Senior Software Engineer; Machine Learning​/MLOps

Our client, a leading entertainment and media company, is seeking a Senior Software Engineer (Machine Learning / MLOps) to join their team! This is a 19-month contract opportunity supporting a Content Science organization focused on optimizing machine learning products, improving model performance, and enabling data-driven business decisions. The ideal candidate combines strong software engineering fundamentals with hands‑on experience in Python and/or R, advanced SQL, MLOps, and data quality assurance.

This role focuses on production‑ready machine learning solutions, code optimization, reliable data pipelines, and the ability to validate complex model outputs through technical expertise and business judgment. This position is hybrid in Santa Monica, CA, requiring four days onsite and one day remote per week. This position is W-2 only. We do not work with third-party firms or C2C arrangements for this role.

• Optimize, refactor, and productionalize machine learning models and statistical applications using efficient, reliable engineering practices
• Develop and optimize complex SQL queries and Python/R code to improve performance, scalability, and maintainability
• Perform rigorous quality assurance, anomaly detection, and data validation to ensure model outputs and analytical results are accurate and reliable
• Design, build, and maintain scalable data pipelines that transform raw data into reliable, analytics‑ready datasets
• Automate data workflows, model operations, and quality checks to reduce manual effort and improve operational efficiency
• Support forecasting, causal inference, and predictive modeling products through engineering enhancements and new feature development
• Collaborate with Data Scientists, engineers, and business stakeholders to troubleshoot issues, evaluate results, and communicate actionable findings

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Operations Research, Applied Economics, or a related quantitative field
• 5+ years of experience developing, optimizing, and maintaining Python and/or R code for analytical or machine learning applications
• 5+ years of experience with SQL, including complex querying, query optimization, and cloud-hosted databases
• 5+ years of experience supporting analytical quality assurance, data validation, troubleshooting, and anomaly detection
• Hands‑on experience engineering, optimizing, and deploying production-ready machine learning models, including MLOps practices
• Strong software engineering fundamentals, including code refactoring, performance optimization, debugging, and reliable production coding practices
• Experience developing and maintaining data pipelines and automated workflows using tools such as Airflow, dbt, or comparable technologies

• Master's degree in a related quantitative field or experience supporting media, entertainment, or subscription-based businesses
• Experience with machine learning and statistical techniques such as time‑series forecasting, causal inference, regression, decision trees, or clustering
• Experience with Snowflake, Databricks, Amazon S3, Apache Spark, or comparable data platforms
• Familiarity with Jupyter Lab, Jupyter Notebook, or similar development environments
• Experience with model versioning, model registries, and production model monitoring
• Experience with data exploration and visualization tools such as Looker or Tableau
• Experience leveraging AI-assisted development tools to improve coding efficiency and data workflows

• Strong attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy and quality
• Excellent analytical thinking, troubleshooting, and…