Lead Machine Learning Engineer

About the role

About The Company

At Capital One, we are revolutionizing the banking industry by harnessing the power of responsible and reliable artificial intelligence systems. Our commitment to technological innovation is reflected in our substantial investments in cutting-edge infrastructure and the recruitment of world-class talent. With extensive experience in machine learning, we position ourselves at the forefront of enterprise AI adoption. Our applications range from detecting unusual charges and providing real-time customer support to delivering innovative banking experiences that are both human-centric and straightforward. We are dedicated to building world-class applied science and engineering teams that deliver industry-leading capabilities, breakthrough product experiences, and scalable, high-performance AI infrastructure. Our mission is to bring the transformative power of emerging AI capabilities to reimagine and enhance the products and services we offer to our customers.

Within Risk Tech, we provide the foundational tools and systems that enable Capital One to thrive amid uncertainty. Our team comprises engaged, empowered, and intelligent professionals who develop outstanding products aimed at transforming risk management through technology. We build data-driven tools that utilize machine learning to proactively prevent risks and automatically detect issues before they impact our customers, our business, or our communities. Our goal is to leverage AI to create safer, more efficient, and customer-centric financial solutions that uphold our commitment to responsible banking.

About The Role

As a Lead Machine Learning Engineer at Capital One within the Risk Tech division, you will play a pivotal role in developing and deploying proprietary AI-powered risk management solutions. Collaborating closely with our Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) team and cross-functional partners, you will design, build, and optimize advanced AI systems that are critical to our operational success. Your work will directly impact our ability to detect and mitigate risks, enhance decision-making processes, and deliver tremendous value to our customers. This role involves leading complex projects that span multiple disciplines, including data engineering, modeling, and operations, with a focus on deploying scalable, responsible, and explainable AI solutions.

You will be expected to contribute to the technical vision of our AI systems, leveraging a broad stack of open-source and SaaS AI technologies. Your expertise will guide infrastructure decisions, ensuring models are retrained, maintained, and monitored effectively in production environments. You will also be responsible for constructing and optimizing data pipelines that feed machine learning models, ensuring data quality, security, and compliance. The role requires a strategic mindset, a passion for innovation, and a commitment to best practices in responsible AI development.

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field

Minimum of 6 years of experience designing and building data-intensive solutions using distributed computing frameworks

At least 4 years of programming experience with Python, Scala, or Java

Minimum of 2 years of experience in building, scaling, and optimizing machine learning systems

Proven experience with industry-recognized ML frameworks such as scikit-learn, PyTorch, Dask, Spark, or TensorFlow

Experience developing AI and ML algorithms using Python

Experience with retrieval augmented generation (RAG) techniques

Strong understanding of data gathering, preparation, and pipeline construction for machine learning models

Leadership experience in managing and mentoring teams

Experience deploying scalable AI/ML solutions in cloud environments such as AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure

Responsibilities

Partner with cross-functional teams including engineers, data scientists, product managers, and designers to deliver AI-powered risk management products

Design, develop, test, deploy, and support AI software components, including model evaluation, experimentation, and inference for large language models and other AI systems

Fine-tune, develop, and evaluate machine learning and foundation models to meet business needs

Collaborate within Agile teams to create and enhance AI-enabled software solutions

Contribute to the technical vision and long-term roadmap of AI systems at Capital One

Leverage open-source and SaaS AI technologies to build innovative solutions

Make informed decisions regarding ML infrastructure, including model retraining, monitoring, and governance

Construct and optimize data pipelines to ensure efficient feeding of ML models

Ensure all code adheres to security best practices, models are governed from a risk perspective, and responsible AI principles are followed

Benefits

Competitive salary aligned with experience and location

Performance-based incentive compensation, including bonuses and long-term incentives

Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans

Retirement savings plans with company matching

Paid time off and holiday leave

Opportunities for professional development and continuous learning

Inclusive and diverse workplace culture

Flexible work arrangements where applicable

Equal Opportunity

Capital One is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We promote a drug-free workplace and are dedicated to creating an environment where all employees can thrive and succeed.