Senior Data & AI Engineer

About the role

Inside the Role

This is a senior individual contributor role focused on building, proving out, and enabling artificial intelligence, machine learning (ML), and automation solutions across DTNA. The person in this role is a hands-on builder who delivers by building alongside the business teams to enable others and ensure sustainability. We are seeking an experienced and innovative data and AI engineer to join our Business Data Analytics Team (BDAT) and help cultivate, accelerate, and activate a data- and AI-driven culture at DTNA. You will play a pivotal role in shaping how the organization applies data, analytics, automation, and AI, developing new ways of working and sharing those best practices across the company. You will be taking promising prototypes to governed, production-ready solutions, working hands-on with information technology (IT) and platform teams, coaching teams to build their own solutions, and serving as a technical reference for BDAT and across DTNA. Your technical expertise will be instrumental in driving data and AI-informed decision-making across all levels of the organization. Just as importantly, you are a willing teacher and collaborator who builds trust, connects people, and inspires action across all levels of the organization. We invite you to help us build the future of data and AI at DTNA and support our vision of making data and AI a common language across the organization.

CI Department Culture

The Continuous Improvement department fosters a culture of open-mindedness, adaptability, and collaboration. We believe in continuously evolving for the better, embracing change, and working together to achieve shared goals. Team members are encouraged to bring their unique perspectives, collaborate across initiatives, and maintain an inclusive environment where all voices are heard, respected, and valued.

The Business Data Analytics Team (BDAT) within the Continuous Improvement (CI) department serves as the enterprise's Center of Enablement for self-service data, analytics, automation, and AI, cultivating a data-driven, continuous improvement culture across Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) and empowering business units to make informed decisions through scalable, sustainable, and democratized data practices.

Posting Information

We provide a scheduled posting end date to assist our candidates with their application planning. While this date reflects our latest plans, it is subject to change, and postings may be extended or removed earlier than expected.

We Take Care of Our Team

Position offers a starting salary range of $117,000 - $150,000 USD

Pay offered dependent on knowledge, skills, and experience​

Benefits include annual bonus program; 401k company contribution with company match up to 6% as well as non-elective company contribution of 3 - 7% depending on age; starting at 4 weeks paid vacation; 13+ calendar holidays; 8 weeks paid parental leave; employee assistance program; comprehensive healthcare plans and wellness programs; onsite fitness (at some locations); tuition assistance and volunteer paid time off; short-term and long-term disability plans.

What You Drive at DTNA

Technical Depth & Solution Delivery

Design, build, and deploy AI/ML, agentic, and automation solutions for high-impact, high-complexity business initiatives, co-developing with business teams so they can own, enhance, and sustain what is built, and translating business objectives into working solutions and rapid proofs of concept.

Take promising prototypes to governed, production-ready solutions in partnership with IT, the Data Intelligence Hub (DIH), and business-embedded data teams, applying sound engineering practices such as continuous integration and delivery pipelines, automated testing, and documentation.

Build reusable solution patterns, such as connecting business data to conversational AI tools, so that a solution proven once can be adopted by many teams.

Develop new ways of working with data, analytics, automation, and AI, and share the resulting best practices with teams across DTNA.

Support CI colleagues in developing data, analytics, automation, and AI solutions for their CI programs, advancing CI culture and adoption across DTNA.

Serve as a technical reference for BDAT and across DTNA on AI engineering, data platforms, and best practices.

Technical Enablement

Partner with IT and the DIH to evaluate, pilot, and integrate the tools and platforms that enable self-service analytics, automation, and AI (e.g., Snowflake and Snowflake Cortex, Microsoft Copilot and Copilot Studio, LibreChat, Power Platform, GitHub).

Work hands-on with IT and platform teams on the technical details of making these tools work together, including data connections and APIs, access and governance, usage and cost transparency, and auditing of self-service environments.

Stay current on emerging data and AI trends, including GenAI, agentic approaches, and automation, test them hands-on, and recommend what DTNA should adopt and when.

Coaching & Upskilling

Lead hands-on coaching and co-development engagements across business units, from hands-on-keyboard co-development to coaching teams through their own problem solving, using a "teach others to build" approach with tangible deliverables.

Coach teams to apply data, analytics, automation, and AI in their own CI work.

Provide technical consultation and innovative approaches to solve unique business challenges with data, analytics, automation, and AI.

Mentor and develop junior team members and data community practitioners.

Strategy & Advisory

Collaborate with senior leadership, IT, the AI Center of Excellence (AI CoE), and the enterprise data community (the Hub for Analytic Collaboration) to advance a data- and AI-driven culture and promote self-service analytics, automation, and AI.

Act as a strategic and technical advisor to business units on the art of the possible, recommending the right approach (AI/ML, automation, analytics, or BI) for each use case, including when a simpler solution is the better one.

Identify new opportunities to apply data, analytics, and AI to strategic initiatives, and challenge established ways of working where the technology points to a better approach.

Data & AI Community Building

Foster and grow an engaged data and AI community built on collaboration, knowledge sharing, and best practices.

Participate in community events, including the annual DT Week conference, workshops, and hackathons, connecting practitioners across all levels and departments.

Knowledge You Should Bring

Bachelor's degree and 5+ years of relevant experience, or 8 years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree

Advanced proficiency in Python and SQL, with the ability to write, review, test, and productionize code, and to sanity-check AI-generated output

Demonstrated experience designing, building, and deploying AI/ML, automation, or data solutions beyond the prototype stage and into production

Hands-on experience building with LLMs and agentic approaches (e.g., Snowflake Cortex, Microsoft Copilot Studio, LibreChat, or comparable platforms), with sound judgment on when each is and is not appropriate, and a habit of continuous learning as the technology changes

Strong grounding in machine learning and statistical methods

Hands-on experience with cloud data platforms (e.g., Snowflake), including data modeling, extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL), and API integrations

Working knowledge of DevOps practices, including version control (e.g., GitHub), automated testing, and continuous integration and delivery pipelines

Ability to coach and co-develop with teams at all levels of the organization, and to translate between business and technical audiences, including executives

Exceptional Candidates Might Have

Degree in Business, Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, Analytics, or a related quantitative field

Master's degree in a quantitative field, or a Data Science certification or equivalent

Experience with MLOps, including model monitoring and maintenance

Experience with governance, cost management, or usage transparency for cloud data and AI platforms

Experience designing or delivering training and upskilling programs

Familiarity with BI and automation tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, Alteryx, Power Platform)

Experience scoping and leading time-boxed engagements, including managing scope, timelines, dependencies, and stakeholders

Familiarity with continuous improvement principles and methodology, including recognizing when a process needs standardization before a technical solution is built

Experience in manufacturing, automotive, or transportation industries

#LI-JN2 #LI-Hybrid

Where We Work

This position is open to applicants who can work in (or relocate to) the following location(s)-

Fort Mill, SC US, Portland, OR US. Relocation assistance is not available for this position.

Schedule Type:

Hybrid (4 days per week in-office / 1 day remote). This schedule builds our #OneTeamBestTeam culture, provides an unparalleled customer experience, and creates innovative solutions through in-person collaboration.

At Daimler Truck North America, we recognize our world is changing faster than ever before. By listening to the needs of today, we’re building to solve with cutting-edge solutions in sustainability and future driving technology across electric, hydrogen and autonomous. These solutions, backed by years of innovative success and achievement, continue DTNA’s legacy as the undisputed industry leader. Our evolving brand portfolio is second to none, including Freightliner Trucks, Western Star, Demand Detroit, Thomas Built Buses, Freightliner Custom Chassis, and Financial Services. Together, we work as one team towards our envisioned future – building a cleaner, safer and more efficient tomorrow for all.

That is what we are working toward - for all who keep the world moving.

Additional Information

This position is not open for Visa sponsorship or to existing Visa holders

Applicants must be legally authorized to work permanently in the country the position is located in at the time of application

Final candidate must successfully complete a criminal background check

Final candidate may be required to successfully complete a pre-employment drug screen

Contractors, professional services, or other contingent workers should confirm with their local agency if they are eligible to apply for FTE positions

EEO - Disabled/Veterans

Daimler Truck North America is committed to workforce inclusion and providing an environment where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, sex (including pregnancy), religion, national origin, age, marital status, family relationship, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression (including transgender and transitioning status), genetic information, or veteran status.

For an accommodation or special assistance with applying for a posted position, please contact our Human Resources department at 503-745-8982 or toll free 800-206-3369. For TTY/TDD enabled call 503-745-2137 or toll free 866-355-6935.