Hire the best Machine Learning Engineers

Machine learning (ML) engineers are specialists who have experience using data to create systems that automate tasks, make predictions, and improve over time. These engineers use advanced techniques that allow them to build complex machine learning models and neural networks, which are essential for artificial intelligence (AI).

How to write a machine learning engineer job post

If you’re interested in developing, improving, or training new machine learning solutions, ML engineers can help. Finding just the right pro for your needs is easy on Upwork, too—you just need to start with a great job post.

Job post title

Every good job post starts with a clear, succinct title. This title acts as a one-line summary of what your project is and what kind of engineer you need. Look at these real job post titles on Upwork for inspiration: 

• “LLM engineer needed to write an educational article for peers”
• “Microsoft Fabric expert for predictive modeling project”
• “Machine learning engineer for consultancy and system design”
• “Machine learning engineer with Python and Apache Spark experience”
• “Python software engineer with machine learning experience”
• “Machine learning consultant needed for detection model development using imaging data”

Project description

Once you have your title done, you can build out the rest of your job post. You’ll want to focus on summarizing all the key points of your project in one or two paragraphs—just enough information for machine learning engineers to figure out if they’d be a good fit for the work. Focus on these four areas: 

• Scope of work. The scope of a project refers to all of the time and deliverables that a freelancer will give you. Be clear about scope up front so that you connect with machine learning engineers who have the right availability and skills. For example, if you’re in need of a machine learning automation consultant, the scope could involve a certain number of consulting hours as well as group training sessions for your team.
• Project timeline. Timeline refers to the length of a project. It’s okay if your timeline is open-ended right now; a machine learning engineer consultant can help you figure out what to plan for. But you’ll want to indicate an ideal start date at minimum. 
• Background. Include a high-level overview of your company and your goals for this machine learning project. This allows potential collaborators to decide if they have the right experience. 
• Budget. Finally, include your budget when writing a freelance machine learning engineer job post. You can choose to use a range and reference either an hourly rate or a total flat rate for the project. Doing this will help you save time in the long run, as you’ll be more likely to connect with engineers who are within your budget. 

Responsibilities

In addition to your core project description, you’ll need to outline the key requirements and responsibilities of the machine learning engineer you work with. You may choose to make this part of your project scope description or have a separate responsibilities section. 

The responsibilities of a machine learning engineer could include:

• Working with junior engineers
• Collaboration with data science teams
• Selecting big data sets for training a chatbot
• Building machine learning algorithms and ML models
• Conducting supervised or unsupervised model training
• Helping client stakeholders develop a plan of action or timeline for releasing new ML projects
• Integrating new ML systems into existing workflows
• Guiding and training internal team members on model use after deployment

Machine learning engineer skills and qualifications 

If there are any specific skills or qualifications you’d like a machine learning engineer to have, now’s the time to spell them out. These will vary based on the type of model you have or want to build, and could include: 

•  A graduate degree in machine learning or computer science
•  Experience working with specific machine learning models and frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Scikit-learn
• Expertise with programming languages like Python and Java
• Data visualization experience
• Experience working on natural language processing (NLP) and deep learning projects
• A portfolio of similar projects or work within your industry

Understanding the role of a machine learning engineer 

Learning more about the role of a machine learning engineer can help you better understand if this is the best type of professional for your project.  

What does a machine learning engineer do?

A machine learning engineer works with data and ML algorithms to solve complex problems. They use the data to develop and train machine models that solve business needs, analyze information, and generate new material. In this work, they may collaborate with a wide range of partners, from business leaders to data scientists and even customers using an end product. 

Machine learning engineers’ work is often an ongoing process. They may make one version of an AI model, for example, then continually work to improve it and release new versions.  

What industries hire machine learning engineers?

You can find machine learning engineers at work in a wide range of industries, including:

• Healthcare. These engineers can develop and train models to crunch patient data, improve diagnoses, and streamline hospital processes.
• Finance. Banks and credit institutions may hire machine learning engineers to improve fraud detection systems or engage in forecasting.
• Manufacturing. A machine learning engineer can build systems to predict when equipment may fail, saving time, money, and even people’s lives in the process. 
• E-commerce. Online retailers can use machine learning engineers’ expertise to build out better shopping experiences, including product recommendation systems or demand-based pricing algorithms.
• Logistics. Machine learning engineers may work with shipping companies to improve routes based on historical weather data, traffic patterns, maintenance records, and more. 

How much does it cost to hire machine learning engineers?

The cost to hire a machine learning engineer varies based on their years of experience, location, and specializations. You can use these ranges from Upwork and Salary.com as a guide. 

Entry level (Engineer I)

• Hourly rate: $15 to $20 per hour
• Full-time salary: $64,000 to $94,000 per year

Mid-career (Engineer II)

• Hourly rate: $25 to $50 per hour
• Full-time salary: $88,600 to $126,200 per year

Senior level (Engineer III)

• Hourly rate: $55 and up per hour
• Full-time salary: $100,032 to $157,422

Find a skilled machine learning engineer on Upwork

Whether you need a machine learning engineer to consult on your next generative AI project or you’re looking for specific help with Python, you can find just the right person on Upwork. Get started now by posting your first job.