Software Development Engineer - ML Ops (US Federal)

Description

Your work days are brighter here.

We’re obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we’re shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. The minute you join, you’ll feel it. Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. We’re in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care. We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun-drenched optimism and drive. Whether you're building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you’ll do meaningful work with Workmates who’ve got your back. In return, we’ll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul. So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you’ve found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too.

Your work matters here. At Workday Government, we focus on outcomes that serve a larger mission. Our work supports U.S. federal agencies as they modernize and transform the full employee lifecycle experience and finance operations—so they can operate with greater clarity, accountability, and trust. As a Fortune 500 company and a proven enterprise cloud platform, Workday brings modern technology, responsible AI, and secure infrastructure to some of the most complex environments in the world. The work isn’t theoretical. It’s operational. It’s high-impact. And it demands rigor, integrity, and long-term thinking.

From day one, you’ll be part of a team that values collaboration, follow-through, and doing the right thing—especially when the stakes are high. Our culture is grounded in integrity, respect, and shared responsibility. We challenge each other to think clearly, act thoughtfully, and build solutions that stand up to real-world demands. Here, curiosity is matched with accountability. Ambition is paired with trust. You’ll have the space to do your best work, the support to keep growing, and the backing of a company committed to long-term investment in both its people and the federal mission.

If you’re looking to apply your experience to meaningful, mission-driven work—alongside colleagues who take pride in building things that last—you’ll find that opportunity at Workday Government.

About the Role

This role will support one or more direct or indirect contracts with the U.S. Federal Government which, due to federal government security requirements, mandates that all Workday personnel working on the contracts be United States citizens (naturalized or native).

The Workday ML Runtime team is seeking an energetic and determined Software Engineer to design, implement, and deliver highly scalable features for our Machine Learning Runtime platform. As a member of this fast paced group you will have a unique and rewarding opportunity to shape and contribute towards microservices that power Workday Machine Learning features in production. You will partner with Data Scientists, ML Engineers, and other Software Engineers to create the technology that brings these features to life.

Responsibilities

• Developing frameworks, automation, and tooling to foster a culture of efficiency and innovation.
• Apply technologies like Kubernetes, Docker, and Python to enhance developer scalability in creating innovative ML Runtime Inference applications.
• Implementation and operation of distributed systems and software development including the conception, specifying, designing, programming, documenting, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applications, frameworks, or other software components.
• Developing products and services that empower developers to streamline their interactions with the ML platform.
• Working with public clouds (such as IAAS, AWS, GCP) and applying capacity management principles.
• Deploying and orchestrating containers in production environments, including technologies like Containers, Kubernetes, Service Mesh, ArgoCD and related tools.
• Actively engage with Tech Leads and ML Engineers across teams to elaborate on requirements and drive technical solutions.
• Own and develop features from end to end including infrastructure as code.
• Research, evaluate, prototype and drive adoption of new ML tools with reliability and scale in mind
• Strong dedication to proactively addressing and resolving issues, automating processes, and empowering engineers to self-service their operational needs for improved productivity.
• Availability for on-call support on a rotational basis.
• This role will support one or more direct or indirect contracts with the U.S. Federal Government which, due to federal government security requirements, mandates that all Workday personnel working on the contracts be United States citizens (naturalized or native).

Requirements

• This role may require a security clearance at the TS/SCI w/CI Poly level. Applicants must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued security clearance. An active TS/SCI w/CI Poly is preferred.
• We need creative and dedicated Software Engineers, like you, who really want to move the needle. You should enjoy working on projects that can significantly improve developer satisfaction and save the company millions of dollars. By nature, you are inquisitive and ready to question the status quo. You have a passion for exploring and implementing innovative techniques and approaches to solve complex and challenging problems. Most importantly of all you are a superlative collaborator and teammate and bring out the very best in everyone. You feel happiest when working with a highly capable and motivated team of people passionate about software and technology.
• Basic qualifications:
• US Citizenship is required.
• 3 or more years of DevOps experience including Infrastructure automation, building CICD pipelines.
• Good in System design and writing comprehensive technical design docs
• Proficient in Python programming.
• Design, implement, and maintain robust DevOps pipelines for deploying, monitoring, and scaling machine learning runtime environment.
• Experience using technologies like Kubernetes/Docker to help developers scale their efforts in creating new and innovative products.
• Collaborate with other Machine Learning teams to improve not just the product, but efficiencies in engineering processes.
• Other Qualifications:
• Machine learning background.
• Experience with communication protocols, RESTful services, service-oriented architecture, distributed systems, and microservices.
• Building comprehensive monitoring services.
• Prior experience with enterprise SaaS products.
• Experience with monitoring tools like Grafana.
• Passion for creating and maintaining documentation and fixing run books.
• Availability for on-call support on a rotating basis.
• Proficiency in infrastructure automation tools like Terraform, implementing CI/CD pipelines using Git and Jenkins, and applying continuous deployment tool such as ArgoCD
• BS/MS in Computer Science or a related technical field.
• Excellent problem-solving skills with a focus on creating and maintaining accurate documentation.
• Experience in leading or mentoring other team members and proven team collaboration experience, i.e. understanding group dynamics, effective communication strategies, conflict resolution techniques, and the ability to foster a positive and inclusive team.
• Workday Pay Transparency Statement
• The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below. Workday pay ranges vary based on work location. As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants. Recruiters can share more detail during the hiring process. Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need, among other things. For more information regarding Workday’s comprehensive benefits, please click here .
• Primary Location: USA.VA.Reston
• Primary Location Base Pay Range: $137,000 USD - $205,400 USD
• Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $123,900 USD - $222,000 USD
• Our Approach to Flexible Work
• With Flex Work, we’re combining the best of both worlds: in-person time and remote. Our approach enables our teams to deepen connections, maintain a strong community, and do their best work. We know that flexibility can take shape in many ways, so rather than a number of required days in-office each week, we simply spend at least half (50%) of our time each quarter in the office or in the field with our customers, prospects, and partners (depending on role). This means you'll have the freedom to create a flexible schedule that caters to your business, team, and personal needs, while being intentional to make the most of time spent together. Those in our remote "home office" roles also have the opportunity to come together in our offices for important moments that matter.
• Pursuant to applicable Fair Chance law, Workday will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
• Workday is an Equal Opportunity Employer including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.
• Workday is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals during our application process, in order to perform one or more essential functions of their job, as well as regarding the use of AI tools for employment decision-making to any degree. Please see below for more details including how to request an accommodation as a qualified veteran, due to a disability or for religious reasons, or as otherwise provided under applicable law.
• Workday prohibits taking adverse action against any candidate or employee for reporting a possible violation of this policy, requesting one or more work accommodations, exercising a privacy right, or cooperating in an investigation in accordance with applicable law. Any employee who retaliates against a candidate or employee for doing so may be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment, to the fullest extent allowable under applicable law.
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