Machine Learning Scientist

About SOVRA

SOVRA is a leading public procurement platform trusted by more than 7,000 government agencies and over 1 million suppliers across North America. Our work sits at the intersection of technology, public service, and accountability, helping governments operate more efficiently and transparently on behalf of the communities they serve.

Our solutions are purpose-built to solve real, complex procurement challenges, balancing compliance with usability and innovation. This commitment has been recognized with the Achievement of Excellence in Procurement (AEP) Certification from the National Procurement Institute, reflecting our high standards and impact in the market.

At SOVRA, every improvement helps public organizations stretch taxpayer dollars further, operate with greater transparency, and deliver better outcomes for millions of people. We're a growing, mission-driven company where smart, curious people come together to build technology that serves the public good.

Summary of the role

In this role, you'll be dedicated to researching, designing, and deploying advanced machine learning solutions that transform large volumes of unstructured textual data into meaningful, actionable insights. The Machine Learning Scientist will play a key part in developing information-extraction models, text-classification systems, and intelligent recommendation engines—directly supporting our enterprise clients across construction, engineering, consulting, and software.

You will also contribute to the evolution of our cutting-edge market intelligence platform powered by our generative AI Copilot, Oliver, which helps customers detect opportunities early through comprehensive and data-driven insights. Joining our agile scale-up environment means stepping into a culture where innovation, collaboration, and rapid problem-solving define how we build and deliver value.

Main responsibilities

• Research & Innovation: Explore, test, and compare state-of-the-art machine learning and NLP techniques to address complex text-based challenges.
• Information Extraction: Design models that automatically identify entities, relationships, and key concepts within large unstructured datasets.
• Text Classification: Build and optimize classification systems to categorize documents by themes, intent, or industry context.
• Recommendation Systems: Develop algorithms that deliver personalized, relevant content recommendations to users of our intelligence platform.
• Model Deployment & Maintenance: Implement production-ready ML solutions, monitor their performance, and continuously improve model accuracy and reliability.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with product, engineering, and data teams to enhance Oliver's capabilities and support platform innovation.
• Develop, deploy, and maintain production-ready scalable ML models.
• Develop and test data processing pipelines.
• Stay up to date with the state of the art in NLP research.

Desired profile

• Ability to comfortably switch between independent and collaborative work
• Excellent organizational skills and able to balance multiple projects
• In-depth knowledge and experience with LLMs
• Knowledge of recommender systems and data mining is a plus

Qualifications

• M.Sc. in computer science, statistics, applied mathematics, data science, or related fields
• Excellent knowledge and experience with various machine learning packages and models (e.g., PyTorch, Scikit-Learn)
• Experience with ML lifecycle tools (e.g. MLflow, dvc, weights & biases)
• Experience developing workflows and models on cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP)
• Required: Authorized to work in Canada—unfortunately we are not able to sponsor work visas or transfers at this time.

Location

Alberta

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Thank you for your interest in SOVRA. However, only selected candidates will be contacted.

At SOVRA, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and equitable workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. We provide a work environment free from discrimination and harassment. In addition, we are committed to ensuring pay equity across our organization and regularly review our compensation practices.