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Founding Machine Learning Engineer Jobs in Raleigh, NC

We are seeking a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to design, build, and operate scalable AI/ML systems and agentic architectures that support next-generation legal research and analytics products.

Building this system requires deep expertise in a myriad of cutting edge fields: search, natural language understanding, data engineering, machine learning, privacy preserving system design, and more.

Building this system requires deep expertise in a myriad of cutting edge fields: search, natural language understanding, data engineering, machine learning, privacy preserving system design, and more.

Building this system requires deep expertise in a myriad of cutting edge fields: search, natural language understanding, data engineering, machine learning, privacy preserving system design, and more.

Machine Learning Compiler Engineer

Raleigh, NC · On-site

$80K - $106K/yr

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Machine Learning Engineering General Summary: If you're interested in advancing and applying mathematics, programming languages theory, and advanced algorithms ...

Machine Learning Compiler

Raleigh, NC · On-site

$160K - $240K/yr

Engineering Group, Engineering Group > Machine Learning Engineering General Summary: Lead a team of engineers focused on advancing machine learning compiler technologies for cutting-edge AI ...

Deep knowledge of supervised learning, unsupervised learning, feature engineering, model selection ... Familiar with machine learning curricula and common challenges such as understanding bias-variance ...

Machine Learning Tutor

Raleigh, NC · Remote

$18 - $40/hr

Deep knowledge of supervised learning, unsupervised learning, feature engineering, model selection ... Familiar with machine learning curricula and common challenges such as understanding bias-variance ...

Machine Learning Tutor

Durham, NC · Remote

$18 - $40/hr

Deep knowledge of supervised learning, unsupervised learning, feature engineering, model selection ... Familiar with machine learning curricula and common challenges such as understanding bias-variance ...

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Founding Machine Learning Engineer information

See Raleigh, NC salary details

$30.6K

$125.2K

$188.1K

How much do founding machine learning engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for founding machine learning engineer in Raleigh, NC is $125,174.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $98,700.00 and $150,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Founding Machine Learning Engineer?

A Founding Machine Learning Engineer is one of the first technical team members at a startup who specializes in designing, building, and deploying machine learning systems. This role involves working closely with the founders to set the technical direction, build core AI products, and establish best practices for data and model development. In addition to hands-on coding and experimentation, a Founding Machine Learning Engineer often influences product decisions and helps shape the company's engineering culture. The role typically requires a blend of deep technical expertise, startup agility, and a willingness to tackle both high-level strategy and low-level engineering tasks.

What engineer makes $500,000 a year?

A founding machine learning engineer at top tech companies or successful startups can earn $500,000 or more annually, often including base salary, bonuses, and equity. Such roles typically require advanced skills in deep learning, data modeling, and experience with large-scale systems, along with a strong track record of innovation and leadership.

What are some unique challenges and expectations for a Founding Machine Learning Engineer in an early-stage startup?

As a Founding Machine Learning Engineer, you'll face the unique challenge of building the company's machine learning infrastructure from the ground up, often with limited resources and rapidly evolving requirements. You'll be expected to wear many hats, from designing and deploying models to setting up data pipelines and collaborating closely with product and engineering teams. Your role will also involve making critical decisions about technology stacks and best practices that will shape the company's technical direction. Additionally, you'll have significant influence on the company's culture and have ample opportunities for growth as the team expands.

What is a founding ML engineer?

A founding machine learning engineer is a key technical team member involved in building and developing the company's initial machine learning systems and infrastructure. They typically have strong skills in programming, data modeling, and deploying ML models, often working closely with product teams during the startup or early-stage company formation. This role requires a combination of technical expertise and entrepreneurial mindset to shape the company's AI capabilities from the ground up.

Is a machine learning engineer still in demand?

Yes, machine learning engineers are in high demand due to the increasing adoption of AI and data-driven solutions across industries. They are sought after for their skills in algorithms, programming, and tools like Python and TensorFlow, with job growth expected to continue as AI applications expand.

Which 5 jobs will survive AI?

Founding Machine Learning Engineers are likely to continue playing a crucial role as AI advances, focusing on developing and deploying complex models that require specialized skills in programming, data science, and system architecture. Jobs that involve high levels of creativity, strategic decision-making, and human interaction—such as healthcare professionals, educators, skilled trades, and roles in management—are also expected to persist despite AI automation. These positions typically require emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and adaptability that AI cannot easily replicate.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Founding Machine Learning Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Founding Machine Learning Engineer, you need deep expertise in machine learning algorithms, software engineering, and data science, often supported by a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with tools such as Python, TensorFlow or PyTorch, cloud platforms, and experience deploying ML models in production are typically required. Strong problem-solving abilities, entrepreneurial mindset, and excellent communication skills set standout candidates apart. These skills and qualities are vital for driving innovation, building scalable solutions from scratch, and collaborating within a fast-paced startup environment.
What cities near Raleigh, NC are hiring for Founding Machine Learning Engineer jobs? Cities near Raleigh, NC with the most Founding Machine Learning Engineer job openings:
Principal Machine Learning Engineer I

Principal Machine Learning Engineer I

RELX

Raleigh, NC

$136K - $252K/yr

Full-time

Posted 27 days ago


Job description

About our Team

LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 150 countries with 11,800 employees worldwide, is part of RELX (www.relx.com), a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. Our company has been a long-time leader in deploying AI and advanced technologies to the legal market to improve productivity and transform the overall business and practice of law, deploying ethical and powerful generative AI solutions with a flexible, multi-model approach that prioritizes using the best model from today's top model creators for each individual legal use case. The company employs over 2,000 technologists, data scientists, and experts to develop, test, and validate solutions in line with RELX Responsible AI Principles (https://stories.relx.com/responsible-ai-principles/index.html).

About the Role

Do you love collaborating with teams to solve complex technical problems?

We are seeking a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to design, build, and operate scalable AI/ML systems and agentic architectures that support next-generation legal research and analytics products. This role combines deep ML expertise with distributed systems engineering and AI platform development.

You will play a key role in developing enterprise-grade AI systems, including large language model (LLM) infrastructure, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines, and autonomous agent frameworks designed for complex large unstructured data.

Responsibilities:
  • Provide architectural direction and code-level guidance.

  • Establish engineering best practices for ML system design, testing, and deployment.

  • Conduct design reviews, performance reviews, and technical roadmap planning.

  • Architect distributed ML systems serving multiple global products.

  • Standardize infrastructure patterns for LLM serving and retrieval systems.

  • Define and implement enterprise-ready agentic frameworks.

  • Architect multi-step reasoning systems.

  • Lead decisions on deterministic workflows vs. autonomous agents.

  • Implement guardrails, safety layers, and traceability mechanisms.

  • Develop evaluation frameworks to measure reasoning quality, hallucination rates, and reliability.

  • Establish CI/CD standards for ML lifecycle management.

  • Ensure compliance with enterprise data governance and responsible AI standards.

Requirements

  • 10 + years of Machine Learning/Software Engineer experience

  • Master's degree or bachelor's degree, computer science degree is highly desirable.

  • Strong software engineering background with experience in building system design, architecting AI feature/products that caters large number of users and deals with large volume of unstructured data

  • Experience with ML deployment to production

U.S. National Base Pay Range: $136,100 - $252,800. Geographic differentials may apply in some locations to better reflect local market rates. This job is eligible for an annual incentive bonus.

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