Machine Learning Engineer, Associate

Acentra Health exists to empower better health outcomes through technology, services, and clinical expertise. Our mission is to innovate health solutions that deliver maximum value and impact.

Lead the Way is our rallying cry at Acentra Health. Think of it as an open invitation to embrace the mission of the company; to actively engage in problem-solving; and to take ownership of your work every day. Acentra Health offers you unparalleled opportunities. In fact, you have all you need to take charge of your career and accelerate better outcomes - making this a great time to join our team of passionate individuals dedicated to being a vital partner for health solutions in the public sector.

Acentra Health is looking for a Machine Learning Engineer/AI Engineer, Associate to join our growing team.

Job Summary:

The purpose of this position is to support the design, development, and deployment of machine learning solutions that improve patient outcomes and drive innovation and efficiency in healthcare. The Associate Machine Learning Engineer works under the guidance of senior engineers and data scientists to help build data pipelines, train and evaluate models (including natural language processing and generative AI use cases), and contribute to production-ready code and documentation.

* Position is remote, but candidates based in Raleigh/Durham/Cary, NC or DC area preferred.

Job Responsibilities:

• Assist in developing and testing machine learning models and algorithms for healthcare use cases (e.g., risk stratification, prediction, decision support)
• Support data preparation activities including data cleaning, feature engineering, and basic data augmentation
• Help build and maintain repeatable ML workflows/pipelines for training, validation, and experiment tracking
• Run model evaluations using standard metrics; document results and support troubleshooting of performance issues
• Partner with software engineering/DevOps to help package, deploy, and monitor models in non-production and production environments
• Create and maintain documentation, code comments, and basic runbooks; participate in code reviews and team ceremonies
• Support ML pipelines including data preparation, training workflows, and deployment into applications
• Stay current on advances in LLMs, GenAI, and compliance requirements (HIPAA, GDPR, FDA)

The list of accountabilities is not intended to be all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other education- and experience-related duties that management may deem necessary from time to time.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field (Master's a plus).
• 2+ years of relevant experience (including internships, co-ops, research, or project-based experience) building or applying machine learning solutions (preferably with proven applied AI/LLM deployments)
• Working knowledge of Python (or similar) and fundamentals of machine learning and statistics.

Preferred Qualifications

• Exposure to machine learning frameworks/libraries (e.g., scikit-learn, PyTorch, TensorFlow).
  
• Familiarity with SQL and common data tools (e.g., Pandas, NumPy).
  
• Basic understanding of NLP concepts; exposure to large language models (LLMs) and prompt engineering is a plus.
  
• Experience or coursework in MLOps concepts (e.g., version control, CI/CD basics, model monitoring, experiment tracking).
  
• Exposure to cloud platforms (Azure and/or AWS) for development or deployment is a plus.
  
• Familiarity with healthcare data concepts/standards (e.g., HIPAA awareness, HL7/FHIR, EHR data) is desirable but not required.
  
• Strong communication skills and willingness to learn in a multidisciplinary environment.

Why us?

We are a team of experienced and caring leaders, clinicians, pioneering technologists, and industry professionals who come together to redefine expectations for the healthcare industry. State and federal healthcare agencies, providers, and employers turn to us as their vital partner to ensure better healthcare and improve health outcomes.

We do this through our people.

You will have meaningful work that genuinely improves people's lives across the country. We are a company that cares about our employees, and we give you the tools and encouragement you need to achieve the finest work of your career.

Benefits

Benefits are a key component of your rewards package. Our benefits are designed to provide you with additional protection, security, and support for both your career and your life away from work. Our benefits include comprehensive health plans, paid time off, retirement savings, corporate wellness, educational assistance, corporate discounts, and more.

Thank You!

We know your time is valuable and we thank you for applying for this position. Due to the high volume of applicants, only those who are chosen to advance in our interview process will be contacted. We sincerely appreciate your interest in Acentra Health and invite you to apply to future openings that may be of interest. Best of luck in your search!

~ The Acentra Health Talent Acquisition Team

Visit us at https://careers.acentra.com/jobs

EEO AA M/F/Vet/Disability

Acentra Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable Federal, State or Local law.

Experience in Lieu of Degree

For non-clinical roles, or when not required by the contract specifically, the Company acknowledges that practical, hands-on experience can provide skills and competencies equivalent to formal education. As such, in cases where a Bachelor's degree may be required, the Company will accept a minimum of six (6) years of directly relevant professional experience in lieu of a degree. In instances where the candidate has an Associate's degree, the Company will accept a minimum of three (3) years of directly relevant professional experience in lieu of the Bachelor's degree.

Compensation

The pay range for this position is listed below.

"Based on our compensation philosophy, an applicant's position placement in the pay range will depend on various considerations, such as years of applicable experience and skill level."