> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/3040670-senior-machine-learning-engineer-defensive-agent](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/3040670-senior-machine-learning-engineer-defensive-agent). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md).

---

# Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Defensive Agent

- **Company:** The Ladders
- **Location:** United States (Remote available)
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** $211,000.0 - $249,000.0
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Cloud Computing, Extract Transform Load (ETL), Python (Programming Language), Machine Learning, Operational Databases, Software Engineering, SQL Databases, Management of Software Versions, Large Language Models, Containerization, Information Technology, Machine Learning Operations, Docker
- **Published:** September 23, 2026
- **Apply:** https://arc.dev/remote-jobs/j/redirect/pm0mml9yb7

## About the Role

* Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
 * 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with strong skills in production Python
 * Proven experience taking ML or LLM systems from prototype to production
 * Hands-on experience with machine learning pipelines and tooling
 * Experience operating inference or model-serving infrastructure in production
 * Proficiency in SQL and experience with production data pipelines
 * Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP, and container technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes

## Description

This role will focus on building and scaling production ML systems that support advanced defensive capabilities in a highly technical environment. You will own the end-to-end path from training and post-training workflows through inference, serving, monitoring, and model release operations. The position partners closely with product and engineering teams to improve reliability, performance, and cost efficiency while delivering secure, tenant-isolated experiences., * Build and maintain training and post-training pipelines, including data preparation and experiment tracking

 * Create the inference and serving layer with features such as provider routing and regional data residency
 * Own and optimize the model release path, including versioning and rollback processes
 * Establish monitoring for model performance, including regression and quality signals
 * Develop data and context pipelines for inference while ensuring tenant isolation
 * Optimize cost and latency across the inference path, making tradeoffs clear for product decisions
 * Enhance product features through ETL and GraphQL integrations, incorporating model outputs into tooling


## Related Videos

- [Docker Compose: Rediscovered](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1978-docker-compose-rediscovered)
- [Fault Tolerance and Consistency at Scale: Harnessing the Power of Distributed SQL Databases](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1146-fault-tolerance-and-consistency-at-scale-harnessing-the-power-of-distributed-sql-databases)
- [Developer Tools for Microsoft Azure](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/450-developer-tools-for-microsoft-azure)
- [Introduction to Azure Machine Learning](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/368-introduction-to-azure-machine-learning)
- [Docker build without Docker](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100114-docker-build-without-docker)
- [Machine Learning for Software Developers (and Knitters)](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/154-machine-learning-for-software-developers-and-knitters)

## Related Articles

- [What Are Large Language Models?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/304-what-are-large-language-models)
- [How to Become an AI Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/331-how-to-become-an-ai-engineer)
- [From Prototype to Production: Build AI Agents with This Free 4-Course Learning Path](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/655-from-prototype-to-production-build-ai-agents-with-this-free-4-course-learning-path)
- [MLops – Deploying, Maintaining And Evolving Machine Learning Models in Production](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/115-mlops-deploying-maintaining-and-evolving-machine-learning-models-in-production)
- [Dev Digest 210: AI Agents Are Go! Is MCP Dead? LLMs Crack Anonymity](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/709-dev-digest-210-ai-agents-are-go-is-mcp-dead-llms-crack-anonymity)
- [Dev Digest 164: AI Agents, AI Blindspots and MCP security problems](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/578-dev-digest-164-ai-agents-ai-blindspots-and-mcp-security-problems)