Machine Learning Engineer (AI/ML) – TensorFlow Lite, ML Kit, PyTorch

Our Customer is a Silicon Valley-based company that is engaged in researching emerging technologies.

We are seeking a contract Machine Learning Research Engineer to develop advanced on-device machine learning systems that enable secure, adaptive, and scalable intelligence across mobile devices. The role emphasizes building intelligent, adaptive, and privacy-preserving ML systems that operate efficiently within the constraints of mobile environments. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in designing real-time, context-aware inference systems that can respond dynamically to local data patterns and behaviors. This role is a hybrid setup (4 days onsite and 1 day remote/week) in Mountain View, CA.

Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and deploy on-device machine learning models optimized for Android, ensuring low latency and minimal resource consumption.
• Build robust and scalable ML pipelines using Android-native frameworks such as: TensorFlow Lite, ML Kit (including GenAI APIs), MediaPipe, and PyTorch Mobile
• Implement local signal aggregation and real-time pattern recognition logic to enable responsive in-app actions driven by on-device inference.
• Architect systems that support telemetry, secure logging, and privacy-first feedback collection for monitoring and evaluation.
• Apply model compression and optimization techniques (e.g., quantization, pruning, distillation) to meet mobile performance constraints.
• Develop secure, privacy-first solutions where all data processing and ML inference occur strictly on-device, with no external data exposure.
• Enable mechanisms for continuous local learning and model updates using device-resident data and signals, without compromising privacy.
• Ensure integration with Android's security model and collaborate with platform and product teams to deploy AI features safely at scale.

Skills and Qualifications:

• 5-7 years of experience with a Masters degree, 3+ years of experience with a PhD
• Proven experience in Android development (Kotlin/Java), with strong understanding of system architecture, resource management, and performance tuning.
• Hands-on expertise with on-device ML frameworks including TensorFlow Lite, ML Kit, MediaPipe, and PyTorch Mobile.
• Solid foundation in machine learning and signal processing techniques, such as time-series modeling, clustering, classification, and real-time event detection.
• Strong knowledge of mobile data handling and Android security practices, including permissions, sandboxing, and secure data storage.
• Understanding of privacy-preserving learning techniques and data governance in mobile environments.
• Familiarity with secure data handling on Android, including encrypted storage, permissions, sandboxing, and secure compute enclaves.
• Experience with telemetry systems and evaluation pipelines for monitoring model performance on-device at scale.

Preferred:

• Experience building ML-driven mobile applications in domains requiring user personalization, privacy, or security.
• Understanding of real-time data processing and behavioral modeling on resource-constrained edge devices.
• Knowledge of on-device learning techniques, federated learning, or personalization methods.
• Prior contributions to systems using federated learning, differential privacy, or local fine-tuning of models is a plus
• Experience with backend infrastructure for model management (e.g., model registries, update orchestration, logging frameworks) is a plus.
• Prior work with anomaly detection or behavioral modeling in resource-constrained environments is a plus.
• Experience developing responsive systems capable of monitoring local context and dynamically triggering actions based on model outputs is a plus
• Experience optimizing models for ARM architectures is a plus

We offer a competitive salary range for this position. Most candidates who join our team are hired at the median of this range, ensuring fair and equitable compensation based on experience and qualifications.

Contractor benefits are available through our 3rd Party Employer of Record (Available upon completion of waiting period for eligible engagements)

Benefits include: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k.

An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.