Six Figure Work

Machine Learning Systems Engineer

Motional

Company websitemotional.com (Motional, opens in new tab)

Base salary $144K  to $192K

Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range in Boston, MA +2 more

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  • LocationBoston, MA +2 more
  • WorkplaceWorkplace not stated
  • Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
  • Last checked (2 h ago) · observed since
All places named
  • Boston, MA
  • Las Vegas, NV
  • Pittsburgh, PA

About this job

Mission Summary:

We are looking for a Machine Learning Systems Engineer to join our ML Acceleration team. In this role, you will be responsible for the core systems that enable our researchers to train frontier models at scale, focusing obsessively on speed, cost, reliability, and throughput. You will work at the intersection of machine learning research and high-performance systems engineering. Your work will directly impact our ability to scale large-scale distributed model training and reduce the time-to-convergence for our next generation of models.

What you'll be doing:

  • Performance Profiling & Optimization: Utilize profiling tools (e.g., Nsight, PyTorch Profiler) to identify bottlenecks in data loading, gradient computation, and communication. Implement optimizations like kernel fusion, sharding, and tiling to improve step time.
  • Distributed Training: Optimize distributed training pipelines using frameworks such as PyTorch Distributed.
  • Kernel Development: Design and maintain high-performance GPU kernels in Triton or CUDA for state-of-the-art ML workloads.
  • Data Pipeline Engineering: Optimize robust data loading pipelines that maximize training throughput.

What we're looking for:

  • Education: Bachelor’s, Master’s degree, or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
  • Software Engineering: Strong proficiency in Python.
  • ML Frameworks: Extensive hands-on experience with PyTorch.
  • ML Knowledge: Experience optimizing machine learning model execution during training and inference, alongside a strong understanding of fundamental machine learning concepts, architectures, and processes.
  • Problem Solving: Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with a bias for action and a data-driven approach to technical challenges.

We encourage a hybrid schedule with in-office time at one of our locations in Boston, Pittsburgh, or Las Vegas to support collaboration, or this role can be fully remote.

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors including but not limited to specific skills, experience and expertise, role location, certifications, licenses, and business needs. The estimated compensation range listed in this job posting reflects base salary only. This role may include additional forms of compensation such as a bonus or company equity. The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process. 

Candidates for certain positions are eligible to participate in Motional’s benefits program. Motional’s benefits include but are not limited to medical, dental, vision, 401k with a company match, health saving accounts, life insurance, pet insurance, and more.

Salary Range

$144,000—$192,000 USD

Motional is a driverless technology company making autonomous vehicles a safe, reliable, and accessible reality. We’re driven by something more.

Our journey is always people first.

We aren't just developing driverless cars; we're creating safer roadways, more equitable transportation options, and making our communities better places to live, work, and connect. Our team is made up of engineers, researchers, innovators, dreamers and doers, who are creating a technology with the potential to transform the way we move.

Higher purpose, greater impact.

We’re creating first-of-its-kind technology that will transform transportation. To do so successfully, we must design for everyone in our cities and on our roads. We believe in building a great place to work through a progressive, global culture that is diverse, inclusive, and ensures people feel valued at every level of the organization. Diversity helps us to see the world differently; it’s not only good for our business, it’s the right thing to do.  

Scale up, not starting up.

Our team is behind some of the industry's largest leaps forward, including the first fully-autonomous cross-country drive in the U.S, the launch of the world's first robotaxi pilot, and operation of the world's longest-standing public robotaxi fleet. We’re driven to scale; we’re moving towards commercialization of our technology, and we need team members who are ready to embrace change and challenges.

Formed as a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and Aptiv, Motional is fundamentally changing how people move through their lives. Headquartered in Boston, Motional has operations in the U.S and Asia. For more information, visit  www.Motional.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

Motional AD Inc. is an EOE. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. To comply with Federal Law, we participate in E-Verify. All newly-hired employees are queried through this electronic system established by the DHS and the SSA to verify their identity and employment eligibility.

Source: Motional on Greenhouse · View original posting (opens in new tab)

Pay in context

This role's base floor ($144,000) is above 45% of the 140 Data & ML roles in Massachusetts listed on this site. Their median floor is $149,000; the middle half runs from $126,750 to $177,600.

Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 6, 2026.

This range next to 6 other live Motional roles with the nearest advertised base floor
Chart as a table
This range next to 6 other live Motional roles with the nearest advertised base floor
RolePublished base
Machine Learning Systems Engineer (this listing)$144K - $192K
Staff Design Release Engineer – AV Networking, Connectivity & Compute$144,000 - $191,250
Staff Safety Engineer, Safety Metrics and Benchmarking$144,000 - $191,250
Staff Design Release Engineer, Human-Machine Interface & User Experience$144,000 - $191,250
Staff Engineer, OEM Platform Integration$144,000 - $191,250
Senior Onboard Vehicle Network Engineer$149,000 - $198,500
Senior Robotics Engineer, AV Performance Diagnosis & Evaluation$149,000 - $198,500

Same $100K to $400K scale as every card. All Motional roles · How to read the bar

Observed changes

  1. First observed on the employer's board
  2. Began meeting the published-salary criteria
Observed since
Employer-stated posting date
2026-05-11
Where this pay comes from

Location as the employer wrote it: Boston, Massachusetts, United States; Las Vegas, Nevada, United States; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States; Remote U.S.

$144,000—$192,000 USD

Method
Employer text, read with fixed rules and re-verified
Checked
Rule set
us-base-v2

The pay passage appears in the employer's own job text. Fixed, deterministic rules located it, and the passage below was checked against the stored copy of the posting.

What we verified

  • The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
  • The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
  • The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.

We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.