AI Platform Engineer II

University Operations: The University Operations division at UCF is committed to creating a supportive and welcoming environment for our faculty, staff, students, and the broader community. We take pride in delivering exceptional service, sharing our expertise, and upholding the highest standards to ensure a world-class campus experience. Visit our website or follow us on Facebook and Instagram to learn more. The Opportunity: UCF IT is looking to hire an AI Platform Engineer II. This position supports UCF’s AI platform operations by helping operate, monitor, and maintain core AI services, including AI Gateway, API Management, model-serving environments, and local GPU compute resources. This position supports reliable AI service delivery, local model life cycle management, and operational readiness for model hosting, fine-tuning, training, and inference workloads in alignment with university governance, privacy, and security standards. Classification Title: Systems Engineer II Responsibilities: Operate, monitor, and support AI platform services including the AI Gateway, API Management, model-serving endpoints, and related back-end services. Monitor availability, latency, errors, capacity, and service health; troubleshoot routine issues and escalate complex incidents to senior staff. Assist with operating local GPU nodes and compute environments used for model hosting, fine-tuning, training, and inference workloads. Support resource utilization, environment configuration, operational readiness, and routine maintenance of compute services. Maintain the life cycle of approved local models, including version tracking, deployment support, retirement planning, documentation, and alignment with governance, security, and operational standards. Support CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure-as-code configurations, container deployments, observability tooling, and repeatable deployment patterns for AI services and integrations. Apply established governance, privacy, and security standards to AI deployments, including authentication, authorization, logging, data handling, and responsible AI controls. Support Entra ID, OAuth/OIDC, and role-based access patterns for AI platform services. Maintain architecture diagrams, standard operating procedures, runbooks, model inventories, service dashboards, usage reports, cost reporting, and capacity metrics for AI platform operations. Assist senior engineers, AI Center of Excellence staff, and campus partners with routine platform questions, on boarding support, workshops, and operational guidance related to supported AI services. Other duties as assigned. Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree and 2 years of relevant experience; or High School Diploma (or equivalent) and 6 years of relevant work experience in lieu of degree; or an equivalent combination of education and experience pursuant to Fla. Stat. 112.219(6). Preferred Qualifications: Experience supporting enterprise AI, machine learning, cloud, or platform services, including API management, model-serving environments, and application integrations. Knowledge of containerization and modern deployment technologies such as Docker, Kubernetes, infrastructure-as-code, CI/CD pipelines, and automated deployment practices. Experience administering or supporting Linux-based server environments, GPU-enabled compute infrastructure, high-performance computing resources, or cloud-hosted AI workloads. Familiarity with identity and access management technologies, including Microsoft Entra ID, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC), role-based access controls, and enterprise authentication frameworks. Experience utilizing monitoring, observability, and reporting tools to track service health, system performance, capacity utilization, availability, and operational metrics. Knowledge of AI governance, data privacy, cybersecurity, and responsible AI principles, including model lifecycle management, auditability, documentation, and compliance with organizational standards. Special Instructions to the Applicants: Position requires a valid Class E driver’s license. The position may involve driving to various locations on and off campus to conduct University business. The anticipated salary range for this position is $64,518 to $72,000. The final salary will be determined based on the candidate's qualifications, experience, and internal equity considerations. If you are selected as the final candidate for an employment opportunity, both your position and salary will be significantly based upon the information that you have provided in your application for employment. We urge you to please take the time to complete the application in its entirety. All applicants must be authorized to work for any U.S. employer. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position, and the university cannot accommodate H‑1B transfers or employment-based visa processing for individuals currently sponsored by another employer. This role requires the successful candidate to work on-site at UCF as their primary work location. On-site presence is an essential function of this role. Classification Title: Systems Engineer II Are you ready to unleash YOUR potential? As a next-generation public research university and Forbes-ranked top employer in Florida, we are a community of thinkers, doers, creators, innovators, healers, and leaders striving to create broader prosperity and help shape a better future. No matter what your role is, when you join Knight Nation, you’ll play an integral role at one of the most impactful universities in the country. You’ll be met with opportunities to connect and collaborate with talented faculty, staff, and students across 12 colleges and multiple campuses, engaging in impactful work that makes a positive difference. Your time at UCF will provide you with many meaningful opportunities to grow, you’ll work alongside talented colleagues on complex projects that will challenge you and help you gain new skills, and you’ll have countless rewarding experiences that go well beyond a paycheck. Working at UCF has its perks! UCF offers: Benefit packages, including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending, and Employee Assistance Program Paid time off, including annual and sick time off and paid holidays Retirement savings options Employee discounts, including tickets to many Orlando attractions Education assistance And more…For more benefits information, view the UCF Employee Benefits Guide. Dive into our Total Rewards Calculator to discover the diverse selection available to you, giving you a glimpse into the benefits that together shape your comprehensive rewards package at UCF. Unless explicitly stated on the job posting, it is UCF’s expectation that an employee of UCF will reside in Florida as of the date the employment begins. Department UCF IT Work Schedule Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Type of Appointment Regular Expected Salary $64,518.00 to Negotiable Job Posting End Date 10-16-2026-12-00-AM The University of Central Florida is an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based on any characteristic protected by law. The University maintains programs for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities in accordance with all applicable federal and state laws. As a Florida public university, the University of Central Florida makes all application materials and selection procedures available to the public upon request. UCF is proud to be a smoke-free campus and an E-Verify employer. For general application or posting questions, please email talent@ucf.edu. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please email onac@ucf.edu. A Foundation for Success Founded in 1963 to provide talent for Central Florida and the growing U.S. space program, UCF has been making an impact on the state, the nation — and outer space — ever since. With 12 colleges and more than 230 degree programs, follow your passion at one of our campus locations designed to help you succeed. From the main campus in east Orlando to UCF Downtown and Rosen College of Hospitality Management to the Academic Health Sciences Campus, you’ll have the opportunity to learn in the heart of your industry. UCF also has multiple regional locations and fully online programs — including online bachelor’s degrees, online graduate degrees, online certificates and more — to ensure that you can achieve your dreams whenever and wherever you want.