Lead Machine Learning Engineer

At 2U, we are all in on purpose. We are motivated by our mission – to eliminate the back row in education – and connected by our shared passion to deliver world-class digital education at scale. As the parent company of edX, the world’s leading online learning platform, 2U powers more than 4,000 online higher education offerings – from free courses to full degrees. Together with more than 230 colleges, universities, and corporate partners, we are helping to unlock human potential.

What We’re Looking For:

The Data Science team is chartered to improve all 2U revenue operations by surfacing insights, and identifying and enabling product and marketing innovations leveraging analytics, experimentation and modeling. ML Engineering is responsible for managing machine learning operations, including infrastructure, model deployment and operationalization, to enable data scientists to perform their responsibilities. 

As a lead ML Engineer, you’ll partner with a diverse range of cross-functional business partners and data scientists to uncover new opportunities, design, execute, and analyze experiments, and deliver solutions that have a significant business impact and implications for our learners. You will help design and architect the ML Platform and be a key contributor to the roadmap and direction of ML Engineering. You will help create and maintain ML platforms to enable Data Science and Marketing Analytics, create and productionize models and pipelines, and help drive innovation through ML and advanced analytics. Additionally, you will participate in creation and development of new modeling and analysis in support of marketing, revenue and business needs. ML Engineering also serves as the interface between Data Science and other parts of the tech organization, so you work with internal engineering teams in support of our cross-domain architecture and streaming processes.

This is a high-impact role in which you will have a direct influence on how product and marketing decisions are made. You will play a key role in spurring innovations to drive growth, engagement, and retention at a critical moment in 2U’s history.

Responsibilities Include, But Are Not Limited To:

• Architecture and design of engineering solutions around Machine Learning products 
• Build pipelines to productionize ML Models and workflows
• Design, implement and manage scalable ML infrastructure for Data Science
• Maintain and develop tools for 2U-specific Data Science applications
• Collaborate with Data Science and Engineering teams to identify and address issues related to data quality, model performance, and system scalability
• Work with other Engineering Leads to design cross-domain architecture and data streaming
• Monitor and maintain ML systems to ensure high availability, reliability and performance
• Develop and maintain automated testing and monitoring processes
• Participate in code reviews and contribute to the development of best practices for ML infrastructure and operations
• Mentor and help develop engineers
• Assist in MLE roadmap and timeline development
• Keep up-to-date with industry best practices and emerging technologies

Things That Should Be In Your Background:

• 8+ years of experience working with data pipelines, data warehousing, ML infrastructure and operations
• Experience with real-time streaming system and modeling
• Solid understanding of ML concepts
• Strong programming skills in Python and experience with ML frameworks
• Familiarity with containerization technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, automated testing and monitoring tools
• Strong problem-solving skills and attention to detail
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills

Other Attributes That Will Help You In This Role:

• Experience with Dataiku a plus

Working Conditions: 

• Location is remote, with option to work out of our HQ office in Lanham, MD
• Generally working US East Coast hours
• Occasional travel to Lanham, MD will be required

While this position is open to remote candidates across the U.S., we will prioritize those who live in the Washington-Baltimore metropolitan area and who are available to come into our Headquarters in Lanham, MD two days a week.

Benefits & Culture

Our global employee base is a diverse collection of innovators, dreamers, and doers working together to transform lives through higher education. We believe that every employee can advance our shared purpose, and that life at 2U should be fun and meaningful. If you’re excited by the opportunity to provide over 40 million learners and counting with access to world-class online higher education, then join us – and do work that makes a difference. #NoBackRow

We offer comprehensive benefits (unique per country) and excellent work/life balance.
Full-time, U.S.benefits include: 

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Life insurance, disability, and 401(k) employer match
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Free snacks and drinks in-office
• Generous paid holidays and leave policies, including unlimited PTO
• Additional time off benefits include: volunteer days, parental leave, and a company-wide winter break

The anticipated base salary range for this role is ($145,000 - $174,000), with potential bonus eligibility.  Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, budget for the position and cost of labor in the market in which the candidate will be hired.

2U Diversity and Inclusion Statement

At 2U, we are committed to building and sustaining a culture of belonging, respect, and inclusion. We are proud of the steps we’ve taken to bring together an employee base that embodies diverse walks of life, ideas, genders, ages, races, cultures, sexual orientations, abilities and other unique qualities. We strive to offer a workplace where every employee feels empowered by what makes us different, as well as by how we are alike. 

2U is committed to providing reasonable accommodations during our recruitment process. If you need assistance or accommodations, please reach out to us at: recruitingaccommodations@2u.com.

About 2U Inc. (NASDAQ: TWOU)

For more than a decade, 2U, Inc. has been the digital transformation partner of choice to great non-profit colleges and universities delivering high-quality online education at scale. As the parent company of edX, a leading global online learning platform, 2U provides over 45 million learners with access to world-class education in partnership with more than 230 colleges, universities, and corporations. Our people and technology are powering more than 4,000 digital education offerings — from free courses to full degrees — and helping unlock human potential. To learn more: visit 2U.com.