Principal Machine Learning Engineer
Axon Enterprise
Seattle, WA · $177k–$283k a day · Posted March 10, 2026
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Where Seattle, WA ranks
Where Seattle, WA placed in our monthly rankings, month by month. Each month stays online at its own address.
November 2026
- #1Cities with the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree in the Pacific Northwest316 jobs · of 8
- #1Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the Pacific Northwest1,776 openings · of 14
- #2Best cities for energy and utilities pay after cost of living$180k · of 18
- #2Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills in the Pacific Northwest17% · of 12
- #2Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the Pacific Northwest26% · of 17
- #2Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the West Coast1,776 openings · of 60
Rankings about data & analytics jobs
- Best cities for data and analytics jobs #1 New York (1,713 openings)
- Best cities for data and analytics pay after cost of living #1 Foster ($232k)
- Most requested AI skills in data and analytics jobs #1 Machine learning engineering (17.1%)
- AI tools named most often in data and analytics jobs #1 Databricks (7.6%)
- Employers with the most data and analytics jobs #1 Amazon (711 roles)
Data & Analytics jobs · Top Data & Analytics employers · All rankings
Pay compared with the market
This listing does not state pay. Across 28 open principal machine learning engineer listings that state pay, the middle half runs $246,000 to $315,000 and the median is $272,500.
Listed pay is what employers advertise, not what people are paid.
Principal Machine Learning Engineer salaries by state · Check your own pay
How AI is used in this kind of work
Among computer occupations, all other, AI is already used for a large share of the tasks. Measured exposure for computer occupations, all other: 31% (high).
Share of this job’s tasks that AI is already used for at work, from real usage. It is not a forecast of job loss, and a low number means no use seen yet. Source: Anthropic Economic Index.
Skills this job asks for
Say which you have and which you want to build. We use it to match you to jobs like this one.
About the job
Join Axon and be a Force for Good.
At Axon, we’re on a mission to Protect Life. We’re explorers, pursuing society’s most critical safety and justice issues with our ecosystem of devices and cloud software. Like our products, we work better together. We connect with candor and care, seeking out diverse perspectives from our customers, communities and each other.
Life at Axon is fast-paced, challenging and meaningful. Here, you’ll take ownership and drive real change. Constantly grow as you work hard for a mission that matters at a company where you matter.
Your Impact
Are you passionate about AI? Do you love engineering solutions enabling fast, cutting-edge science? Are you eager to contribute to building products impacting the world for the greater good?
As a Principal ML Engineer at Dedrone, you will contribute to architecting and implementing the platform used by Dedrone scientists to bring safe, secure, reliable AI features to the field of counter UAS devices. Collaborating closely with scientists and software engineers, you will enable new AI capabilities for Dedrone products. As part of a multidisciplinary team, you will be exposed to a wide range of domains and applications: from Multi-modal Sensor Fusion to Real Time Systems with distributed edge compute.
The ideal candidate will have a consistent track record of successfully optimizing models for the edge and deploying AI models at the edge, including on device with limited memory & connectivity, to serve users world wide. They will understand the AI lifecycle and be capable of supporting scientists end-to-end along the development of new machine learning models and AI capabilities, leading to better and more responsible AI solutions. They are willing to be bold and stand up to support the team in enabling drone safety measures across Public Safety, Enterprise and Defense domains.
What You’ll Do
Location: Hybrid from Seattle, WA Reports to: Director of Artificial Intelligence
Architect and develop secure, privacy-preserving, on device solutions to enable the continuous improvement of existing AI models.
Collaborate with scientists in architecting and implementing state-of-the-art edge distributed training techniques.
Implement on device monitoring solutions used for continuous model improvement
Implement innovative model compression solutions to enable AI at the edge.
Impact the team by bringing your own expertise and deep knowledge of the state-of-the-art to introduce new techniques leading to tangible impact in terms of model fairness, performance, and platform scalability.
What You Bring
Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or an equivalent highly technical field.
13+ years of software engineering experience and a proven track record of successfully architecting and maintaining large-scale distributed platforms.
Experience with AI on chips, on device model deployment and management.
Proficiency in python, C++, familiarity with ML frameworks such as TensorFlow, or PyTorch.
Advanced knowledge and hands-on experience with on chips development.
Excellent problem solving skills and ability to dive into system architecture, design, performance metrics, code, test plans, project plans, deployments and operations
Comfort communicating and interacting with scientists, engineers and product managers.
Preferred
Master’s Degree or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or an equivalent highly technical field.
Hands-on experience in solving Computer Vision or Natural Language Understanding problems in a business setting.
Familiarity with responsible AI, de-biasing, model encryption and de-identification techniques.
Benefits that Benefit You
Competitive salary and 401k with employer match
Discretionary paid time off
Paid parental leave for all
Medical, Dental, Vision plans
Fitness Programs
Emotional & Mental Wellness support
Learning & Development programs
Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
And yes, we have snacks in our offices
Benefits listed herein may vary depending on the nature of your employment and the location where you work.
Location: This role is based out of our Seattle, WA office and follows a hybrid schedule. We rely on in-person collaboration and ask that team members work onsite Tuesdays through Fridays, with the flexibility to work remotely on Mondays, unless there is an approved workplace accommodation. We believe that connection fuels innovation, and our in-office culture is designed to foster meaningful teamwork, mentorship, and shared success.
#LI-Hybrid
Axon is a total compensation company, meaning compensation is made up of base pay, bonus, and stock awards. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: level, function, training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs, geographic market, and often a combination of all these factors. Our benefits offer an array of options to help support you physically, financially and emotionally through the big milestones and in your everyday life. To see more details on our benefits offerings please visit https://www.axon.com/careers .
Base Pay Range $177,000 — $283,200 USD
Don’t meet every single requirement? That's ok. At Axon, we Aim Far. We think big with a long-term view because we want to reinvent the world to be a safer, better place. We are also committed to building diverse teams that reflect the communities we serve.
Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they check every box in the job description. If you’re excited about this role and our mission to Protect Life but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification listed here, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Important Notes
The above job description is not intended as, nor should it be construed as, exhaustive of all duties, responsibilities, skills, efforts, or working conditions associated with this job. The job description may change or be supplemented at any time in accordance with business needs and conditions.
Some roles may also require legal eligibility to work in a firearms environment.
We collect personal information from applicants to evaluate candidates for employment. You may request access, deletion, or exercise other CCPA rights at axongreenhousesupport@axon.com or via our Axon Privacy Web Form . For more information, please see the Your California Privacy Rights section of our Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice.
Axon’s mission is to Protect Life and is committed to the well-being and safety of its employees as well as Axon’s impact on the environment. All Axon employees must be aware of and committed to the appropriate environmental, health, and safety regulations, policies, and procedures. Axon employees are empowered to report safety concerns as they arise and activities potentially impacting the environment.
We are an equal opportunity employer that promotes justice, advances equity, values diversity and fosters inclusion. We’re committed to hiring the best talent — regardless of race, creed, color, ancestry, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances — and empowering all of our employees so they can do their best work. If you have a disability or special need that requires assistance or accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email recruitingops@axon.com. Please note that this email address is for accommodation purposes only. Axon will not respond to inquiries for other purposes.
Phishing alert: Axon will never ask you to pay for any part of the hiring process, including training, equipment, or background checks. We do not make job offers via text message, WhatsApp, or instant messaging platforms without a formal interview process. All legitimate job openings are listed on our official careers page at https://www.axon.com/careers . If you receive a suspicious offer or outreach from an email address that is not @axon.com , or if you are asked for sensitive personal information (bank details, Social Security Number) prematurely, please ignore the message and report it to recruitingops@axon.com .