Jobs in the automotive industry: Machine Learning Engineer

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The automotive industry and its suppliers are in the midst of a disruptive transformation. The change from the combustion engine to the electric motor alone will fundamentally change one of the key industries, also and especially in the world of work. Numerous jobs will be eliminated, while new ones will be created and many will change. In a thematic focus we want to shed light on jobs in the car industry and its suppliers that did not exist in this form a few years ago, but will become more important in the next ten years. Companies will be looking for suitably trained employees even more than they already are. Their chances on the labour market are likely to be excellent.

Dr. Ole Brodersen is a Machine Learning Engineer and Solutions Architect at Mercedes-Benz. This encompasses a wide range of tasks from data preparation to programming and data analysis. Machine learning, the associated analyses and the resulting evaluations have become a central component of driving automation. Mercedes-Benz in particular is excelling in this area, with the first production-approved vehicle to offer SAE Level 3 autonomy: In some models of the S-Class or in the EQS, the electronics can drive through traffic jams without driver intervention. However, the application areas of the technology are diverse, with new ways of looking at data coming into use every day, many of them automatically generated from machine learning.

What is the core of the job?

The job of a data engineer is to digitally process and prepare large amounts of data so that others can make good decisions on this basis.

What are the typical tasks in that?

As a data engineer, I bring together data from different sources and prepare it in such a way that I can use it to train special machine learning models, for example. I can then integrate these into existing IT systems to optimise them or expand them with new functions.

What is special about the job?

For me, the versatility of the job is what makes it special. I programme, deal with machine learning and of course also with data analysis. And all this with the aim of solving complex problems as intelligently as possible using existing data. This always involves the direct application and technical feasibility of the solutions.

What does the job in the Mercedes-Benz Group mean?

Dealing with large amounts of data and machine learning have become indispensable in many areas at Mercedes-Benz, such as automated and autonomous driving. Accordingly, machine learning engineers are important, as they further increase the maturity and number of productively applicable solutions.

How did you get this job?

My research in the field of operations research on metaheuristics at the University of Göttingen, the associated analysis of large amounts of data and the subsequent work as a product owner for systems in the globally distributed production locations at Mercedes-Benz have allowed the desire to work as a data scientist to mature in me. Over time, the focus shifted towards the activities of a Machine Learning Engineer and Solution Architect. That's why I took the opportunity to further qualify myself internally as a Data Engineer.

What training(s) do people who are interested in the job need?

For the job as a data engineer, an academic education is an advantage. Currently, however, there is also the possibility of qualifying for this great job through further training as a data worker, even without previous studies. Courses or certifications in the areas of machine learning, artificial intelligence or programming are advantageous. In addition, practical experience through projects, internships or research activities in the field of data science and machine learning are of great benefit.

What interests should one have in order to be motivated to do the job?

If you want to become a data engineer, you should love two things: Analysing data and solving complex tasks. Of course, a keen interest in topics such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and technology in general is also helpful. A strong analytical mind, curiosity and the willingness to continuously learn in order to keep up with new technologies are also valuable qualities.

Complete the sentence for those interested in this job: "To find a place here, you need ..."

... enjoyment of new technologies, data and programming, a fair amount of curiosity, the courage to take on big tasks and fun working out solutions in a team.

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