Data Engineer III

Job Title: Data Engineer III Location: Menlo Park, CA (Onsite) Duration: Contract – 5 months Pay Range: $71/hr $74/hr (W2) Job ID: 374271 About BCforward BCforward is a leading global IT consulting and workforce solutions firm providing services and support to Fortune 500 and government clients. Founded in 1998, BCforward has grown with our customers needs into a full-service business solutions provider. With delivery centers and offices across North America and India, we take pride in building long-term relationships and delivering excellence through innovation, collaboration, and integrity. Job Description We are seeking a Senior AI Data Engineer to join our dynamic team. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in AI-augmented data pipelines, remote inference orchestration, and large-scale data curation and a proven ability to build, operate, and optimize production pipelines that integrate ML models at scale. Responsibilities Design and maintain AI-augmented data pipelines at billion-row scale that combine SQL transformations with ML models for cleaning and annotation. Own remote inference orchestration including batching, async execution, retries, fallbacks, and capacity allocation to ensure reliable throughput. Build and operate feature pipelines for vector embeddings, including index creation, storage, serving, and quality validation. Source, filter, and curate training datasets using SQL and model-derived signals while maintaining governance, quality, and compliance. Design and run LLM and vision-assisted annotation pipelines with auditing and evaluation to improve annotation quality. Contribute reusable operators, frameworks, and patterns for model invocation and async job management for team-wide adoption. Required Skills & Qualifications Advanced SQL and data pipeline expertise, including complex queries, optimization, and orchestration tools such as Airflow, Dataswarm, or equivalents. Hands‑on integration of ML models into pipelines, including endpoint calls, versioning, batching, and large‑scale failure handling. Proficiency with AI-assisted coding tools such as Copilot, Cursor, or Codex to accelerate development and reviews. Strong communication, problem‑solving, and cross‑functional collaboration abilities. 5 years of experience in data engineering, ML engineering, or hybrid roles involving model serving and inference in production. Preferred Skills Experience with embeddings and vector databases or libraries such as FAISS or Milvus, including indexing and similarity search. Familiarity with content‑understanding models including classifiers, object detection, OCR, NSFW detection, and aesthetic scoring. Experience using LLMs for data tasks such as annotation, cleaning, evaluation, and prompt design. Knowledge of generative AI systems such as diffusion models and metrics like FID and CLIP score. Education / Experience Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Data Engineering, Machine Learning, or a related STEM field. Demonstrated track record building and operating production pipelines that invoke ML models at scale. Additional Requirements Onsite presence in MPK to collaborate closely with engineers and researchers. Why BCforward? Competitive compensation and benefits Opportunities for growth with global clients A supportive, inclusive culture that values innovation and people Exposure to cutting‑edge technologies and projects About Our Commitment BCforward is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status. Fair Chance Ordinances Pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, qualified applicants will be considered for assignment with arrest and conviction records. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness, meet client expectations, standards, and accompanying requirements, and safeguard business operations and company reputation. #J-18808-Ljbffr