Foundational AI Engineer

Role Overview

Join PropellabsAI, a pioneering deep tech studio at the forefront of AI-powered mining technologies. As a Foundational AI Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in revolutionizing the way geoscientists make critical decisions about underground resources. Your work will directly influence global resource extraction, sustainability, and ESG outcomes. In this founding role, you will offload tasks from the CTO and lay the technical groundwork for scaling our business.

Responsibilities

• Own the AI Product Build: Transform geoscientist requirements into functional machine learning features rapidly. Develop data pipelines from raw geological data to model-ready features and implement trusted uncertainty quantification. Deploy models in production environments, beyond mere research applications.

• Bridge Domain & Engineering: Collaborate in Product Requirement Document (PRD) meetings with clients and domain experts. Convert vague requirements, such as "variogram auto-fitting," into operational systems. Validate outputs with geoscientists prior to deployment.

• Set ML Foundations: Establish frameworks for experiment tracking, model versioning, and evaluation. Make informed decisions on building versus buying solutions, balancing fine-tuning with off-the-shelf options. Design for rapid iteration and ensure production reliability.

Required Skills

• 5–8 years of experience in applied machine learning, with a minimum of 3 years in production environments.
• Proficiency in Python and either PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Strong understanding of MLOps fundamentals, including MLflow, W&B, and CI/CD for ML.
• Expertise in handling messy real-world data and numerical computing.

Nice to Have

• Experience with spatial data, time-series analysis, and uncertainty quantification.
• Background in geophysics or the mining industry.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage effectively with clients and fit well within a small team culture.