Job Details

Job Description: Artificial Intelligence Developer (Machine Learning Vision Engineer)
Location: Hybrid (Primarily Remote with required onsite work in Middletown, PA)

About the Role:

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Artificial Intelligence Developer specializing in Machine Learning and Computer Vision. This role is central to our innovative Optical Character Recognition (OCR) project, which powers real-time, large-scale image-based transaction processing. The ideal candidate is a software engineer at heart with a proven track record of building, deploying, and optimizing production-grade ML vision systems.

This is a hybrid role, offering the flexibility of remote work while requiring onsite collaboration approximately 3-4 days per month at our Middletown, PA facilities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and optimize machine learning models for object detection, image classification, and image quality assessment (e.g., overexposed, underexposed, obstructed).
• Develop and integrate end-to-end OCR pipelines, leveraging both third-party engines and custom in-house models.
• Write robust, maintainable, and production-ready Python code adhering to strong Object-Oriented Design (OOP) principles.
• Collaborate with system architects to integrate ML components into a distributed, message-driven enterprise architecture.
• Implement and manage data-driven training, evaluation, and feedback loops to continuously improve model accuracy and performance.
• Optimize models and pipelines for near real-time transaction workflows, with a focus on low latency and high throughput.
• Participate in system-level design discussions, advocating for scalability, maintainability, and best practices.
• Work cross-functionally with database, API, and DevOps teams to ensure smooth deployment, monitoring, and testing.
• Create comprehensive technical documentation, including design specs, test plans, and operational procedures.

• Demonstrated strong professional experience in Python development.
• Solid foundation in software engineering: Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), design patterns, clean code, and testable architectures.
• Hands-on experience with image processing and computer vision frameworks (e.g., OpenCV, Pillow).
• Proven experience with machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Direct, hands-on experience with OCR technologies (e.g., Tesseract, PaddleOCR, EasyOCR, or custom models).
• Familiarity with modern object detection architectures (e.g., YOLO, Faster R-CNN, SSD).
• Knowledge of classification techniques, feature extraction, and standard evaluation metrics for computer vision tasks.
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office 365 suite (Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and the Microsoft Azure DevOps (ADO) Testing Module.
• Bachelor's degree in Business Management, Information Systems, or a related field. An equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.

• software developer mindset with a focus on code quality, maintainability, and system design.
• Innovative thinking with the ability to translate research papers and Client methods into reliable production systems.
• Comfortable working within a complex, multi-module, distributed system environment.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical choices and trade-offs to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience with Enterprise Business Solutions (e.g., SAP) and ITIL/ITSM practices is a plus.

• Location: Candidates must be based in the Continental United States. Work is virtual/remote until further notice.
• Onsite Requirements:
  
  • Required attendance at quarterly onsite meetings (one week per calendar quarter) in Middletown, PA.
  • Mandatory in-person orientation and equipment pickup at a PTC facility in Middletown, PA.
  • Potential for rotating onsite post go-live support duties.
• Travel: For candidates within a 3-hour commuting distance of Middletown, PA, the offered rate is inclusive of all travel costs. No additional travel compensation is provided.