Principal AI/ML Engineer - Semantic Data

Middlesex County lands new MLS NEXT Pro soccer club. The basics: * New Jersey MLS NEXT Pro soccer club to debut in Middlesex County * Team home will be at $350M NEXUS sports and entertainment district * First match scheduled for July 2027 * Middlesex County to become New York City FC Youth Programs' regional hub Middlesex County, you're getting a professional soccer club. On Sept. 2, officials gathered at Major League Soccer's headquarters in New York City to unveil plans to bring MLS NEXT Pro soccer to the county. Leaders from Hometown Soccer Holdings, New York City FC, MLS NEXT Pro and Middlesex County announced that New York City FC II will begin a new chapter under HSH. The club will initially be known as New Jersey MLS NEXT Pro. The team will eventually be given a new identity - including a name, colors and crest - that reflects the Middlesex County region. The community will be invited to weigh in on the branding, officials said. Part of the county's Community, Innovation and Opportunity (CIO) Strategic Investment Plan, the hub is scheduled to open this fall. The team will play its first match in July 2027. "Bringing professional soccer to Middlesex County, and its almost 900,000 residents, will make us an exciting new sports destination in New Jersey," Middlesex County Commissioner Director Ronald Rios said in a statement, adding that the club will "entice more visitors to our region." How it started. In April, MLS and private equity firm KKR announced a strategic investment to grow MLS NEXT Pro. The entities formed Hometown Soccer Holdings to serve as the collaboration's "commercial engine," according to the spring unveiling. New Jersey MLS NEXT Pro will be the first club to relaunch under the partnership. "This is exactly the kind of opportunity we envisioned when MLS partnered with KKR and Hometown Soccer Holdings to accelerate the growth of MLS NEXT Pro," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. "As the first club to relaunch under that partnership, New Jersey MLS NEXT Pro represents an important step in the league's next chapter by strengthening player development and bringing professional soccer closer to more communities," Garber added. Officials noted the team will continue to serve as New York City FC's MLS NEXT Pro affiliate and that New York City FC will continue to oversee the team's sporting operations. After the World Cup. Gov. Mikie Sherrill was on hand for the announcement. "New Jersey is a soccer state, and today we're once again giving fans across the Garden State a team to call their own," Sherrill said. "Bringing professional soccer to NEXUS gives fans in the heart of our state a team to rally behind while creating new opportunities for athletes and strengthening our state's growing sports economy." New Jersey and New York are still basking in the glow of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which generated $3.5 billion in total economic impact across the region. Officials say the tournament and community investments surrounding the event inspired the next generation of soccer players. 'Join' the team. * New Jersey MLS NEXT Pro founding membership info can be found here. * Youth program info can be found here. Building on that momentum, Middlesex County will become the second official New York City FC Youth Programs' Regional Hub. In 2027, the organization will establish a new youth soccer club in the county with teams and programming for kids from ages 3 to 18. Rios added, "The Board of County Commissioners and I know that this new club will bolster soccer culture in our region and attract new interest for the sport, especially among our youth." "Professional soccer belongs in communities like Middlesex County, New Jersey," said Tom Glick, CEO of Hometown Soccer Holdings. "The county's remarkable diversity, deep soccer culture, and passion for the game make this the right place to build something lasting."

Principal AI/ML Engineer, Semantic Data. Job description. Major League Soccer is building advanced AI and data platforms to power fan intelligence, personalization, and data-driven decisioning across the organization. Latest videos. Video Muted The Principal AI/ML Engineer, Semantic Data will design and build the semantic intelligence layer that enables consistent understanding of fan data, business concepts, and operational workflows across MLS systems. This role combines semantic data systems with applied LLM engineering to build grounded, production-grade AI capabilities. This is a systems engineering role responsible for building and scaling real-world AI infrastructure, including knowledge graphs, retrieval systems, and LLM-powered applications. Responsibilities AI & knowledge systems development. * Design and implement embedding pipelines across fan data, content, metadata, and behavioral signals * Build metadata and enrichment systems that normalize and structure enterprise data for AI use * Develop knowledge bases and retrieval systems using vector databases and hybrid search architectures * Create context assembly pipelines combining structured data, documents, APIs, and historical outputs * Enable AI systems to operate on unified semantic representations rather than raw data Semantic layer & knowledge graphs. * Architect and manage knowledge graphs representing fan, content, and business entity relationships * Define and maintain a semantic layer standardizing metrics, features, and business concepts * Design ontologies, taxonomies, and entity models for fan behavior and identity * Implement graph-based reasoning and enrichment workflows * Ensure semantic consistency across analytics, ML, and operational systems LLM & applied AI systems. * Design and build retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems grounded in semantic data * Integrate LLMs for reasoning over structured and unstructured data * Develop pipelines translating natural language into structured outputs such as queries and analytical tasks * Build and optimize context pipelines improving LLM grounding and factual accuracy * Evaluate and integrate open-weight models for domain-specific reasoning * Fine-tune or adapt models using parameter-efficient techniques * Support deployment of LLM systems in private or on-prem GPU environments * Optimize inference workflows for latency, cost, and scalability * Enable LLM-driven workflows that reason over semantic data and retrieval systems Platform & infrastructure. * Build scalable, production-grade services and APIs for semantic and AI systems * Work with vector and graph databases to support retrieval and reasoning * Integrate structured data, documents, APIs, and model outputs * Partner with data engineering on batch and real-time pipelines * Ensure systems meet performance and reliability requirements Governance, evaluation & reliability. * Design evaluation frameworks for retrieval quality and LLM output correctness * Monitor system performance, relevance, and model behavior * Establish guardrails for explainability, traceability, and data attribution * Ensure safe and reliable generation of structured outputs * Mitigate risks related to bias, data leakage, and inconsistencies Cross-Functional collaboration. * Collaborate with product, analytics, and engineering teams on AI use cases * Translate business problems into systems combining semantic data and LLM reasoning * Partner with ML teams to improve model performance through better grounding * Mentor engineers and establish best practices Qualifications * Master's degree or higher in computer science, engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience * 8-10+ years of experience in ML engineering, data systems, or applied AI * Strong expertise in Python, SQL, and production software engineering * Deep experience with semantic data modeling, ontologies, and entity resolution * Hands-on experience with embeddings, vector search, and retrieval systems * Experience building and deploying LLM-powered systems including RAG * Experience building production-grade AI systems at scale * Strong understanding of distributed systems and data architecture Preferred qualifications. * Experience with knowledge graphs and graph databases * Experience designing semantic layers or feature stores * Experience with open-weight LLMs and model adaptation * Familiarity with on-prem or private GPU deployments * Experience with modern data platforms (AWS, Snowflake, Databricks) * Background in marketing analytics, personalization, or customer data platforms Total Rewards Major League Soccer offers a competitive starting base salary of $235,000-$260,000, based on individual qualifications, market financials, and operational business needs. We are committed to providing a Total Rewards package that attracts, supports, engages, and retains talent. Our benefits package includes comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, a $500 wellness reimbursement, and generous Holiday and PTO schedule to promote work-life balance. We also prioritize career and professional development, offering on-the-job training, feedback, and ongoing educational opportunities. Major League Soccer believes in the value of in-person collaboration to support teamwork, creativity, and connection. Employees in this role are expected to work a four (4) day in-office schedule, with the flexibility to work remotely one (1) day each week, based on business and department needs. Major League Soccer is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Major League Soccer is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the application and hiring process, as well as during employment. Applicants who require an accommodation may contact Human Resources to request assistance. Join our team and help support the growth and success of Major League Soccer. About Major League Soccer

Kaylyn Kyle announces MLS departure. Former Canadian soccer star Kaylyn Kyle is leaving MLS after four years as a host and analyst on the league's Apple TV broadcasts. Throughout its Apple TV era, former Canadian soccer star Kaylyn Kyle has been a fixture as a key host for their studio presentation. Kyle had 101 caps for Canada from 2007 to 2018, winning a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics and playing for several NWSL clubs. She then transitioned into the media world, first with TSN in Canada and then with Inter Miami as a sideline reporter, before joining MLS in 2023. Video Muted On Wednesday, Kyle stated in an Instagram post that she is leaving MLS for a new opportunity after four years with the league. "The Hardest Goodbye. Four years ago, I started a new chapter with Major League Soccer and Apple TV, never knowing just how deeply it would shape me, challenge me, and quietly change my life in all the best ways. I'm incredibly proud of what we created, the memories we made, and the opportunities this job gave me. But the hardest part of leaving isn't the job - it's the people," Kyle wrote in an Instagram post. She also shared, "I'm so excited for this next chapter, but walking away from the people who made these four years so full of love is incredibly hard. I'm leaving the job, but I'm carrying my 5 best friends, every memory, and all the love with me." When reached by Awful Announcing, Major League Soccer confirmed Kyle's last show will be August 19th. Kyle was a major part of the MLS on Apple team, appearing on MLS Countdown and MLS 360. She has been active on Leagues Cup coverage this month, with league play taking a break for the MLS-Liga MX competition. It will be fascinating to see what is next for Kaylyn Kyle. During the 2026 FIFA World Cup, she worked for Fox Sports as a host of the network's digital coverage alongside several other soccer stars from across America and around the globe. Given Kyle's experience as a host, analyst, and reporter, she would make for a great addition to any network currently covering soccer. The beginning of the European campaigns is just a couple of weeks away, and pretty much all the major networks now have a slice of the action, whether it's NBC with the Premier League, ESPN with La Liga, CBS with Serie A and the Champions League, USA with the Bundesliga, and Fox with international coverage. Looking ahead, Netflix will also have to build out a talent roster for its presentation of the 2027 Women's World Cup next summer. So there's no shortage of opportunities out there as Kyle looks towards what might be next.