Machine Learning Engineer Intern

Location: USA, CA, Pleasanton

Your work days are brighter here.

We’re obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we’re shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most. The minute you join, you’ll feel it. Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other. Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm. We’re in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care. We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun-drenched optimism and drive. Whether you're building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you’ll do meaningful work with Workmates who’ve got your back. In return, we’ll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul. So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you’ve found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too.

About the Team

The Workday Machine Learning team researches, builds, and deploys the engine that powers the heart of Workday’s intelligent core — a platform supporting 37+ million users and growing. Our engineers work with innovative technologies and help build real-life products that improve the lives of the world’s professionals.

Our mission is to make machine learning and AI core to Workday’s products. We build data products and AI solutions designed to scale across hundreds of use cases throughout the Workday platform. Our team is passionate about teaching and learning, so bring your curiosity, share your perspective, and learn with us as we change the way millions of people work.

About the Role

As a Machine Learning Engineer Intern, you’ll help develop Workday’s intelligent core by contributing to the scalable AI and ML platforms that power personalized experiences for millions of users. Working alongside experienced engineers and researchers, you’ll help design, implement, and deploy machine learning models and large language model applications that support innovative data products.

Most of your time will be spent writing production-quality code, running experiments, and working with large datasets to improve model and system performance. This is an opportunity to apply your software engineering and machine learning knowledge to real-world products that support customers at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Contribute across the full machine learning lifecycle, from data processing and experimentation through model and system deployment

Apply machine learning and AI techniques, including deep learning and LLM-based approaches such as retrieval and prompt tuning, to power search and enhance the user experience

Write production-quality code and build scalable components that support AI and ML products across the Workday platform

Build and deploy APIs and microservices using a modern engineering stack, including Docker and Kubernetes

Design and run evaluations to measure model and system quality, using results to guide what to improve or build next

Workday Early Career Programs

In addition to collaborating with experienced Machine Learning Engineers, you’ll engage in our Early Career Programs — specifically structured to support and empower you to succeed throughout your internship!

Workday Intern Program

Brighter work days start with real work and real support from a community that helps you shine from day one. During our in-person internship experience, you’ll jump into meaningful projects and see how your ideas can help shape the future of work.

Interns build enterprise skills through applied learning, personalized coaching, and connection events designed so our Early Talent can bring their best self to work. If you’re invested in your growth, team-oriented, and ready to bring fresh ideas to work that makes an impact, we’d love to meet you. The future is now — apply today to launch your career as a member of the Workday Intern Program.

P&T Atmosphere

As a member of the Product & Technology org, you’ll participate in our P&T Atmosphere program — a dedicated investment in your growth that offers tailored technical training and deep dives into the Workday ecosystem. This specialized program equips you with job-critical skills and connects you directly with P&T leaders and peers to fast-track your technical career.

#LI-DNI

About You

Basic Qualifications

Currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master's degree program in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related degree program

Less than 12 months of previous professional work experience

Anticipated graduation date between December 2027 and June 2028

Available for a full-time, in-person, 12-week internship for the Summer of 2027 in the listed locations, and you will return to your university degree program after the conclusion of the internship

Experience with both software engineering and machine learning engineering concepts through coursework, research, internships, or personal projects

Experience programming in Python or another language used for machine learning, data processing, or software development

Experience with one or more of the following: Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), Natural Language Processing (NLP), Pandas, PySpark, or AWS

Familiarity with AI tooling such as Gemini, Claude, Cursor, Codex, or similar tools

Other Qualifications

Interest in LLM-based approaches, such as retrieval, prompt tuning, embeddings, or model evaluation

Curiosity and eagerness to learn, with an interest in how AI and ML systems are developed, tested, deployed, and improved over time

Excellent communication skills, both verba