(Senior) Machine Learning Engineer

WattTime is working on an ambitious project to estimate emissions from power plants around the world using satellite imagery and we want your help getting us there. This role is a unique opportunity to impact significant emissions reduction efforts across industries globally and with the speed only cutting edge technology and collaboration makes possible.

We have a strong base: We work on this project in partnership with TransitionZero, a collaborative effort we began in 2019 thru a Google AI Impact Challenge Award. 

The work is revolutionary: This project inspired and supports the Climate TRACE coalition, a group of 11 organizations and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore which recently released the world’s first electricity emissions inventory. This is work with radical transparency and increased granularity that everyone from world leaders to activists in every country can use to inform climate work. 

And the next phases are big: We released the beginning of asset-level data via Climate TRACE Places and with your involvement there’s more to come.

We want you to join WattTime’s machine learning team to build new models, improve data pipelines, and participate in cutting edge research to find new signatures present in satellite imagery which identify how much a given power plant is emitting.

This is challenging, immediately impactful work that you’ll be able to see and drive. Does this sound like what you’re after? Let’s talk.

ABOUT YOU

• 4+ years of work experience in computer vision, machine learning or data science. Extensive neural network experience is not required.
• Strong software engineering skills in Python and its associated data science libraries, specifically scikit-learn. 
• Comfortable working in a Unix environment, familiar with relational databases and cloud infrastructure.
• Experience implementing and testing advanced machine learning algorithms.
• Highly motivated, collaborative, action-oriented, confident, and respectful.
• Bonus points: Prior experience working with satellite imagery, power grid, emissions and/or energy data.

ABOUT THE WORK

Join a small, committed team to train, improve, analyze, and deploy ML models to estimate power plant emissions around the globe.

This role in particular involves: 

• Identifying signals emitted from various types of power plants which are visible in satellite imagery, creating features to capture those signals, and training/tuning machine learning models to make predictions as to how much a power plant is generating based on satellite images
• Writing clean, maintainable Python code to implement data pipelines, add to test frameworks, and implement new models
• Facilitating software project planning and technical diligence in cross-functional groups alongside software engineers, product managers and building energy domain experts
• Creating statistical tools for uncertainty quantification and user decision support in scenarios of imperfect or incomplete timeseries data.
• Leveraging your skills, resources and capabilities to take on impact-driven work that hasn't been scoped yet

LOGISTICS

• Remote location, anywhere in the U.S. 
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. 
• For those authorized and located in the U.S., WattTime is open to U.S. visa sponsorship. As an H-1B cap-exempt, non-profit research organization, WattTime can sponsor employees for H-1B status throughout the year.
• Salary: $140,000 - $160,000 based on experience
• We offer full health coverage (medical, dental, vision) for employees and 80% for dependents + paid parental leave + flexible time off + 403b and up to 5% matching + more
• Timing: Accepting applications on an aggressive, rolling basis. 
• In addition to a current and relevant resume, please send a response to the following: 
• Briefly describe a challenging machine learning problem you’ve solved (preferably one involving images)

HIRING PROCESS

• Resume screening for the above
• Initial phone call to answer any of your questions about the role
• Take home project to see your work in action
• Technical interview about the take home project
• Half-day of interviews with the team at large
• Reference checks and an offer

WORKING WITH WATTTIME

We are practical, results-driven scientists. We believe nothing has more potential for fast, world-changing impact than software does. We embrace change. We are lean and rapid prototypers. We never confuse growth with impact. We are all personally, fiercely committed to our mission. We are quietly radical in unexpected ways. We have allies, not competitors. Our band of expert volunteers helps us punch above our weight class. We trust in data and everyone’s voice being heard. We know diversity is central to success. We consider respect non-negotiable: there are no jerks here. 

Unlike most start-ups, our team is backed by a host of more than 200 volunteers who contributed to our founding and are happy to support us in terms of advice, networking and perspective. 

WattTime is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, disability, or sexual orientation or classification.