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About This Role
Xometry (NASDAQ: XMTR) powers the industries of today and tomorrow by connecting the people with big ideas to the manufacturers who can bring them to life. Xometry’s digital marketplace gives manufacturers the critical resources they need to grow their business while also making it easy for buyers at Fortune 1000 companies to tap into global manufacturing capacity.
We are looking for a Staff Machine Learning Engineer to join our growing AI/ML team. This is a senior individual contributor role with broad technical scope and meaningful organizational impact. You will lead the design and delivery of complex ML systems, architect integrations across our tech stack, and set the engineering standard for how we build and deploy machine learning solutions at scale. You will work closely with data scientists, engineers, and product managers to bring high\-impact ML capabilities into production. Everything you build will matter. A defining piece of this role is owning the AI/ML architecture behind one of Xometry's highest\-leverage strategic initiatives: the DFM AI \+ IQE integration. You will be the data engineering lead for the digital thread that connects Xometry's platform to our partner’s ecosystem — Solid Edge, NX, Designcenter, and Teamcenter — building the pipelines, contracts, and observability that move quotes, parts, manufacturability signals, and pricing between the two systems in real time. The system you design is what takes the innovative digital thread operating at "science fiction speed" from ideation to reality.
Responsibilities
- Lead with technical depth – Own the end\-to\-end lifecycle from requirements gathering through release, ensuring high\-quality, on\-time delivery across complex, cross\-functional initiatives.
- Own the Partner integration AI/ML plane – Architect and build the high\-performance AI/ML layer of Xometry's embedded DFM AI \+ IQE integration with Teamcenter and Designcenter. You will be responsible for designing the real\-time ML serving architecture and the low\-latency signal path that delivers DFM and pricing feedback directly into the designer's environment. This includes defining the data contracts for model inputs/outputs and implementing the MLOps, governance, and observability required for a mission\-critical, public\-marketplace partner integration.
- Build for scale – Develop cloud\-based production systems powering real\-time endpoints and MLOps, integrated with Xometry's broader systems and infrastructure.
- Solve ambiguous problems – Navigate complex, cross\-domain technical challenges, evaluate variable factors, and deliver solutions that meet both business and technical objectives.
- Set the Standard – Proactively surface opportunity areas, take ownership of new processes and solutions, and develop multi\-quarter roadmaps to accomplish key technical objectives.
- Champion quality and security – Apply best practices in automated testing, parallel and distributed computing, and secure software development across ML systems.
- Collaborate broadly – Partner with engineers, product managers, data scientists, and business stakeholders to translate requirements into robust technical solutions.
- Mentor and elevate – Guide other engineers through design reviews, code reviews, and technical mentorship, raising the overall capability of the team.
- Stay current – Keep pace with advances in ML/AI and bring relevant new approaches, tools, and frameworks into practice.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in a STEM field (or equivalent experience) plus 6\-8 years of experience in machine learning engineering, with a track record of owning and delivering complex ML systems in production.
- Deep expertise in ML and AI technologies, including Gradient Boosting methods, Deep Learning, and/or Generative AI frameworks, with a focus on backend scalability and
reusability.
- Hands\-on experience deploying real\-time ML products at scale in cloud environments (AWS strongly preferred), including auto\-scaling, monitoring, and alerting.
- Strong proficiency in Python and advanced ML/AI frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or similar.
- Solid grounding in software engineering fundamentals, data structures, and algorithms.
- Demonstrated experience with MLOps practices: model monitoring, data and concept drift detection, and automated retraining and redeployment pipelines.
- Proficiency with CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Github actions),test driven development, and infrastructure as code (e.g., Terraform).
- Experience profiling and optimizing existing ML model deployments for latency and throughput.
- Ability to operate independently on new and ambiguous assignments, determine methods and procedures, and communicate effectively across engineering, product, and
business audiences.
- Experience with state\-of\-the\-art modeling techniques including transformers, self\-supervised pre\-training, large language models (LLMs), or generative AI.
- Knowledge of containers, container orchestration (Kubernetes), and cloud\-native distributed systems.
- Background in manufacturing, supply chain, or marketplace environments is a plus — but curiosity and drive matter more.
The estimated base salary range for new hires into this role is $200,000\-$220,000\.00 annually \+ commission depending on factors such as job\-related skills, relevant experience, and location. We also offer a competitive benefits package, including 401(k) match, medical, dental and vision insurance; life and disability insurance; generous paid time off including vacation, sick leave, floating and fixed holidays, maternity and bonding leave; EAP, other wellbeing resources; and much more.
\#LI\-Hybrid
Xometry is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.
For US based roles: Xometry participates in E\-Verify and after a job offer is accepted, will provide the federal government with your Form I\-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.
Salary Context
This $200K-$220K range is above 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 Xometry, 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 ($210K) sits 16% above the category median. Disclosed range: $200K to $220K.
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.
Xometry AI Hiring
Xometry has 1 open AI role right now. They're hiring across AI/ML Engineer. Based in North Bethesda, MD, US. Compensation range: $220K - $220K.
Location Context
Across all AI roles, 15% (590 positions) offer remote work, while 3,217 require on-site attendance. Top AI hiring metros: New York (2,643 roles, $211,000 median); San Francisco (2,168 roles, $253,000 median); Los Angeles (1,792 roles, $191,580 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
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