Lead AI/ML Engineer

ITT is an industrial manufacturer of critical, engineered components that serve fast-growing end markets in transportation, flow, energy, aerospace and defense. The company’s differentiation is sustained through a combination of several factors: execution, the quality of its leadership and our DNA as an engineering leader. We have a clear purpose as an organization: to provide our customers with cutting-edge solutions to help solve their most critical needs.

 The company generated 2023 revenues of $3.3 billion and is comprised of three distinct segments: 

• Motion Technologies ($1.5B revenue) is a global leader in brake pads, shock absorbers and sealing solutions for the automotive and rail markets
• Industrial Process ($1.1B revenue) is a global leader in centrifugal and twin-screw pumps for the chemical, energy, mining and industrial markets
• Connect & Control Technologies ($0.7B) is a niche player in harsh environment connectors and control components in critical applications for the aerospace, defense and industrial markets.

 ITT is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut with over 10,000 employees in more than 35 countries and sales in approximately 125 countries.

Are you an experienced AI/ML Engineer?

Do you enjoy understanding business needs, designing, and implementing AI/ML Solutions?

Do you want to join a global Industry Leader?

At ITT, we are seeking an experienced AI/ML Engineer to facilitate and execute our AI and Machine Learning strategy across the enterprise. As an individual contributor, the Lead AI/ML Engineer will be part of the Data Analytics & AI team, responsible for leading our AI and ML efforts from initial idea / opportunity evaluation, solution design, minimum viable product generation, production product creation, production rollout and operational support. As an inaugural member of the AI team, will be expected to interact with the business, understand their needs and priorities, propose options, and lead the design & execution of AI/ML solutions, in a hands-on manner.

For a person to be successful in this role, they will need to be highly driven (“high motor”), able to balance many active priorities, detail oriented, planful, comfortable in searching out and addressing ambiguity, able to consistently deliver results to achieve intended business outcomes, persists with a naturally curious and highly accountable mindset, and approaches situations in a thoughtful and process-oriented manner.  Furthermore, a successful person in this role will be able to identify and exploit opportunities that enable continuous business process improvement, leveraging information technology to automate and streamline a wide array of business processes from sales to manufacturing operations.

• Collaborate with business stakeholders and facilitate the process understand, assess and map needs and requests related to AI/ML/DS solutions
• Operate as a trusted advisor for the business, work to define the business intent and non-functional requirements, understand whether the solution is suitable for usage in a commercial setting and provide a comprehensive architecture that will meet business needs
• Provide technical leadership and guidance on AI/ML architecture, best practices, and implementation strategies.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to define project objectives, scope, and requirements for AI initiatives. Lead the design, development and implementation of MVPs, PoCs and scalable solutions using machine-learning models to address complex business challenges.
• Lead the effort to take MVPs pilots and PoCs to the next level and ready those scopes for production readiness and rollout.
• Lead the effort to create the necessary communications, documentation and training efforts to (in conjunction with your peers in the business units) to rollout the production deliverables and provide the necessary hyper-care, as needed.
• Evaluate and work hand-in-hand with third party AI providers as an extension of the team, for the acceleration of AI/ML solution delivery.
• Stay updated with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in Data Science, AI, and Machine Learning.
• Collaborate with the rest of the Data Analytics team (Data Engineering and Data Visualization functions) and the IT staff within our Value Centers (business units) to design and develop AI/ML solutions aligned with the company’s overall data strategy.

This role will generate value and innovation by providing insightful analytics utilizing ML/AI and other analytic techniques, which will allow the organization to become a true “Data-Driven Organization”.

• At least 6 years of DS/AI/ML (Data Science/Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning) experience with high business exposure and interaction.
• Experience in collaborating both with business teams and technical teams to provide pertinent AI solutions.
• Ability to understand both the qualitative and quantitative benefits of a solution, as well as how it interacts with business processes and whether it is appropriate for use in business.
• A track record of leading workshops and discovery sessions to examine business teams' present priorities, difficulties, and emphasis areas.
• Ability to assess and decide between in-house development vs third party solution utilization
• Experience in designing ML solutions from conception, to PoC and execution
• Experience in machine learning deployment and promotion to production, including model deployment frameworks and containerization technologies
• Applied experience in working with Cloud platforms and technologies
• Excellent knowledge of Python DS/AI/ML libraries
• Strong understanding of DS, AI and ML concepts and algorithms, including supervised learning, unsupervised learning, deep learning, and reinforcement learning
• Effective Business Problem Definition / Structuring skills
• Excellent communication skills both verbal and written, in English, with the ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams and communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Team player mentality
• Passion for data and innovation.

Any experience in the following will be considered a strong asset:

• Experience with Azure AI/ML tools and services
• Experience with LLMs, RAG architectures and OpenAI
• Familiarity with at least one of the following Data technologies: Synapse, Spark, Databricks or similar

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or STEM
• Master’s Degree (or higher) in Data Science, Machine Learning is considered a strong plus.

Work Conditions:

• Up to 10% travel required; includes some international travel, as needed.
• Additional working hours as required.
• Sitting for extended periods.
• On-call availability as an escalation point or in critical situations.
• Due to time zone difference and appropriate meeting times, flexible work hours may be required.
• Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and to handle other computer components