Lead Machine Learning Engineer (AI/ML), ITC
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 31, 2026. First seen by Alion on Oct 29, 2026. Nike scores B on the Alion truth index.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We seek passionate engineers to join our team. As a Lead AI/ML Engineer, you will influence and develop robust machine learning and generative AI solutions that have a direct impact on the business. You should have experience in Python; a strong background in algorithms and data structures; hands-on AWS experience; as well as experience in database technology (e.g. Postgres, Redis) and data processing technology (e.g. SageMaker or Databricks). You should also have a demonstrable history of team leadership and value delivery, and be comfortable working in an agile product model.
As a Lead AI/ML Engineer, you will be expected to own projects end-to-end -from conception to operationalization-demonstrating a command of the full software development lifecycle. You will set the technical direction for your team, provide vision and guidance to your teammates, and raise the bar on engineering quality; therefore, strong communication and leadership skills are critical in this role.
WHAT YOU WILL WORK ON
If this is you, you’ll be working with the Corporate Functions Artificial Intelligence team at Nike focused on delivering AI capabilities for Nike’s corporate functions. With teammates globally distributed, you’ll be joining a global organization working to solve machine learning problems at scale. You’ll be designing and implementing scalable applications that leverage prediction models and optimization programs to deliver data driven decisions that result in immense business impact. You’ll also contribute to core advanced analytics, machine learning, and generative AI platforms and tools to enable both prediction and optimization model development. You thrive when surrounded by talented colleagues and aim to never stop learning. We are looking for candidates who enjoy a collaborative and academic environment where we develop and share new skills, mentor, and contribute knowledge and software back to the analytics and engineering communities both within Nike and at-large.
WHO YOU WILL WORK WITH
You will work closely with business stakeholders, product owners, and your peers within the engineering team to ensure the successful delivery of solutions. Additionally, you will work with other technology teams that lead the up and down-streams solutions to coordinate dependencies.
WHAT YOU BRING
To make it clear, we're not looking for just anyone. We're looking for someone special, someone who had these experiences and clearly demonstrated these skills:
Undergraduate degree in Computer Science, a Master's degree in a related engineering field, or equivalent experience
8+ years of professional experience in software engineering
3+ years of experience in the field of Machine Learning Engineering or related fields
A demonstrable history of technical leadership, mentoring engineers, and delivering value in an agile product model
Strong analytical mindset and experience leading others in problem solving
Proficiency working in a team and mentoring others to write robust, maintainable, and extendable code in Python; containerized in Docker, and automated with CI/CD
Expertise with agile development and test-driven development
Expertise with data structures, data modeling and software architecture
Expertise in producing predictive or mathematical optimization models and deploying them to production
Expertise in MLOps and an ability to articulate the role of MLOps in the machine learning development lifecycle from experimentation to production and measurement
Familiarity with frameworks such as Scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Spark, FastAPI or similar platforms and frameworks
Experience with complex data sets, ETL pipelines, SQL, and general data engineering
Expertise with cloud architecture and technologies, especially Amazon Web Services: ECR, SageMaker, Lambda, API Gateway
Familiarity with pipeline orchestration tools such as Airflow or Databricks Workflows
Experience with database technology (e.g. Postgres, Redis) and data processing technology (e.g. SageMaker or Databricks)
Expertise with Spark, Kubernetes, Docker, Jenkins, Databricks, or Terraform is highly desirable
Effective communication skills with team members, stakeholders, the business, and in code
Experience influencing technical strategy through all aspects of technical design and implementation
Proficiency providing technical leadership within a team and mentorship to others