Senior Principal AI/ML Engineer Full-time

Open to remote work except in South Dakota, Vermont and West Virginia.

The annual base salary for this position ranges from $166,100.00 in our lowest geographic market to $392,700.00 in our highest geographic market. Actual salary will vary based on a candidate’s location, qualifications, skills and experience.

Information about benefits can be found here.

NIKE, Inc. does more than outfit the world’s best athletes. It is a place to explore potential, obliterate boundaries and push out the edges of what can be. We look for colleagues who can grow, think, dream and create. Our culture thrives by embracing diversity and rewarding imagination. The Nike brand seeks achievers, leaders and visionaries. At Nike, it’s about each person bringing skills and passion to a challenging and constantly evolving game.

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR

We seek passionate engineers to join our team. As a Senior Principal AI/ML Engineer, you will lead the development of robust machine learning and generative AI solutions that have a direct impact on the business. You are a seasoned Engineering leader who can evangelize technical direction, mentor cross-functional technical teams, and collaborate with non-technical stakeholders. You are proficient in Python; carry a strong background in algorithms and data structures; and have hands-on experience with AWS, databases, and data processing technologies. You should also have a demonstrable history of team leadership and value delivery, and be comfortable working in an agile product model. As a Sr. Principal AI/ML Engineer, you will be expected to own organizational-level initiatives from conception to operationalization, demonstrating an understanding of the full software development lifecycle. You will be expected to provide technical vision and guidance to your teammates; therefore, strong communication skills are critical in this role.

WHAT WILL YOU WORK ON

With teammates in Portland, Boston, and Poland, you’ll be joining the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) team at Nike global organization working to solve machine learning problems at scale. You’ll be influencing the collaborative design and implementation of scalable applications that leverage prediction models and optimization programs to deliver data driven decisions that result in immense business impact. You’ll also contribute to core advanced analytics, machine learning, and generative AI platforms and tools to enable both prediction and optimization model development. You thrive when surrounded by talented colleagues and aim to never stop learning. We are looking for teammates who enjoy a collaborative and academic environment where we develop and share new skills, mentor, and contribute knowledge and software back to the analytics and engineering communities both within Nike and at-large.

We value and nurture our culture by seeking to always be collaborative, intellectually curious, fun, open, and diverse.

WHO WILL YOU WORK WITH

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) is one of the key groups within Data and Artificial Intelligence and we have been chartered to help scale machine learning across Nike. We bring cross-disciplinary teams of data scientists and engineers to areas of the business which are early in their analytics journey. For areas of the business which are more mature and already have data science teams, we help scale machine learning by providing squads of engineers to maximize the velocity of those data science teams in delivering value to the business. Lastly, we work closely with our platform and architecture partners to develop capabilities which help machine learning scale easier at Nike (e.g. model management, A/B testing, feature stores). This role reports directly to the Senior Director of AI/ML Engineering.

Essential Job Functions:

• Serve as part of a cross-functional leadership team to grow highly skilled, diverse engineering teams that deliver solutions which unlock machine learning for Nike. Engage employees, assist the teams by removing roadblocks, and align efforts across Nike’s matrix to drive progress forward and always win as a team.
• Leverage your prior experience, knowledge of industry trends, and personal creativity to develop and drive new and innovative solutions which delight our customers in their mission to serve Athletes*.
• Stay current with industry trends and recommend relevant technologies & products in the areas of analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data science. Given the rapid pace of change in technology and machine learning today, always be pushing the boundary of what’s possible and be on the offense always.
• Embrace and embody Nike’s core values (maxims) in your work and interactions with peers, stakeholders, and direct reports. Model clarity and accountability as a leader of Nike. Communicate effectively, build trust and strong relationships across the company, do the right thing.
• Be a mentor to teams, individuals, and technical leaders to foster motivated contributors, collaborative stakeholders, and high performing teams. Set high standards for engineering excellence, MLOPs, operational excellence, and drive innovation.
• Curiosity.

WHAT YOU BRING TO NIKE

• A proven technical leader with deep knowledge and experience in delivering production grade software at scale. Able to dive deep into code and architecture to provide an informed opinion on benefits/trade-offs of different design choice.
• Bachelor’s Degree in computer science, software engineering, or applicable field (master’s degree or Ph.D. preferred).
• 10+ years of experience across multiple roles in developing productionized code in software engineering, machine learning or a related field (experience delivering analytics and ML products preferred).
• 4+ years in a leadership or management role using Agile frameworks.
• Familiarity with ETL, ML, or analytics technologies such as Scikit-learn, Dask, Tensorflow, Kubeflow, Spark, EMR, or similar platforms and frameworks.
• Must be able to meaningfully communicate, written, orally, and visually, technical topics with stakeholders and articulate the benefits and tradeoffs of each solution and connect them to business value; to influence decisions and changes across loosely coupled teams.
• Fluency in the application of open-source technologies. Ability to influence build/buy decisions in the area of Data Science, AI, & ML.
• Must be able to articulate and evangelize MLOps, code management workflows, infrastructure as code, test-driven development, and the lifecycle of model development from experimentation to production and measurement. This will include a deep knowledge of software architecture and engineering best practices, especially modern cloud computing stacks for deploying machine learning at scale.
• Strong analytical mindset and experience leading others in problem solving.
• The habits of a constant learner.

NIKE, Inc. is a growth company that looks for team members to grow with it. Nike offers a generous total rewards package, casual work environment, a diverse and inclusive culture, and an electric atmosphere for professional development. No matter the location, or the role, every Nike employee shares one galvanizing mission: To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. NIKE, Inc. is committed to employing a diverse workforce. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability.