Language Engineer II, Alexa International

Industry: Machine Learning Science

Company: Amazon

Are you a linguist with technical aptitude? Or are you an engineer with a passion for (human) languages and linguistics? Come work on Alexa! We are building the speech and language solutions behind Amazon Echo and other Amazon products and services. Our goal is to delight our customers by adding new features to Alexa and by improving the accuracy of our existing speech recognition and natural language processing systems.

We are seeking a Computational Linguist / Language Engineer with experience in the field of Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, or Large Language Models, expertise in handling large data sets, and strong analytic skills. You will play a critical role in driving innovation and advancing the state-of-the-art in natural language processing and machine learning. You will work closely with cross-functional teams, including product managers, engineers, and data scientists to ensure we’re providing the best Alexa experience for millions of our customers.

Key job responsibilities
• tDesign data collection/creation tasks in response to science needs: author instructions, define and implement quality targets and mechanisms, provide day-to-day coordination of data collection efforts (including planning, scheduling, and reporting), and be responsible for the final deliverables
• tAnalyze large or noisy language data sets and accurately describe patterns to derive conclusions and inform language modeling decisions
• tAutomate the team’s work on difficult language data problems through scripts or programs (e.g. Python, Perl, regular expressions, Excel formulas, etc.)
• tUse modeling tools to bootstrap or test new functionalities
• tCollaborate with scientists and software engineers to evaluate performance of language models
• tHandle competing requests from a range of data customers
• tApply statistical NLP methods in practical application

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
• tMasters or higher degree in a relevant field (computational linguistics or equivalent field with computational analysis), or 3-5 years comparable experience in computational linguistics or language data processing
• tExperience with language annotation and other forms of data markup
• tExperience with scripting languages, such as Python
• tExperience working with speech and text language data in multiple languages
• tComfortable working in a fast paced, highly collaborative, dynamic work environment
• tExcellent communication, strong organizational skills and detail-oriented

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
• tPhD in Computational Linguistics (or equivalent field with computational emphasis)
• tNative-level fluency in Arabic, Hindi, or Japanese
• tExpertise in bootstrapping language data collections in a quickly changing environment
• tComfortable working with speech and text language data in multiple languages
• tExperience in writing grammars and building FSTs
• tExperience with statistical language modeling
• tPractical knowledge of version control and agile development
• tFamiliarity with database queries and data analysis processes (SQL, R, Matlab, etc.)
• tWillingness to support several projects at one time, and to accept reprioritization as necessary
• tAble to think creatively and possess strong analytical and problem solving skills

Amazon is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. For individuals with disabilities who would like to request an accommodation, please visit https://www.amazon.jobs/en/disability/us.

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several US geographic markets. The base pay for this position ranges from $67,700/year in our lowest geographic market up to $151,400/year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on a number of factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Amazon is a total compensation company. Dependent on the position offered, equity, sign-on payments, and other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. For more information, please visit https://www.aboutamazon.com/workplace/employee-benefits. This position will remain posted until filled. Applicants should apply via our internal or external career site.