Data Scientist II, ML Infrastructure

Pinterest; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 114,000 - 235,000; Full time

Job summary

Pinterest is seeking an experienced Data & Applied Scientist to advance ML capabilities and productionize ML workflows at scale. You will translate research-grade pipelines into production systems and collaborate with ML engineers and product teams to improve tooling, metrics, and discovery of insights.

With a focus on causal inference, you will build self-serve tooling and centralized platform components to influence model quality and business outcomes across the company.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of hands-on experience as an applied scientist, ML engineer, or equivalent with ML production exposure.
• Strong Python skills and experience with PyTorch or similar DL frameworks.
• Familiarity with distributed compute (Spark, Ray) and production tooling.
• Proficiency in software development best practices and reproducible ML pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Translate research-grade DS workflows into production ML pipelines using Airflow, WandB & Ray with reusable patterns.
• Apply and productionize causal inference methods (propensity scoring, IPW, TMLE) to address high-stakes measurement questions.
• Partner with ML engineers and product teams to improve tooling, metrics, and measurement methods.
• Leverage metadata and signals to build data-driven frameworks that improve efficiency and speed.
• Design and build centralized ML platform tooling for feature/model creation, evaluation, and trust.

Skills

Python

PyTorch

Spark

Ray

Airflow

WandB

Prefect

Jenkins

Version control

Distributed compute

Reproducible pipelines

Education

Bachelor's/Master's in CS or equivalent

Tools

Airflow

Jenkins

Prefect

Job description

About Pinterest:

Millions of people around the world come to our platform to find creative ideas, dream about new possibilities and plan for memories that will last a lifetime. At Pinterest, we're on a mission to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love, and that starts with the people behind the product.

What you'll do:

We are looking for an experienced and highly capable Data & Applied Scientist to help us drive step function improvements in our ML capabilities at Pinterest.

In this role, you will:

• Translate research-grade DS workflows (e.g., proxy metrics, staleness models) into production ML pipelines using Airflow, WandB & Ray while establishing reusable patterns for other teams.
• Apply and productionize causal inference methods using the production ML stack (propensity scoring, IPW, TMLE) to address high-stakes measurement questions beyond experimental capabilities. Build self-serve tooling to empower non-experts to derive rigorous causal insights at scale.
• Partner with ML engineers and product teams to identify opportunities for improved tooling, metrics, and measurement methods, unlocking step-change improvements in model quality and business outcomes.
• Leverage Pinterest's rich metadata and engagement signals to build data-driven frameworks, from feature importance to content deindexing, that improve platform efficiency and speed.
• Design and build centralized ML platform tooling to improve feature and model creation, evaluation, and trust, including production systems that operate daily at scale across all models.

What we’re looking for:

• 2+ years of hands-on experience as an applied scientist, ML engineer, research scientist or software engineer, with significant ML production experience.
• Strong Python skills; experience with PyTorch or equivalent deep learning frameworks; familiarity with distributed compute (Spark, Ray). Ray specifically is a strong plus.
• Enthusiasm for building tools and platforms that multiply the impact of an entire ML organization; not just solving one-off problems.
• Deep ML theory knowledge with extremely strong fundamentals that can help us reason about ML models from first principles.
• Proficiency in software development best practices including version control, code review, and reproducible ML pipelines.
• Experience with workflow management tools (Airflow, Prefect, Jenkins, or similar) for reliable ML pipeline orchestration.
• Bachelor's/Master's degree in a relevant field such as Computer Science, or equivalent experience.

Relocation Statement:

• This position is not eligible for relocation assistance. Visit our PinFlex page to learn more about our working model.

In-Office Requirement Statement:

• We recognize that the ideal environment for work is situational and may differ across departments. What this looks like day-to-day can vary based on the needs of each organization or role.
• This role will need to be in the office for in-person collaboration 3-5 times/quarter and therefore can be situated anywhere in the country.

At Pinterest we believe the workplace should be equitable, inclusive, and inspiring for every employee.

In an effort to provide greater transparency, we are sharing the base salary range for this position. The position is also eligible for equity. Final salary is based on a number of factors including location, travel, relevant prior experience, or particular skills and expertise.

US based applicants only$114,297—$235,319 USD

Information regarding the culture at Pinterest and benefits available for this position can be found here.

Our Commitment to Inclusion:

Pinterest is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. We want to have the best qualified people in every job. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, physical or mental disability, medical condition or genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state or local laws. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you require a medical or religious accommodation during the job application process, please completethis form for support. By submitting this application, I certify that all information submitted in my application and throughout the hiring process is true, accurate, and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand that any false statement, omission, or misrepresentation may disqualify me from employment consideration or result in termination if discovered after hire.