Blank Metal is an AI-native engineering company that partners with enterprises to deliver production AI fast. Our approach combines strategic thinking with rapid implementation, ensuring AI initiatives deliver measurable business value.

We are expanding our team and seeking a Senior AI/ML Engineer to join our Minneapolis office. This role will focus on architecting, developing, and deploying advanced machine-learning and AI-driven solutions for a variety of clients across multiple industries. We serve clients across multiple industries so you can be guaranteed the variety that may be missing from your current environment, along with interesting projects!

You will be joining a seasoned professional services team who excel at providing high-touch, quality, memorable services that move the needle for companies. Our office is filled with open conversations that get us to the best solution. We want to hear your voice as we evolve our services. You’ll also find our office infused with laughter, so bring your jovial nature and entrepreneurial spirit and join us on our journey.

Our office is headquartered in Minneapolis, MN and we offer a hybrid working model. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship. Read on to learn what you will do in your new role!

Key responsibilities

• Translate business or product goals into model architecture choices, including feature selection, loss functions, and evaluation metrics
• Design scalable service/micro-service patterns, database schemas, caching layers, and authentication flows
• Implement and optimize models, build data pipelines, and expose inference APIs
• Ship production-grade code across front-end and back-end with strong test coverage
• Integrate model endpoints, manage real-time inference, and implement robust error-handling and fallback mechanisms
• Drive code-review rigor, CI/CD pipeline health, and observability instrumentation
• Pair-program, lead brown-bag sessions, and advise junior engineers on technical decisions
• Collaborate with UX/Product, AI/ML Practice, and ML Ops teams to deliver client solutions
• Containerize models, define SLOs, and implement drift detection and auto-retraining hooks
• Present findings, justify model choices, and iterate rapidly based on stakeholder feedback
• Contribute to engineering best practices and help raise the team’s technical bar

About you

• 5–8 years of ML engineering or applied data science experience, including at least one production system deployed in cloud/Kubernetes Advanced proficiency in Python and ML frameworks, with strong statistics and experimentation skills
• Experience designing and operating systems in AWS, GCP, or Azure using Infrastructure as Code (Terraform/CDK)
• Solid understanding of security, performance tuning, and API versioning best practices
• Comfortable in dynamic, client-facing environments—startup or consulting experience preferred
• Strong communicator and collaborator with a passion for building high-impact solutions
• Curious, adaptable, and energized by solving complex problems across industries

Why Join Us

• Build Production AI That Matters: We ship real solutions - not endless pilots. Every milestone unlocks value, and our incentives are tied to client success.
• Craft Meets Velocity: We obsess over engineering quality while moving at the speed of AI. You’ll shape best practices, pair-program, and lead with impact.
• Outcome-Driven Model: Fixed-price, KPI-linked deals. Shared upside when we exceed targets. Focus stays glued to results - not hours.
• AI-Native DNA: Our founding team has shipped category-defining products for 15+ years - including AI long before the hype.
• Backed to Build: Fueled by a $3M seed round from Rally Ventures, Traction Capital, and PurePlay Partners.
• Culture That Clicks: Open conversations, shared ownership, and a healthy dose of laughter. Bring your voice and entrepreneurial spirit.

Equal Employment Opportunity

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome our employee’s differences, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or Veteran status. Difference makes us better. Join us.