Sr Software Engineer, Autonomy

We’re Blue River, a team of innovators driven to create intelligent machinery that solves monumental problems for our customers. We empower our customers – farmers, construction crews, and foresters - to implement safer and more sustainable solutions, driving increased profitability with less reliance on scarce labor. We believe that focusing on the small stuff – pixel-by-pixel and task-by-task - leads to big gains. With our partners at John Deere, we have the ability to bring innovative computer vision, machine learning, robotics, and product management solutions to scale production, maximizing their potential impact.

Our people are at the heart of what we do. Through cross-disciplinary collaboration, this mission-driven and daring team is eager to define the new frontier of mobile robotics. We are always asking hard questions, rapidly iterating, and getting our boots in the field and on-site to figure it out. We won’t give up until we’ve made a tangible and positive impact on the planet. 

This position is eligible to be fully remote within the US. Blue River Technology is based in Santa Clara, CA.

Summary

We are actively seeking a Senior Software Engineer specializing in data and ML infrastructure to join our team. At Blue River Technology, our Machine Learning Platform team plays a crucial role within our Ag Autonomy organization by overseeing all aspects of the ML application development lifecycle. This journey encompasses activities such as data ingestion, annotation, exploration, model training, and deployment, as well as the development of analytics and visualizations. 

The ideal candidate for this position will be a problem-solver who can exhibit deftness in handling multiple simultaneous competing priorities and deliver solutions in a timely manner. They prefer to automate tasks and document their processes for the benefit of others. The candidate should be adept at prioritizing multiple issues and have strong expertise in troubleshooting complex production issues.

Job Responsibilities

The primary job responsibilities are noted below. 

• Serve as a data expert, optimizing queries in Databricks for large-scale data retrieval and collaborating on data architecture.
• Develop and maintain visualizations for machine learning (ML) datasets to enhance model interpretability.
• Conduct statistical analyses and predictive modeling to derive insights from complex datasets.
• Build and maintain web portals for analytics and data collection dashboards, continually expanding capabilities through iterative development.
• Identify and resolve data ingestion and pipeline issues, proposing short-term and long-term solutions.
• Provide data and infrastructure support to internal teams, improving system stability, security, efficiency, and scalability.
• Enhance code quality through unit testing, automation, and code reviews.
• Document code, design decisions, and data sources for collaboration and maintenance.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve complex data challenges and communicate technical concepts effectively. 

Required Experience and Skills

• 5 or more years of experience in:
  • Writing efficient data retrieval queries for structured and unstructured data from various sources (RDBMS, NoSQL databases, data lakes, data warehouses).
  • Developing and maintaining data pipelines and architectures.
  • Experience in supporting highly scalable data systems and services written in Python.
• Proficiency in data visualization and analytics dashboard creation.
• Experience with ML dataset visualization and statistical analysis.
• Familiarity with Kubernetes, microservices, and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Experience with Docker, CI/CD systems (Jenkins, TeamCity), and cloud services (e.g., AWS S3, DynamoDB, Lambda).
• Agile development experience with a focus on delivering high-quality results.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Effective communication skills for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field. 

Preferred Experience and Skills

• Experience with Databricks for data storage and retrieval.
• Familiarity with Apache Spark jobs.
• Experience with Cloud workflow platforms such as Kubeflow/MLflow/airflow, etc.
• Proficiency in frontend development (React, Angular, D3, Plotly).
• Experience with interactive data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Databricks dashboard, etc.)
• Knowledge of predictive modeling and advanced statistical techniques. 

At Blue River, we’re passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity.  While we have more work to do to advance diversity and inclusion, we’re investing in our programs, including recruiting, mentorship, career development, and learning & development to ensure they support our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals. We support each employee in living a full life, enabling a thriving career, and accomplishing a meaningful, challenging mission while collaborating with incredible people. We are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align completely with the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation. 

The US annual base salary range for this position is $154,000 - $275,000, along with eligibility for Blue River’s bonus and benefit programs. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process. During the recruitment process, we may identify an alternative role or level to which you are more suited. If your ideal role at Blue River differs from the advertised position, we will provide an updated pay range as soon as possible during the hiring process.

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