Innovation Engineer

Forward-Thinking ML/AI Engineer Opportunity

Many of the world’s top engineers and scientists come together in our Water business because they view a community’s interaction with water a bit differently—as a single holistic system, rather than unconnected networks divided by jurisdictional boundaries. Working throughout the hydrologic cycle, we are delivering sustainable solutions to make sure water is where it should be and available when needed. Our experts guide our work with scientific rigor, an innovative spirit, and a vision for growth. Every day, we help communities improve, reuse, and protect this precious resource for future generations. Grow with us, H2O+U.

Your Opportunity We are seeking a forward-thinking ML/AI Engineer with a strong foundation in AI and a growing specialization in agentic AI, including both single-agent and multi-agent systems. This role will support our expanding portfolio of AI-driven solutions in the water sector, contributing to a range of projects that involve complex systems, data-driven decision-making, and intelligent automation. You will collaborate with a cross-functional team of data scientists, engineers, and domain experts to design, prototype, and deploy agentic AI solutions that enhance operational efficiency, system adaptability, and innovation across diverse water-related challenges. You will report to an Innovation Portfolio Manager in Stantec Water BOU’s Office of Research, Innovation and Technology.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement agentic AI systems, including single-agent and multi-agent architectures, for applications in water infrastructure, forecasting, optimizations, and operations.
• Collaborate with ML/AI leads to integrate LLMs and autonomous agents into existing and new solution pipelines.
• Contribute to the development of exploratory prototypes and production-ready tools that leverage agentic reasoning, planning, and collaboration.
• Support the MLOps lifecycle, including model tracking (e.g., MLflow), deployment, and monitoring within Azure DevOps and Databricks environments.
• Translate domain-specific challenges into scalable AI solutions, working closely with water engineers and project teams.
• Stay current with emerging research and tools in Machine Learning, agentic AI, reinforcement learning, and multi-agent systems.
• Document methodologies, share learnings, and contribute to internal knowledge bases and Communities of Practice.

Qualifications

Master’s+ degree in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field. 5+ years total professional experience, 1+ of hands-on experience in machine learning and AI development, with exposure to agentic AI concepts (e.g., autonomous agents, multi-agent coordination, LLM-based agents). Familiarity with LLM frameworks (e.g., LangChain, AutoGen, OpenAI APIs) and multi-agent orchestration tools. Hands-on experience building AI agents with LLMs, including RAG, using these frameworks is preferred. Strong programming skills with Python, PyTorch or TensorFlow, and cloud-based ML platforms (preferably Azure). Skills in multiple languages (e.g., Java, Node.js) is a benefit. Understanding of MLOps practices, including CI/CD pipelines, model versioning, and monitoring. Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across technical and non-technical teams. Experience or interest in water systems, environmental modeling, or Microsoft Azure SDKs such as AI Foundry is a plus.

Pay Range

Locations in CO, HI, IL, MD & Various CA, NJ Areas - Min Salary $ 104,800.00 - Max Salary $ 152,000.00. Locations in WA, DC & Various CA, MA areas - Min Salary $ 112,500.00 - Max Salary $ 163,100.00. In compliance with pay transparency laws, pay ranges are provided for positions in locations where required. Please note, the final agreed upon compensation is based on individual education, qualifications, experience, and work location. At Stantec certain roles are bonus eligible. Actual compensation for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on the agreed number of working hours per week.

Benefits Summary

Regular full-time and part-time employees (working at least 20 hours per week) have access to medical, dental, and vision plans, a wellness program, health saving accounts, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase program, life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, short-term/long-term disability plans, emergency travel benefits, tuition reimbursement, professional membership fee coverage and paid family leave. Regular full-time and part-time employees will receive ten paid holidays in each calendar year. In addition, employees will be eligible to accrue vacation between 10 and 20 days per year and eligible for paid sick leave (and if more generous, in accordance with state and local law). Temporary/casual employees have access to 401(k) plans, employee stock purchase program, and paid leave, in accordance with state and local law. The benefits information listed above may not apply to union positions because benefits for such positions are governed by applicable collective bargaining agreements.

Primary Location

United States | CA | San Diego

Organization

2243 Water-US Delivery-San Diego CA

Employee Status

Regular

Travel

No

Schedule

Full time

Stantec provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for future and current employment and prohibit discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. We prohibit discrimination in decisions concerning recruitment, hiring, referral, promotion, compensation, fringe benefits, job training, terminations or any other condition of employment. Stantec is in compliance with laws and regulations and ensures equitable opportunities in all aspects of employment. At Stantec we are committed to ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process then please inform a member of our Talent Acquisition team.