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Junior Machine Learning Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

IMC

Machine Learning Research Lead

Chicago, IL

IMC Trading is seeking a Machine Learning Research Lead with proven experience applying ... Mentor junior researchers and contribute to a culture of research excellence and experimentation

IMC

Machine Learning Research Lead

Chicago, IL · On-site

$250K - $300K/yr

IMC Trading is seeking a Machine Learning Research Lead with proven experience applying ... Mentor junior researchers and contribute to a culture of research excellence and experimentation

The Hartford

Senior AI Machine Learning Engineer

Chicago, IL · Hybrid

$126K - $166K/yr

As a Senior Machine Learning Engineer , you will play a critical role in designing, building, and ... Work with junior engineers and peers to provide mentorship and thought leadership. Be comfortable ...

The Hartford

Sr AI Machine Learning Engineer

Chicago, IL · Hybrid

$117K - $175K/yr

The Hartford is seeking Senior AI Machine Learning Engineer to build Machine Learning Operations ... Work with junior engineers and peers to provide mentorship and thought leadership. Be comfortable ...

The Hartford

Senior AI Machine Learning Engineer

Chicago, IL

$126K - $166K/yr

The Hartfordis seeking aSenior AI Machine Learning Engineerwithin Employee Benefits Applied AI and ... Guide and mentor junior engineers by breaking down technical work, reviewing code, explaining model ...

NinjaHoldings

Data Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site +1

$100K - $145K/yr

The hire will be responsible for building tooling to support analytics, helping to extend our machine learning platform, expanding and optimizing our data pipeline architecture, supervising junior ...

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Junior Machine Learning information

See Illinois salary details

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$26

$45

How much do junior machine learning jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 4, 2026, the average hourly pay for junior machine learning in Illinois is $26.12, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $15.82 and $32.16 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Junior Machine Learning vs Data Scientist?

AspectJunior Machine LearningData Scientist
Required CredentialsBachelor's in CS, Data Science, or related field; some experience with ML toolsBachelor's or Master's in CS, Statistics, or related; strong programming and statistical skills
Work EnvironmentEntry-level projects, supervised tasks, team collaborationAdvanced analysis, model development, cross-functional teams
Industry UsageCommon in tech companies, startups, research labsWidespread across industries like finance, healthcare, tech

Junior Machine Learning roles focus on foundational ML tasks and learning on the job, while Data Scientists handle complex data analysis, model building, and strategic insights. The roles differ mainly in experience level and scope of responsibilities, but both require strong technical skills and familiarity with data tools.

What does a junior machine learning engineer do?

A Junior Machine Learning Engineer assists in the development and implementation of machine learning models and algorithms under the supervision of more experienced engineers. They typically help with data collection, cleaning, feature engineering, model training, and evaluation. Junior engineers may also write code, test prototypes, and contribute to improving model performance while learning best practices in the field. Their role often involves collaborating with data scientists and software engineers to integrate machine learning solutions into products or services.

What types of projects and tasks can a junior machine learning professional typically expect to work on in their first year?

As a Junior Machine Learning professional, you’ll often support senior data scientists and engineers by preparing data, implementing basic algorithms, and assisting with model evaluation. Your daily tasks may include data cleaning, feature engineering, running experiments, and writing code to automate data pipelines. You might also help document processes and present your findings to team members. While the work is often collaborative, you’ll have opportunities to take ownership of smaller projects and progressively contribute to larger initiatives as you gain experience.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a junior machine learning engineer?

To thrive as a Junior Machine Learning Engineer, you need a solid understanding of programming (especially Python), basic statistics, linear algebra, and familiarity with machine learning concepts, typically supported by a relevant degree or coursework. Proficiency in tools and frameworks like scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and version control systems such as Git is often expected. Strong problem-solving abilities, curiosity, and effective communication are crucial soft skills for collaborating with teams and explaining technical concepts. These skills and qualities are important because they enable you to contribute effectively to building, testing, and improving machine learning models in real-world applications.
What are the most commonly searched types of Machine Learning jobs in Illinois? The most popular types of Machine Learning jobs in Illinois are:
What are popular job titles related to Junior Machine Learning jobs in Illinois? For Junior Machine Learning jobs in Illinois, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Junior Machine Learning jobs in Illinois look for? The top searched job categories for Junior Machine Learning jobs in Illinois are:
What cities in Illinois are hiring for Junior Machine Learning jobs? Cities in Illinois with the most Junior Machine Learning job openings:
Junior Machine Learning jobs near you
Infographic showing various Junior Machine Learning job openings in Illinois as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 4% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 88% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $54,332 per year, or $26.1 per hour.

Machine Learning Research Lead

IMC

Chicago, IL

Other

Re-posted 23 days ago

Job description

IMC Trading is seeking a Machine Learning Research Lead with proven experience applying state-of-the-art machine learning to solve challenging trading problems.  This role will drive the development of a centralized ML environment to be used across all areas of trading at IMC.  The ideal candidate will have experience working with other researchers, traders, and engineers to build and continuously improve a research platform to drive innovation via ML. We firmly believe that success for research-driven efforts lies in bringing together skills in ML, statistics and trading intuition as well as a problem-solving mindset and pragmatism.  This is an opportunity to dive deep into feature engineering and focus on applying a wide range of ML models as well as to perform research on building custom models.

Your Core Responsibilities:

  • Lead the design, development, and deployment of machine learning models to enhance trading performance across various asset classes
  • Research, test and prototype new algorithmic ideas; deploy advanced ML techniques applicable to market prediction, signal generation, and portfolio optimization
  • Collaborate with quantitative traders, researchers and developers to translate market insights into data-driven features and models
  • Oversee data acquisition, preprocessing, and feature engineering for structured and unstructured data sources
  • Mentor junior researchers and contribute to a culture of research excellence and experimentation
  • Drive strategic decisions on model architecture, experimentation pipelines, and infrastructure for scalable research

Your Skills and Experience:

  • PhD or Master's in Engineering, Math, Statistics, Computer Science, or related quantitative field
  • 4+ years of experience building applied ML models; previous experience in trading environment preferred
  • Proven expertise in developing and deploying predictive models in low-latency environments
  • Strong programming skills in Python; proficiency in ML libraries such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, and/or high-performance libraries like Jax
  • Strong understanding of theoretical foundations of state-of-the-art ML models
  • Prior people management experience preferred
  • Ability and desire to work in a collaborative team environment
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

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