Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. BNSF Railway is one of the largest U.S. railroads, dedicated to transporting freight across the nation. They are seeking a Senior/Staff AI Engineer to design and implement AI models for railroad operations, focusing on predictive maintenance and safety monitoring while collaborating with cross-functional teams.
Responsibilities
- Assist in designing, developing, and implementing AI models and algorithms tailored to railroad operations, including predictive maintenance, scheduling, and safety monitoring
- Build scalable AI systems to analyze real-time data from rail infrastructure, rolling stock, and IoT devices
- Collect, preprocess, and clean data from various sources (e.g., sensors, GPS, maintenance logs) for training AI models
- Conduct exploratory data analysis to identify trends and patterns relevant to rail operations
- Build and Maintain Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) pipelines for AI applications
- Fine tune and optimize algorithms to streamline train scheduling, route planning, and fuel efficiency
- Support the automation of operational processes and decision-making using AI-powered tools
- Collaborate with software engineers and DevOps teams to integrate AI solutions into production environments
- Ensure AI systems are robust, reliable, and compliant with railroad industry standards
- Monitor deployed models and systems for performance, scalability, and accuracy, ensuring continuous improvement and reliability
- Troubleshoot issues, retrain models, and implement necessary updates
- Work closely with cross-functional teams, including data scientists, software engineers, business analysts, to understand their needs and enable AI-driven solutions
- Communicate technical concepts and project updates to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Stay updated on emerging AI technologies and trends to identify opportunities for innovation in rail transportation
- Conduct research and propose new methodologies for solving complex railroad challenges
Skills
- Authorized to work in the US
- Minimum 6 years experience in AI/ML development, data science, software engineering, or relevant experience
- Strong in programming languages such as Python, R, or Java
- Experience with machine learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn) and deep learning architectures
- Familiarity with data engineering tools and platforms (e.g., Hadoop, Spark, EMS, AWS S3, PySpark, RDS, JupyterLab) and cloud services (AWS, Azure, Databricks) and open source environments
- Strong knowledge of databases (SQL and NoSQL)
- Strong knowledge of Mlops ecosystem
- Strong understanding of generative AI models
- Strong in Data Pipelines for GenAI (e.g., cleaning, chunking embeddings)
- Strong in GenAI tools and frameworks (LangChain, LangGraph)
- Strong in Vector Databases and embeddings
- Familiar with Agentic architecture
- Ability to interpret complex datasets and derive actionable insights
- Proven ability to tackle real-world challenges using AI and machine learning techniques
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills for working with cross-functional teams and stakeholders
- Able to work now and in the future without BNSF's assistance (whether monetary, through sponsorship, or otherwise) in obtaining, maintaining, or extending employment authorization (including H-1B, STEM OPT/CPT, or TN nonimmigrant status)
- Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field
- Experience with predictive maintenance, anomaly detection, or industrial IoT applications
- Knowledge of railroad operations, transportation systems, or logistics
- Familiarity with MLOps practices and tools for model lifecycle management
- Experience deploying AI systems in production environments with a focus on scalability and reliability
- Previous experience in transportation, supply chain, or infrastructure industries
Benefits
- An industry-leading 401(k) and renowned Railroad Retirement program.
- A range of robust health care options for you and your dependents (including domestic partners), including medical, dental, vision, telemedicine, mental health, cancer support, and high-quality care network options.
- Health care spending accounts (HSA) with employer contributions, as well as life and disability insurance, provided at no cost.
- Family benefits including parental, pediatric and family building support, adoption and surrogacy reimbursement, and dependent care spending account (with employer match).
- Access to discounts on travel, gym memberships, counseling services and wellness support.
- Annual bonus (Incentive Compensation Program)
- Generous leave / time off policies.
- Travel expenses for business needs will be covered by BNSF
Company Overview
BNSF Railway operates one of the largest railroad networks in North America, with about 32,500 route miles in 28 states and three Canadian provinces. It was founded in 1994, and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, USA, with a workforce of 10001+ employees. Its website is http://www.bnsf.com/.Company H1B Sponsorship
BNSF Railway has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships, with 10 in 2026, 9 in 2025, 3 in 2024, 1 in 2023, 4 in 2022, 4 in 2021, 1 in 2020. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role.