Lead Machine Learning Expert - AI Products & Engineering Dep
Job Description
Rakuten Mobile, a pioneering company building the world's first fully virtualized, cloud-native mobile network, is seeking a Lead Machine Learning Expert to spearhead their AI initiatives. This role represents a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of telecommunications and artificial intelligence, focusing on developing Small Language Models (SLM) specifically tailored to the telecom domain.
The position requires a seasoned professional with deep expertise in NLP and large-scale model development, who will lead the creation and implementation of AI solutions that will fundamentally transform network operations. The role involves close collaboration with subject matter experts across Core Networks, RAN, IPTX, and ACI teams to develop sophisticated AI models that can interpret and optimize complex telecom environments.
As a Lead Machine Learning Expert, you'll be responsible for designing and fine-tuning language models, developing efficient inference pipelines, and establishing scalable MLOps practices. The role combines technical leadership with hands-on development, requiring both deep technical expertise and the ability to mentor junior engineers.
This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced ML professional who wants to make a significant impact in the telecommunications industry. The position offers the chance to work with cutting-edge technology, collaborate with domain experts, and contribute to innovative solutions that will shape the future of mobile networks. The role requires advanced English language skills and offers the opportunity to work in Tokyo, Japan, at the forefront of telecommunications innovation.
Responsibilities For Lead Machine Learning Expert - AI Products & Engineering Dep
- Lead the design, fine-tuning, and deployment of domain-specific Large and Small Language Models (LLMs/SLMs) for telecom applications
- Collaborate with telecom experts to integrate deep domain knowledge into AI models
- Work with Data Scientists and AI Engineers to incorporate telco-specific use cases
- Develop models capable of processing large-scale telco-native data
- Evaluate, customize, and optimize foundation models
- Architect reusable components for prompt engineering and retrieval augmentation
- Contribute to model deployment strategies and MLOps practices
- Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership
- Collaborate with leadership to translate business needs into innovative AI solutions
Requirements For Lead Machine Learning Expert - AI Products & Engineering Dep
- 10+ years in machine learning, including 5+ years in LLM/NLP/SLM development
- Extensive experience fine-tuning and evaluating large-scale transformer models
- Deep understanding of LLM architectures, training pipelines, Agentic AI
- Experience with open-source model stacks (Hugging Face, DeepSpeed, LangChain, LoRA/PEFT)
- Strong proficiency in Python and ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch)
- Experience working with data from critical telecom systems
- Proven track record delivering scalable NLP systems
- Bachelor's degree (B.E. or equivalent)
- Advanced English language skills
Related Jobs
