ITHAKA’s mission is to expand access to knowledge and education around the world. Our services — Artstor, JSTOR, Portico, and Ithaka S+R — enable people everywhere to learn, to grow, and to overcome historical barriers to education. In carrying out our mission, as employees we feel a deep responsibility to each other and our well-being, and are committed to building and sustaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.

Level

Depending on experience and qualifications, ITHAKA is open to considering candidates in the following levels:

• Mid-Level, Machine Learning Engineer 
• Focuses on hands-on contributions and learning through collaboration on challenging projects.
• Expected to bring strong technical skills and adaptability, with opportunities to grow into leadership or more autonomous roles.

• Senior-level, Senior Machine Learning Engineer
• Expected to lead with a high degree of autonomy, taking ownership of complex initiatives and driving innovation.
• Will mentor junior engineers, contributing to their growth and the team’s overall expertise.
• Plays a key role in shaping strategic goals and optimizing AI/ML workflows for scalability and impact.

The Role

ITHAKA’s Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) team is seeking an experienced and driven Senior/Machine Learning Engineer with a robust background in applied machine learning and data science to join our growing team. In this role, you will demonstrate a high-level of self-direction, work with a sense of urgency, and embody natural curiosity to drive innovation. We seek talented individuals from diverse backgrounds with hands-on experience in complex machine learning projects, a solid understanding of AI and ML principles, and a strong product-focus mindset. 

As part of our team, you will develop, implement, and optimize AI/ML solutions to tackle challenging real-world problems, all within an agile and results-driven environment. You will work closely with other Machine Learning Engineers and the Product Development team. In this role, you will report directly to the Associate Director, AI.

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute on meaningful projects and grow within a collaborative AI/ML team.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop new product experiences from ideation to implementation.
• Conduct data analysis to validate data quality, uncover insights, and guide the development of machine learning models.
• Train, evaluate, and fine-tune machine learning models to meet performance, accuracy, and business requirements.
• Deploy machine learning models to production environments, ensuring scalability and robustness.
• Monitor and maintain deployed models to ensure reliable performance, addressing issues, and implementing improvements as needed.
• Work on LLM integration, including prompt tuning, chaining, and developing agents for suitable use cases, while also designing, implementing, and optimizing workflows to support these capabilities effectively.
• Build and optimize data pipelines for machine learning workflows.
• Develop and implement robust evaluation frameworks, including creating ground truth datasets, to assess model performance and reliability.
• Collaborate on defining metrics and KPIs to measure the cost, success and impact of machine learning projects.
• Utilize cloud-based technologies to deliver scalable machine learning solutions.
• Participate in code reviews and contribute to best practices for the team's machine learning development process.
• Stay current with AI advancements and integrate relevant innovations.
• Manage multiple priorities and deadlines effectively in an agile environment, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality results.

Additional responsibilities for senior level

• Take ownership and lead end-to-end challenging AI/ML projects with a high degree of autonomy, driving innovation and ensuring strategic alignment with organizational goals.
• Mentor junior engineers, fostering their technical growth and ensuring the overall strength of the team.

Experience and Skills

Candidates are not expected to have prior experience with every aspect listed below; however, candidates should have at least 75% of the experience and skills required and a strong willingness to learn and adapt.

• Minimum 2 years of professional experience applying machine learning and data science to solve real-world problems.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related technical field.
• Proficiency in machine learning algorithms, techniques, and practical applications.
• Proficiency with modern machine learning frameworks and libraries (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn).
• Practical experience with Natural Language Processing (NLP) and/or Computer Vision.
• Practical experience working with Large Language Models (LLMs), Generative AI techniques, fine-tuning LLMs, and embedding models.
• Knowledge of search/information retrieval techniques, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), recommendation systems, and A/B testing methodologies (preferred).
• Proficient in Python and SQL for data manipulation.
• Proficient in system design, software engineering, including coding, algorithms, data structures, debugging, version control, and writing clean, maintainable code.

For the senior-level role, in addition to the qualifications mentioned above, the following experience and skills are required:

• An additional 2 or more years of professional experience, for a total of 4 or more years, in applying machine learning and data science to solve real-world problems.
• Greater depth of knowledge in machine learning best practices, including advanced feature engineering and training/evaluation pipelines.
• Expert in statistical methods, including probability, distributions, and hypothesis testing, compared to a foundational understanding for mid-level roles.
• Advanced data engineering skills for managing large-scale datasets and distributed systems.
• Ability to lead and deliver complex projects independently with minimal supervision.

Work Authorization and Sponsorship 

ITHAKA is not currently considering candidates who require any type of immigration sponsorship (additional work authorization or permanent work authorization) now or in the future to work in the United States.

Compensation and Benefits

At ITHAKA we believe in openness and equity. Part of living those values is our commitment to clarity about salary ranges, so candidates know what to expect. The starting salary for the Machine Learning Engineer position ranges from $103,000 to $129,000 per year, while the Senior Machine Learning Engineer position ranges from $123,000 to $154,000 per year.  Starting pay may vary with job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. At present, our total compensation package for benefits-eligible employees includes medical, dental, and vision plans, an employer-paid 10% retirement contribution, paid parental and caregiver leave, 22 days of paid time off, 11 paid holidays, up to 12 sick days, wellness benefits, and more. Please note that ITHAKA, at its discretion, may make changes to its benefits programs from time to time.

Work for ITHAKA 

We are committed to our organizational values of belonging, evidence, speed, teamwork,  and trust. We take inclusion seriously. Belonging is one of our core values, and it shows in our vibrant culture. People from a wide range of backgrounds work at ITHAKA, and we believe that unique perspectives help us realize new insights and build better solutions.

We want to work with people who are passionate about ideas like these and who wish to contribute their perspectives and talents to ITHAKA’s mission. We enthusiastically welcome applications from people of all underrepresented backgrounds and credentials. We want to hear your story and include your perspective in the transformative work we aim to do.

Learn more about Working at ITHAKA.

Apply Now:

Although ITHAKA has physical offices in New York and Ann Arbor, Michigan, our employees are distributed across the continental United States. At this time, we’re not considering candidates who are unable to work and reside in the continental U.S.

Candidates may apply by submitting an application online through our career site, if you have any questions about your application, please contact us at careers@ithaka.org.  ITHAKA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations, if there’s anything we can do to accommodate any portion of the application or hiring process, please contact us at accommodations@ithaka.org. 

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer.  All qualified applicants receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, domestic violence victim status, veteran status, disability, history of disability or perceived disability, or other status protected by law. We invite you to read our Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Statement. ITHAKA cares about your privacy, learn more about our Applicant Privacy Notice.