AI/ML Cloud Engineering Consultant

We’re hiring an AI/ML Cloud Engineering ConsultantEmployment Type: Full Time/Direct Hire Only (No Agencies)Location: Atlanta, GA Metro, Washington DC Metro, Charlotte Metro, NYC, or Richmond, VALocation Type: Hybrid - Home Office/Local Ippon office (1-2 days per week onsite)
About Ippon:The Ippon story started in 2002 in Paris, France - cue in the accordion. Our founder and CEO Stéphane Nomis used his unique experience as an international Judo champion to create a culture based on the sports values of ambition and excellence. Our USA Headquarters office is located in Richmond, VA, with additional offices in New York, NY,  Washington DC, and Atlanta, GA. We are a technology consulting firm that specializes in helping accelerate our client’s digital roadmap in the areas of Product Management, Cloud, Data, and Software Engineering. Our culture and reputation is driven by our COACH values; our Ipponites are Collaborative, Open-minded, Adaptable, Courageous, and Hungry. 
About the position:We are seeking an AI/ML Cloud Engineering Consultant to design, implement, and optimize AI/ML solutions on AWS, focusing on Kubernetes and MLFlow for production-grade MLOps environments. This role requires strong technical skills and consulting ability to work closely with client teams, assess needs, build scalable and secure AI/ML systems, and deliver high-quality solutions. The AI/ML Cloud Engineer will collaborate across teams, contribute to project delivery, and share knowledge with colleagues, requiring excellent communication skills and a passion for impactful, client-focused work.

Roles & Responsibilities

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Project Delivery:
• Assess existing infrastructure, applications, and data workflows, including ML workloads, to determine requirements for modernization and MLOps integration.
• Design and implement scalable, secure AI/ML pipelines using MLFlow and related tools on AWS.
• Deploy, configure, and manage Kubernetes clusters (EKS or unmanaged) for production AI/ML workloads.
• Develop and maintain DevOps pipelines to automate ML model training, deployment, and monitoring.
• Troubleshoot LangChain and LangGraph scripts in Python, debug pipelines from logs and templates
• Create migration or modernization plans outlining the approach, timeline, and dependencies.
• Evaluate applications and workloads for cloud and ML compatibility, identifying needed modifications.
• Apply Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to provision and manage cloud resources reliably.
• Follow best practices in cloud security, compliance, networking, and performance optimization.
• Communicate project progress and outcomes effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Collaboration & Knowledge Sharing:
• Work directly with client technical stakeholders to gather requirements and provide updates.
• Contribute actively to agile ceremonies, including stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives.
• Share expertise with colleagues on AI/ML concepts, Kubernetes, DevOps, and cloud best practices.
• Support pre-sales activities by helping estimate efforts and contributing technical insights when needed.

Competencies we are looking for:

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Minimum Requirements:
• 3+ years of professional experience in cloud engineering, AI/ML engineering, or MLOps delivering solutions in AWS environments.
• 2+ years experience deploying and managing Kubernetes clusters (EKS and/or unmanaged).
• 1+ years experience  in building and maintaining DevOps pipelines for ML workflows with MLFlow or similar ML lifecycle management tools, including troubleshooting and debugging.
• Able to demonstrate solid knowledge of AI/ML engineering, DevOps practices, and modern cloud architecture in interviews.
• Able to demonstrate proficiency in container orchestration, Kubernetes, and cloud-native design principles with examples of past work and in interviews.
• Experience scripting (e.g., Python, Bash) and automating tasks.
• Understanding of networking, cloud security, and scalability best practices.
• Experience working effectively in agile Scrum teams.

Preferred Requirements:
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
• Prior consulting experience working with enterprise clients on AI/ML or cloud engineering projects.
• AWS Certifications (e.g., Solutions Architect – Associate or Professional).
• Experience with Kubernetes ecosystem tools like Helm, ArgoCD, or Istio.
• Familiarity with MLOps tools like Kubeflow or SageMaker.
• Knowledge of security, compliance standards, and disaster recovery practices in cloud environments.

What we offer:

• Great salary and benefits - Health (HDHP & PPO Plans), dental, and vision insurance, HSA, EAP, as well as a 401k with company match
• Work/life balance - Ippon offers generous PTO, parental leave, medical leave, and flexible schedules
• A fun, creative, and healthy work environment, focused on teamwork, knowledge-sharing, and exceptional delivery
• Opportunities to expand your portfolio and work with different companies and industries
• Career growth, up-skilling, cross-training, and leadership opportunities

We value the diversity and different perspectives each of our employees bring to Ippon Technologies.
Ippon Technologies is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, veteran, or disability status.
Visit us on LinkedIn or at https://ipponusa.com to learn more.
So, do YOU speak Ippon?