Lead Machine Learning Engineer – LLM & GenAI

What You'll Do

Avalara is an AI-first company, where every engineer and manager is expected to leverage AI for enhanced productivity, quality, innovation, and customer value. Success at Avalara requires embracing AI as an essential capability. We are seeking experienced Machine Learning Engineers with a background in software development and a strong enthusiasm for solving complex problems. You will lead a dynamic team focused on designing and implementing a large language model framework to power diverse applications across Avalara. Your responsibilities will cover the entire development lifecycle, from conceptualization and prototyping to the delivery of LLM platform features. You will build core agent infrastructure, including A2A orchestration and MCP-driven tool discovery, enabling teams to launch secure, scalable agent workflows. You will report to the Senior Manager, Machine Learning.

What Your Responsibilities Will Be

• Build upon the foundational framework for supporting Large Language Model Applications at Avalara.
• Leverage experience with LLMs like GPT, Claude, LLama, and other Bedrock models.
• Apply best practices in software development, including Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD), along with appropriate functional and unit testing.
• Promote innovation by researching and applying the latest technologies and methodologies in machine learning and software development.
• Write, review, and maintain high-quality code that meets industry standards.
• Lead code review sessions, ensuring excellent code quality and documentation.
• Mentor junior engineers, fostering a collaborative culture.
• Demonstrate proficiency in developing and debugging software, with a preference for Python, while also valuing familiarity with additional programming languages.

What You’ll Need To Be Successful

• 6+ years of experience building Machine Learning models and deploying them in production environments to solve complex customer problems.
• Proficiency in cloud computing environments (AWS, Azure, GCP), Machine Learning frameworks, and software development best practices.
• Experience with technological innovations in AI & ML (especially GenAI) and their application.
• Experience with design patterns and data structures.
• Strong analytical, design, and debugging skills.

Technologies You Will Work With

Python, LLMs, Agents, A2A, MCP, MLFlow, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, AWS, GitLab, Postgres, Prometheus, and Grafana