Job DescriptionThis is an onsite position; only local candidates will be considered.The
AI/ML Engineer will support the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) on the ITD - BOM Traffic Technology team's AI/ML initiatives. This role develops AI/ML proof-of-concept demonstrations and transitions successful prototypes into production-ready solutions that improve the safety and operations of the TxDOT roadway system. The AI/ML Engineer gathers and documents AI solution requirements from business stakeholders and designs scalable AI pipelines that integrate with TxDOT systems and workflows. This individual trains, fine-tunes, validates, and quality-assures AI/ML models while writing clean, efficient Python code to support reliable AI workflows. The role also serves as a liaison across technical and business teams to communicate progress, risks, and solution-design decisions to project sponsors and leadership.
Responsibilities:- Gather and document AI solution requirements from business stakeholders.
- Develop AI/ML proof-of-concept demonstrations and transition successful prototypes into production-ready systems.
- Design scalable AI pipelines that integrate with TxDOT systems and workflows.
- Train, fine-tune, validate, test, and quality-assure AI/ML models and outputs.
- Write clean, efficient Python code and scripts that support reliable AI workflows and production engineering practices.
- Serve as a liaison between the Traffic Technology team, business stakeholders, the ITD AI team, TRF, and automation developers.
- Communicate progress, risks, issues, and solution-design decisions to project sponsors and leadership.
- Ensure AI solutions comply with TxDOT IT governance, security, and audit requirements.
- Promote reusable components and standardized AI development practices, and conduct post-implementation reviews to capture lessons learned.
- Collaborate with data engineers, business analysts, and infrastructure teams to provide guidance on AI best practices, troubleshooting support, and knowledge sharing.
RequirementsMinimum Qualifications:- 2 years of experience writing and debugging Python code, developed through coursework, internships, or personal projects.
- 2 years of exposure to building and training machine learning models using frameworks such as scikit-learn, PyTorch, or TensorFlow through academic, internship, or personal projects.
- 2 years of familiarity with at least one major cloud provider (AWS, Azure, GCP, or OCI); coursework, sandbox, or free-tier experience is acceptable.
- 2 years of experience using Git/GitHub for collaborative development.
- 2 years of working knowledge of SQL.
- 2 years demonstrating strong analytical and communication skills, with a willingness to learn production engineering practices such as Docker, CI/CD, and cloud deployment on the job.
- 2 years of basic comfort navigating and running commands in a command line interface (CLI) environment.
Preferred Qualifications:- 2 years of exposure to Docker or other containerization concepts through coursework or personal projects.
- 2 years of coursework or personal projects involving computer vision (PyTorch, TensorFlow, OpenCV) or other applied machine learning domains.
- 2 years of familiarity with Bash or PowerShell scripting for basic automation.
- 2 years of familiarity with cloud AI services (e.g., Azure AI, AWS SageMaker, GCP Vertex AI) through coursework, certifications, or personal projects.
- 2 years of exposure to NoSQL or vector databases.
- A portfolio of academic, capstone, hackathon, or open-source machine learning projects (e.g., a GitHub profile).
- 2 years of coursework or interest in cloud-based CI/CD pipelines (Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, or similar).
- Demonstrated curiosity about applied AI/ML research and current industry tools.
- 2 years of exposure to data pipelines or streaming concepts (e.g., Kafka) through coursework or projects.
Additional Requirements:- Candidates must currently reside in the Austin, Texas area.
- Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States.
Work Location and Schedule:Location: TxDOT offices at 6230 E. Stassney Lane, Austin, Texas.
Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, excluding Texas state holidays.
Work Arrangement: Onsite, 4-5 days per week.
