Machine Learning Engineer

HorizonAI Talent is a specialist AI/ML recruitment agency. A client has asked us to find a Machine Learning Engineer: a YC-backed startup building AI-powered CAD software for mechanical engineers. They're building a foundation model for physical design. This is a hands-on seat for an ML engineer who designs and trains their own models. It isn't an agents, RAG or fine-tuning role.

What you'll work on:

• Designing and training custom models and embeddings for 3D and geometric design data
• Transformer architectures (LLMs, diffusion, graph transformers) and graph neural networks
• Owning the data pipeline end to end: collecting, cleaning and preparing it yourself
• Building the training and evaluation infrastructure
• Taking models from prototype into production

What you'll need:

• 4+ years of industry ML experience or a PhD
• A model you designed from scratch and trained yourself, including the training pipeline and the data work
• Model development in your current, full-time role (not only past research)
• Expert Python and PyTorch (JAX or TensorFlow also works)
• Hands-on experience with transformer architectures

Nice to have:

• Graph neural networks, world models, 3D/geometry, robotics or physical simulation
• MLOps and cloud experience

The details:

• San Francisco Bay Area (SM), 5 days a week onsite
• $125K to $250K base plus equity
• H-1B transfers and TN considered. **The client can't sponsor a new H-1B**

Apply here or message me directly. If your experience is mostly agents, RAG or fine-tuning existing models, this one won't be a fit. I'll tell you quickly so you're not left waiting.