Staff Engineer Tech Lead Manager, ML Acceleration

Job Description

Job Description

Mission Summary:

We are seeking an experienced and visionary Principle Level Tech Lead Manager to build and lead our new Machine Learning (ML) Acceleration team. This pivotal role will drive the strategy, development, and execution of initiatives aimed at significantly accelerating ML model training. The ultimate goal is to drastically reduce the development cycle for new ML models and enable rapid hot-patching for issues within our deployed autonomous vehicle services.

You will be a hands-on leader, blending deep technical expertise in ML systems and performance optimization with strong leadership and people management skills. You will recruit, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

What you'll be doing:

• Team Leadership & Management:
• Build, lead, and manage a high-performing team of ML and infra engineers focused on acceleration.
• Provide technical guidance, mentorship, and career development opportunities to team members.
• Foster a collaborative and inclusive team environment.
• Define team goals, priorities, and roadmap in alignment with company objectives.

• Technical Strategy & Execution:
• Define the technical vision and strategy for ML acceleration across the organization.
• Identify and evaluate cutting-edge technologies and methodologies for speeding up ML training, including but not limited to data pipeline optimization, large scale distributed training, data loader optimization, hardware acceleration, and model optimization techniques.
• Design, develop, and implement scalable and efficient ML acceleration solutions.

• Cross-functional Collaboration:
• Collaborate closely with ML research, ML Training platform, and product teams to understand their needs and integrate acceleration solutions seamlessly.
• Communicate complex technical concepts and strategies to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Act as a technical expert and advocate for ML acceleration initiatives across the company.

• Impact & Measurement:
• Regularly measure and report on the impact of acceleration efforts.
• Continuously seek opportunities for further optimization and innovation.

What we're looking for:

• Experience:
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 5+ years focused on Machine Learning systems and model performance optimization.
• 3+ years of experience in a technical lead or management role, with a proven track record of building and leading high-performing teams.
• Extensive experience with large-scale ML model training and deployment, ideally in a production environment.
• Strong understanding of distributed systems and cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure).

• Technical Skills:
• Deep expertise in ML frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX.
• Proficiency in performance profiling and optimization techniques for Deep Neural Networks.
• Strong programming skills in Python; C++ experience is a plus.
• Knowledge of MLOps principles and practices.

• Leadership Skills:
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to attract, hire, and retain top engineering talent.
• Proven ability to drive complex technical projects from conception to completion.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive, results-oriented mindset.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors including but not limited to specific skills, experience and expertise, role location, certifications, licenses, and business needs. The estimated compensation range listed in this job posting reflects base salary only. This role may include additional forms of compensation such as a bonus or company equity. The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.

Candidates for certain positions are eligible to participate in Motional's benefits program. Motional's benefits include but are not limited to medical, dental, vision, 401k with a company match, health saving accounts, life insurance, pet insurance, and more.

Salary Range

$172,000—$229,000 USD

Motional is a driverless technology company making autonomous vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality. We're driven by something more.

Our journey is always people first.

We aren't just developing driverless cars; we're creating safer roadways, more equitable transportation options, and making our communities better places to live, work, and connect. Our team is made up of engineers, researchers, innovators, dreamers and doers, who are creating a technology with the potential to transform the way we move.

Higher purpose, greater impact.

We're creating first-of-its-kind technology that will transform transportation. To do so successfully, we must design for everyone in our cities and on our roads. We believe in building a great place to work through a progressive, global culture that is diverse, inclusive, and ensures people feel valued at every level of the organization. Diversity helps us to see the world differently; it's not only good for our business, it's the right thing to do.

Scale up, not starting up.

Our team is behind some of the industry's largest leaps forward, including the first fully-autonomous cross-country drive in the U.S, the launch of the world's first robotaxi pilot, and operation of the world's longest-standing public robotaxi fleet. We're driven to scale; we're moving towards commercialization of our technology, and we need team members who are ready to embrace change and challenges.

Formed as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, Motional is fundamentally changing how people move through their lives. Headquartered in Boston, Motional has operations in the U.S and Asia. For more information, visit and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

Motional AD Inc. is an EOE. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. To comply with Federal Law, we participate in E-Verify. All newly-hired employees are queried through this electronic system established by the DHS and the SSA to verify their identity and employment eligibility.