Chief Data Engineer

We are seeking a seasoned Chief Data Engineer with extensive expertise in computer vision and machine learning to lead the creation of an AI-driven platform for photo evaluation and personalized recommendations. In this role, you will design systems that analyze and rank photos based on their potential for personalized physical products. This opportunity combines semantic image analysis, aesthetic scoring, and behavioral personalization into a cohesive recommendation framework.

**Responsibilities**
- Build systems using CNN-based models and transformer-based vision architectures to analyze, score, and tag photos with metadata
- Develop models for facial recognition, grouping, and expression analysis
- Create contextual categories for photos, such as events, vacations, and portraits
- Assess photos for aesthetic appeal and their suitability for printing
- Develop object and scene detection models to extract meaningful metadata from images
- Design and prototype advanced transformer architectures tailored to meet product creation needs
- Build scalable pipelines to process large datasets and generate structured, queryable metadata
- Design and deploy transformer-based machine learning models to analyze user behavior and purchasing patterns for personalized recommendations
- Lead experimentation frameworks like A/B testing to improve recommendation accuracy and user engagement
- Oversee the development, management, and deployment of machine learning models, ensuring robust documentation and seamless integration into production environments
- Work collaboratively with cross-functional teams to operationalize model development and ensure successful implementation
- Communicate effectively with stakeholders and team members, demonstrating a proactive and self-directed approach

**Requirements**:

- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
- At least 7 years of experience in software engineering or AI/ML roles
- Minimum of 2 years of experience managing and leading development teams
- Participation in at least 2 full-cycle projects or involvement in multiple phases of various development lifecycles
- Expertise in computer vision techniques, including CNNs, vision transformers, facial recognition, object detection, image classification, and embedding creation
- Strong experience with recommendation systems, including collaborative filtering and deep learning for personalization
- Advanced knowledge of transformer-based models for recommendation systems
- Proficiency in Python for building and deploying machine learning solutions
- Experience deploying machine learning models at scale using tools such as Docker, AWS, or GCP
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional technical projects from concept to implementation
- Comprehensive understanding of the machine learning lifecycle, including data management, model evaluation, explainability, and observability
- Strong English communication skills, both written and spoken, at a B2+ level

**Nice to have**
- Experience with machine learning libraries like PyTorch or TensorFlow
- Hands-on experience with advanced techniques such as diffusion models, graph neural networks (GNNs), or reinforcement learning

**We offer**
- Career plan and real growth opportunities
- Unlimited access to LinkedIn learning solutions
- Constant training, mentoring, online corporate courses, eLearning and more
- English classes with a certified teacher
- Support for employee’s initiatives (Algorithms club, toastmasters, agile club and more)
- Enjoyable working environment (Gaming room, napping area, amenities, events, sport teams and more)
- Flexible work schedule and dress code
- Collaborate in a multicultural environment and share best practices from around the globe
- Hired directly by EPAM & 100% under payroll
- Law benefits (IMSS, INFONAVIT, 25% vacation bonus)
- Major medical expenses insurance: Life, Major medical expenses with dental & visual coverage (for the employee and direct family members)
- 13 % employee savings fund, capped to the law limit
- Grocery coupons
- 30 days December bonus
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- 12 vacations days
- Official Mexican holidays, plus 5 extra holidays (Maundry Thursday and Friday, November 2nd, December 24th & 31st)
- Monthly non-taxable amount for the electricity and internet bills

EPAM is a leading global provider of digital platform engineering and development services. We are committed to having a positive impact on our customers, our employees, and our communities. We embrace a dynamic and inclusive culture. Here you will collaborate with multi-national teams, contribute to a myriad of innovative projects that deliver the most creative and cutting-edge solutions, and have an opportunity to continuously learn and grow. No matter where you are located, you will join a dedicated, creative, and diverse community that will help you discover your fullest pote