Application Guide
How to Apply for Senior Software Engineer
at AECOM
🏢 About AECOM
AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting firm focused on sustainable development, making it unique for engineers who want their technical work to have tangible environmental and societal impact. Unlike pure tech companies, AECOM integrates software engineering with real-world infrastructure challenges, offering the chance to build systems that support projects like resilient cities, clean water, and renewable energy. Working here means contributing to 'sustainable legacies' through technology that serves public good.
About This Role
This Senior Software Engineer role specifically bridges software engineering and ML operations, focusing on deploying and scaling AI models for infrastructure and environmental solutions. You'll be responsible for turning research into production-ready tools that optimize AECOM's projects, such as predictive maintenance for infrastructure or environmental monitoring systems. The impact lies in ensuring these AI workloads run reliably at scale, directly supporting the company's mission of innovative, sustainable solutions.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve collaborating with data scientists to refine an AI model for environmental monitoring, then using Python to deploy and monitor it in a cloud-based production system. You could spend time optimizing database schemas for scalability, troubleshooting reliability issues in ML pipelines, or designing services that integrate with AECOM's infrastructure projects, ensuring models run efficiently to support sustainable outcomes.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who AECOM Is Looking For
- Has 7+ years of experience specifically in platform engineering or ML systems, with a track record of deploying and monitoring AI models in production environments.
- Demonstrates depth in Python for AI workloads, combined with strong software engineering fundamentals like system architecture, database design, and reliability improvements.
- Can articulate experience in making trade-offs in areas like database schema evolution and scaling systems, ideally within infrastructure or environmental domains.
- Shows ability to collaborate effectively in cross-functional teams, likely with researchers, data scientists, and infrastructure engineers, to operationalize machine learning.
📝 Tips for Applying to AECOM
Tailor your resume to highlight specific projects where you deployed AI/ML models at scale, emphasizing Python, system architecture, and reliability improvements—avoid generic software engineering bullet points.
Research AECOM's recent projects (e.g., smart cities, environmental monitoring) and mention in your application how your ML ops experience could apply to their infrastructure challenges.
Use the cover letter to explain why you're drawn to AECOM's sustainability focus, linking your technical skills to their mission of 'building sustainable legacies'.
Prepare examples of how you've resolved issues or made trade-offs in database design or schema evolution, as this is explicitly mentioned in the job description.
If you have experience in regulated or infrastructure-related industries, highlight it, as AECOM's work often involves compliance and real-world constraints.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
['Emphasize your experience in ML operations and platform engineering, specifically with Python, and how it aligns with deploying AI for scalable, production systems.', "Connect your background to AECOM's sustainability goals, explaining how your work can contribute to infrastructure or environmental solutions (e.g., optimizing energy use or predictive analytics).", 'Highlight collaboration skills, as the role requires turning research into tools—mention experience working with data scientists or researchers.', "Provide a brief example of a past project where you improved reliability or scaled an AI workload, tying it to the job's focus on 'production-ready tools'."]
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Explore AECOM's recent projects and reports on sustainable infrastructure (e.g., their work on climate resilience or digital twins) to understand their technical applications.
- → Look into AECOM's technology initiatives or blog posts about AI and software in infrastructure, to gauge their current tech stack and priorities.
- → Research the company's values and ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) commitments, as sustainability is core to their mission.
- → Check for news on AECOM's remote work culture and how they support distributed teams in engineering roles.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Submitting a generic resume that doesn't highlight ML ops or platform engineering experience—this role is niche and requires specific skills.
- Failing to mention sustainability or infrastructure in your application, which could suggest a lack of alignment with AECOM's mission.
- Overemphasizing research or academic ML experience without demonstrating production deployment and scalability, as the role focuses on operationalizing models.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!