senior: $227,400; Director: $247,800; VP: $250,000.
Octus AI Hiring
Octus has 1 open AI role right now. They're hiring across AI/ML Engineer. Based in New York, NY, US. Compensation range: $170K - $170K.
Location Context
AI roles in New York pay a median of $211,000 across 2,643 tracked positions. That's 5% above the national median.
Career Path
Common paths into AI/ML Engineer roles include Data Scientist, Software Engineer, Research Engineer.
From here, career progression typically leads toward ML Architect, AI Engineering Manager, Principal ML Engineer.
The fastest path into ML engineering is through software engineering with a self-directed ML education. A CS degree helps, but production engineering skills matter more than academic credentials. Build something that works, deploy it, and measure it. That portfolio project is worth more than a Coursera certificate. For career growth, the fork comes around the senior level: go deep on technical complexity (staff/principal track) or move into managing ML teams.
What to Expect in Interviews
Expect system design questions around ML pipelines: how you'd build a training pipeline for a specific use case, handle data drift, or design A/B testing infrastructure for model deployments. Coding rounds typically involve Python, with emphasis on data manipulation (pandas, numpy) and algorithm implementation. Take-home assignments often ask you to build an end-to-end ML pipeline from raw data to deployed model.
When evaluating opportunities: Companies that are serious about AI/ML hiring tend to post specific infrastructure details in the job description: the frameworks they use, their model serving stack, their data pipeline tools. Vague postings that just say 'ML experience required' without specifics are often companies that haven't figured out what they need yet.
AI Hiring Overview
The AI job market has 3,823 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 112 entry-level, 1,798 mid-level, 1,516 senior, and 397 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 15% of the market (590 positions). The remaining 3,217 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.
The market median for AI roles is $200,100. Top-quartile compensation starts at $253,500. The 90th percentile reaches $307,500. Highest-paying categories: AI Engineering Manager ($275,000 median, 41 roles); AI Safety ($274,200 median, 55 roles); Research Engineer ($260,000 median, 434 roles).
Demand for AI/ML Engineers has been strong and consistent. Unlike some AI roles that spike with hype cycles, ML engineering is a foundational need. Every company deploying AI models needs people who can keep them running, and the gap between research prototypes and production systems keeps growing.
The AI Job Market Today
The AI job market spans 3,823 open positions across 15 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (2,629), Data Scientist (322), AI Software Engineer (279). These three account for the majority of open positions, though smaller categories often have higher per-role compensation because of specialized skill requirements.
The seniority mix tells a story about where AI teams are in their maturity. Entry-level roles (112) are outnumbered by mid-level (1,798) and senior (1,516) positions, reflecting that most companies are past the 'build a team from scratch' phase and need experienced engineers who can ship production systems. Leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level) total 397 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.
Remote work availability sits at 15% of all AI roles (590 positions), with 3,217 requiring on-site or hybrid attendance. The remote share has stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. Senior and specialized roles (Research Scientist, ML Architect) are more likely to be remote-eligible than entry-level positions, partly because experienced hires have more negotiating power and partly because these roles require less hands-on mentorship.
AI compensation is structured in clear tiers. The market median sits at $200,100. Top-quartile roles start at $253,500, and the 90th percentile reaches $307,500. These figures include base salary with disclosed compensation. Total compensation (including equity, bonuses, and sign-on) runs 20-40% higher at companies that offer those components.
Category matters for compensation. AI Engineering Manager roles lead at $275,000 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $140,000. The spread between highest and lowest-paying categories reflects the premium on specialized technical skills versus broader analytical roles.
The most in-demand skills across all AI postings: Python (1,979 postings), Aws (1,190 postings), Azure (899 postings), Rag (839 postings), Gcp (726 postings), Pytorch (595 postings), Prompt Engineering (595 postings), Claude (540 postings). Python dominates, appearing in the vast majority of role descriptions regardless of category. Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) is the second most common requirement. The newer entrants to the top skills list (RAG, vector databases, LLM APIs) reflect the shift from traditional ML toward generative AI applications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get Weekly AI Career Intelligence
Salary data, skills demand, and market signals from 16,000+ AI job postings. Every Monday.