Remote Principal SW Engineer, Machine Learning Operations

Description:

• BlackSky is a real-time intelligence company that operates a space-based intelligence platform providing satellite imagery, automated analytics, and high-frequency monitoring.
• The company is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to support the development and operation of Spectra AI, their AI/ML platform.
• The role involves ensuring that Spectra AI delivers consistent and reliable analytics to a growing user base.
• The position requires collaboration with internal satellite development teams and is critical to the AI/ML Engineering team.
• Responsibilities include designing image processing pipelines, ensuring high-quality code, participating in the project lifecycle, leading MLOps software development projects, and collaborating on technical roadmaps.
• The engineer will own the vision and strategy for the machine learning operations platform and develop automated infrastructure for the ML lifecycle.
• The role also includes mentoring other engineers and communicating technical strategies to senior leadership.

Requirements:

• A minimum of ten years of hands-on experience as a software engineer, with at least four years focused on geospatial imagery.
• A Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in computer science, mathematics, physics, statistics, or a related computational field.
• Experience in designing and building scalable production software solutions, particularly for machine learning or image processing.
• Proficiency in Python or Golang, with experience in writing production software for data ETL, micro-services, and cloud deployment.
• Familiarity with distributed compute environments such as Kubernetes and Dask.
• Hands-on experience with large imagery datasets, including image normalization and augmentation.
• Strong communication skills to convey concepts and software results to various stakeholders.
• Experience with cloud services like AWS EKS, S3, EC2, and others.
• U.S.-born citizenship is required for the program this role will support.

Benefits:

• Medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance, with BlackSky covering 100% of employee-only premiums and contributing $100/month for out-of-pocket expenses.
• 15 days of PTO, 11 company holidays, four floating holidays, one day of paid volunteerism leave, and parental leave.
• 401(k) options with employer match and flexible spending accounts.
• Employee Stock Purchase Program and assistance programs.
• Employer matching donations and opportunities for professional development.
• Choice of Mac or PC for work, along with company swag.
• The anticipated base salary range for candidates in Seattle, WA is $175,000-200,000 per year, with final compensation dependent on background and education.