Applied ML Engineer

Adaption Labs; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual travel stipend

Weekly meal allowance

Comprehensive medical benefits

Generous paid time off

Job summary

Adaption Labs is seeking an Applied ML Engineer to bridge applied research and product development in San Francisco. You will work closely with customers to identify issues, implement ML solutions, and drive results across diverse environments. Ideal candidates have strong experience in machine learning and excellent communication skills.

The role offers a flexible work environment, an annual travel stipend, and a lunch allowance, along with comprehensive medical benefits and paid time off. Join us in shaping the future of adaptable intelligence.

Qualifications

• 4+ years in machine learning or applied research.
• 2+ years in a customer-facing technical role.
• Strong software engineering background.

Responsibilities

• Identify and build solutions for customer problems.
• Design and implement production-grade ML systems.
• Deliver technical presentations and demos.

Skills

Machine learning experience

Software engineering skills

Familiarity with ML frameworks

Communication skills

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

JAX

Job description

We're looking for an Applied ML Engineer who thrives at the intersection of applied research and building real-world products, and who's equally comfortable sitting across from a customer as they are in the codebase.

You'll work directly with strategic customers tackling some of their most consequential problems — figuring out where our platform falls short, and building the ML solutions that close the gap. Then you'll do it again for the next customer with an entirely different domain, data landscape, and set of constraints. The problems you solve in the field become the product.

Responsibilities

Find and Unlock Alpha: Go deep on customer problems and data workflows to identify the highest-leverage opportunities others miss — then build the solutions that capture them.

Ship What's Missing: When the product doesn't cover it, you do. Identify gaps through hands-on customer engagement and implement production-grade ML solutions that fill them.

Drive Adaptable Data Strategy: Lead the design and implementation of efficient, adaptive ML systems across real production environments and varied customer tech stacks.

Own the Outcome: You're not handing off a deck — you're a strategic and technical partner from discovery through deployment, accountable for results.

Raise the Bar: Develop compelling demos, deliver technical presentations to senior stakeholders, and set the standard for what great looks like across our customer base.

Qualifications

4+ years of experience in machine learning, applied research, or systems-level engineering for AI; 2+ years in a customer-facing technical role

Strong software engineering skills and familiarity with ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow)

Solid understanding of data modeling for training and how curation decisions shape model performance

Excellent communication skills and the ability to translate complex technical work into business impact across varied stakeholder environments

A mindset of ownership, curiosity, and a bias toward action

Bonus: Experience with online learning, reinforcement learning, or efficient ML architectures

Bonus: Experience training or fine-tuning models using human feedback, reward signals, or other adaptive learning techniques

Above all, we're looking for great teammates who make work feel lighter and aren't afraid to go out on a limb with bold ideas. You don't need to be perfect, but you do need to be adaptable. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check every box.

About Us

Most AI is frozen in place - it doesn't adapt to the world. We think that's backwards. Our mandate is to build efficient intelligence that evolves in real-time. Our vision is AI systems that are flexible, personalized, and accessible to everyone. We believe efficiency is what makes this possible - it's how we expand access and ensure innovation benefits the many, not the few. We believe in talent density: bringing together the best and most driven individuals to push the boundaries of continual adaptation. We're looking for builders and creative thinkers ready to shape the next era of intelligence.

Flexible work: In-person collaboration in the Bay Area, a distributed global-first team, and team offsites.

Adaption Passport: Annual travel stipend to explore a country you've never visited. We're building intelligence that evolves alongside you, so we encourage you to keep expanding your horizons.

Lunch Stipend: Weekly meal allowance for take-out or grocery delivery.

Well-Being: Comprehensive medical benefits and generous paid time off.