Nelnet is a diversified and innovative company committed to enriching lives through the power of service as a student loan servicer, professional services company, consumer loan originator and servicer, payments processor, renewable energy solutions, and K-12 and higher education expert. For over 40 years, Nelnet has been serving its customers, associates, and communities.

The perks of working at Nelnet go beyond our benefits package. When you join the Nelnet team, you're part of a community invested in the success of each individual. That support comes through in our work, as we are united by our mission of creating opportunities for people where they live, learn, and work.

The AI/ML Engineer will act as a technical subject matter expert (SME) in Agentic AI, supporting the IT Director of Agentic AI. This role is critical for driving the adoption of Agentic AI across Nelnet.
Co-develop advanced AI workflows and build custom Agentic AI platforms and applications at an enterprise level.

Key Responsibilities

• Agentic AI Expertise: Design, build, and optimize AI Agents using advanced methods (e.g., Naïve Bayes, Random Forests) and understand their impact on agent performance.

• AI Communication: Explain AI concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences; facilitate training and pilot projects.

• IT Infrastructure: Work across multi-cloud and on-premises environments, selecting appropriate cloud-native resources (e.g., AWS Bedrock, GCP Vertex AI, Docker, Kubernetes, MongoDB, BigQuery) to support AI initiatives.

• Use Case Evaluation: Assess and recommend AI technologies and techniques (e.g., GPT-4.0, Anthropic Claude, RAG, Neo4j, GraphRAG, multimodal AI, IBM Bee-Hive) for various business needs.

• Education & Advocacy: Serve as an AI advocate, coaching and empowering teams to develop and deploy AI Agents.

• Responsible AI: Apply best practices in AI governance, security, and compliance (e.g., NIST, OWASP, ATLAS-MITRE, GDPR).

• Full Stack Development: Build AI Agents end-to-end using tools such as VS Code, Python, JavaScript, React.js, Node.js, pyspark, scikit-learn, Jupyter, SQL.

• Model Development: Develop, train, and fine-tune machine learning models and large language models (LLMs).

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in AI/ML Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

• 1+ years experience creating end-to-end agentic workflows.

• Ability to obtain a U.S. 6C Security Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in AI/ML Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, or related fields.

• 2–4 years of industry and/or full stack development experience.

• Experience in product development, ownership, and delivery.

• Experience building multi-agent ecosystems and agent-to-agent connections.

Salary range for this role is: $70k-$135k

This position requires work in support of the Company’s contract with the United States Department of Education (“ED”). As such, the United States Government requires that any applicant for this position must complete United States Government security clearance. Effective June 1, 2018, ED has informed Nelnet that security clearance applications for foreign nationals are not being accepted or processed. In light of this direction from ED, Nelnet will be unable to hire applicants without United States citizenship for such positions.

We are unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position. To be considered, candidates must already be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship.

Our benefits package includes medical, dental, vision, HSA and FSA, generous earned time off, 401K/student loan repayment, life insurance & AD&D insurance, employee assistance program, employee stock purchase program, tuition reimbursement, performance-based incentive pay, short- and long-term disability, and a robust wellness program. Click here to learn more about our benefits: LINK.

Nelnet is committed to providing a welcoming and respectful workplace where all associates have the opportunity to succeed. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we ensure that all qualified applicants are considered for employment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion/creed, national origin, gender, sex, marital status, age, disability, use of a guide dog or service animal, sexual orientation, military/veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. We value the unique contributions of every team member and believe that a positive work environment benefits everyone.

Qualified individuals with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations in order to apply or compete for positions at Nelnet may request such accommodations by contacting Corporate Recruiting at 402-486-5725 or corporaterecruiting@nelnet.net.

Nelnet is a Drug Free and Tobacco Free Workplace.