Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) Engineer

DescriptionKforce has a client that is seeking a Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) Engineer (Snowflake) in Phoenix, AZ.Summary:We are seeking a Senior MLOps Engineer to help design and build an enterprise-scale machine learning platform from the ground up. This is a unique opportunity to establish a modern MLOps ecosystem on Snowflake, supporting end-to-end model development, deployment, and lifecycle management.The platform will be built on a medallion architecture (Bronze, Silver, Gold), enabling machine learning models to consume trusted, governed data products with full lineage, scalability, and performance. This role will play a key part in shaping standards, processes, and tooling as the platform evolves from MVP to enterprise scale.Key Responsibilities:* Architect and build a production-grade MLOps platform on Snowflake, leveraging Snowpark, Snowflake ML, Model Registry, and Feature Store* Design and operationalize reusable pipelines for training, validation, deployment, inference, and monitoring* Align ML workflows with Bronze, Silver, and Gold medallion layers to ensure consistent use of trusted data* Establish model lifecycle management standards, including versioning, approvals, promotion gates, and rollback strategies* Partner with data scientists to productionize models into scalable, reliable services* Implement model observability for performance, drift, bias, and data quality, with alerting and SLOs* Automate retraining and refresh processes using Snowflake Tasks, Dynamic Tables, and event-driven orchestration* Collaborate with data engineering teams to ensure reliable and reusable feature pipelines* Define and implement CI/CD pipelines for ML systems, including testing frameworks and release controls* Drive governance across security, compliance, auditability, reproducibility, and responsible AI practices* Lead platform maturation, including documentation, developer enablement, and operational runbooksRequirements* 5+ years of experience in ML Engineering, MLOps, or platform engineering* Strong Python and SQL skills, with experience building production ML pipelines* Hands-on experience with Snowflake data platforms (Snowpark and Snowflake ML strongly preferred)* Experience with model deployment, versioning, monitoring, and lifecycle governance* Experience implementing CI/CD and testing strategies for ML systems* Strong understanding of feature engineering, training-serving consistency, and data quality controls* Experience working with cloud platforms (AWS preferred)* Proven ability to collaborate across data science, data engineering, and business teamsPreferred Qualifications:* Experience with Snowflake Model Registry and Feature Store* Background in medallion/lakehouse data architectures* Experience with dbt or similar transformation tools* Familiarity with streaming or near real-time ML inference* Experience in high-volume operational environments (e.g., logistics, fleet, routing)* Prior experience building greenfield platforms and establishing standards from scratchThis role can be performed fully remotely but there is a preference for Phoenix local talent. This role has the potential to convert to FTE with Kforce's client.Job TypeContractCompensation85 - $96