Working Title: Senior Machine Learning Engineer [Hybrid]
No Visa Sponsorship is available for this position.
The work location is Ithaca, New York with the possibility of a hybrid work
schedule that would be determined by the supervisor.
About the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a global leader at the intersection of
technology and conservation. We steward over a petabyte of biodiversity data,
including more than a billion bird observations and 100 million wildlife media
assets, and transform it into impactful products leveraging machine learning and
expert birder communities. Our work fuels widely used platforms including eBird,
Merlin Bird ID—tools that connect millions of people to birds while supporting
critical research and conservation action worldwide. Through partnerships with
hundreds of organizations in nearly every country, our technology helps drive
real-world conservation outcomes at a global scale. We’re in a period of rapid
growth, tackling ambitious challenges to expand and scale our data-driven tools
for an increasingly diverse and international community. It’s an exciting moment
to join a team that’s pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in conservation
technology—and making a measurable difference for birds and biodiversity around
the world.
What will you do:
large-scale, data-intensive applications supporting global biodiversity science
and conservation. This role combines engineering leadership with hands-on
development of machine learning–driven systems powering Merlin Bird ID, used by
millions worldwide to identify birds from images, audio, and video.
You will lead the architecture and development of distributed systems that
manage and serve massive datasets—including over 100 million media assets in the
Macaulay Library—and support the full lifecycle of machine learning models, from
training pipelines to production deployment. This includes integrating models
into web and mobile applications in both online and offline contexts.
Working across teams of engineers, bird experts, and conservation scientists,
you will design interoperable systems, APIs, and data pipelines, and serve as a
key technical liaison across Macaulay Library, Merlin, and eBird. You will
oversee multiple concurrent projects, set technical direction, and ensure best
practices in scalability, performance, and reliability.
The role includes mentoring engineers while contributing across the stack,
including backend services, web applications, and machine learning
infrastructure. You will also help advance cloud-based architecture and systems
designed for high availability and global scale. This role is ideal for an
experienced engineer who thrives in complex systems, enjoys leading teams, and
is motivated to build impactful, globally scaled software for conservation.
The work location is Ithaca, New York with the possibility of a hybrid work
schedule that would be determined by the supervisor. The university reserves the
right to modify, suspend, revoke or terminate the hybrid work arrangement at any
time.
While position responsibilities vary, every member of our community is expected
to foster a culture of belonging and a healthy work environment by communicating
across differences; being cooperative, collaborative, open, and welcoming;
showing respect, compassion, and empathy; engaging and supporting others
regardless of background or perspective; speaking up when others are being
excluded or treated inappropriately; and supporting work/life integration of
oneself and others.
Required Qualifications:
* Bachelor’s degree in computer science and 5+ years relevant experience, or
equivalent combination.
* Experienced in machine learning and software development in research and
production environments.
* Extensive Python experience, including knowledge of numpy, pandas, Tensorflow
and/or Pytorch.
* Extensive experience working with large numerical and audiovisual datasets in
Python.
* Extensive Linux command line experience; comfortable with SSH, SCP, RSYNC,
GNU Parallel.
- Experience with AWS, GCP, or Azure.
- Experience with databases, both SQL and Non-SQL.
- Experience building frontend user interfaces with JavaScript, HTML, and CSS
and integrating with APIs and web services.
* Demonstrated experience in managing complex information technology projects,
including needs assessment, team organization, definition of standards and
workflows, task planning and tracking, establishment of realistic goals, and
delivery of products on time and within budget.
- Experience defining project requirements, including hardware and software.
- Experience using software development, deployment and project management
tools.
* Compliant with all Cornell University and job-related training requirements.
Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to clearly communicate complex technical issues to leadership team,
and to participate effectively as needed in management meetings at all
levels.
* Ability to work both independently and collaboratively. Ability to build
working relationships to solve problems and achieve common goals.
* Proven experience connecting inclusion, belonging and wellbeing practices to
business goals.
* Demonstrated skill in understanding cultural differences.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Advanced degree preferred with focus in machine learning and computer vision
- Prior use and thorough understanding of Merlin, eBird, or other Cornell Lab
tools and resources.
* Understanding of and interest in conservation, birds, bird monitoring
protocols, and related vocabulary.
* Experience publishing and presenting research results at leading computer
science conferences.
* Experience working on projects at the intersection of machine learning and
biodiversity.
Application Information:
* A cover letter and resume are required for further consideration for this
position. When applying through our system, please remember to attach your
application materials (Cover Letter and Resume) in PDF format.
- No Visa Sponsorship of any kind is available for this position.
- No Relocation assistance will be provided for this position.
Rewards and Benefits
* The work location is Ithaca, New York with the possibility of a hybrid work
schedule that would be determined by the supervisor. The university reserves
the right to modify, suspend, revoke or terminate the hybrid work arrangement
at any time.
* Cornell receives national recognition as an award-winning workplace for our
health, wellbeing, and sustainability. Our benefits programs include
comprehensive health care options, generous retirement contributions, access
to wellness programs, and employee discounts with local and national retail
brands. We invite you to follow this link to get more information about our
benefits: Understand Your Benefits | Working at Cornell
[
* Our leave provisions include health and personal leave, three weeks of
vacation and 13 holidays: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day,
Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, and
an end of the year winter break from December 25-January 1. To offer greater
flexibility for observing faiths and traditions we also offer two additional
floating holidays. Learn more about our generous leave provisions: Holiday
and Accrued Time Off | Working at Cornell
[
* Cornell's impressive educational benefits include tuition-free Extramural
Study and Employee Degree Program, tuition aid for external education, and
Cornell Children's Tuition Assistance Program. Learn more about our extensive
educational benefits: Education Benefits | Working at Cornell
[
* Follow this link to learn more about the Total Rewards of Working at Cornell:
Total Rewards | Working at Cornell
[
University Job Title:
Software Engineer IV
Job Family:
Information Technology
Level:
G
Pay Rate Type:
Salary
Pay Range:
$116,843.00 - $142,809.00
Remote Option Availability:
Hybrid
Company:
Contract College
Contact Name:
Maria Avila
Contact Email:
mia28@cornell.edu
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- Unique applicable skills
- Academic Discipline
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2026-07-07
