Machine Learning Engineer II, Computer Vision Applied Science

Pinterest; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 138,905 - 285,982; Full time

Job summary

Pinterest is seeking a Research Engineer to enhance vision-centric LLMs. This role involves prototyping model architectures, developing evaluation benchmarks, and mentoring interns.

Candidates should possess 2+ years of industry experience in computer vision and hold an M.S. or PhD in Machine Learning or Computer Science. A collaborative and inclusive work environment is promoted, with occasional in-office collaboration.

Salary range: $138,905 – $285,982 USD.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of industry computer vision experience.
• Experience working with generative computer vision models.

Responsibilities

• Prototype new model architectures for Pinterest VLMs.
• Develop new evaluation benchmarks tailored to vision‑centric capabilities.
• Read research papers and participate in group discussions.
• Help with collection of relevant visual training data.
• Publish and publicize your work via conferences and blog posts.
• Mentor junior researchers within the Pinterest Labs organization.

Skills

Generative computer vision models

Visual encoders

LLMs

Hands-on experience

Education

M.S. or PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, or related areas

Tools

Cursor

Copilot

Codex

AI coding assistants

Job description

Our visual modeling team is currently seeking new members to focus on the advancement of vision‑centric LLMs. We are building VLMs capable of perceiving intricate visual details and understanding user aesthetics to facilitate communication through visual assets using tools like multimodal search and text‑to‑image models. This role offers the opportunity to work with Pinterest's unique visual‑text datasets to develop large‑scale generative models for production. You will join the core visual pod, a collaborative group of approximately six engineers and a product prototyping team, to create specialized evaluation benchmarks and contribute to the broader research community.

What you'll do

• Prototype new model architectures for Pinterest VLMs. We’re looking for hands‑on experience working with finetuning open‑source LLM models and improving their visual perception and tool‑using capabilities.
• Develop new evaluation benchmarks tailored to vision‑centric capabilities such as fashion style recommendations.
• Read research papers, participate in group discussions, and help brainstorm our overall visual generative strategy at the company.
• Help with collection of relevant visual training data for Pinterest Canvas, particularly to conduct RLHF, targeted fine‑tuning, etc.
• Publish and publicize your work via conferences, paper submissions, blog posts, etc.
• Mentor more junior researchers or research interns within the Pinterest Labs organization.

What we're looking for

• Research engineers and scientists who have experience working with generative computer vision models, preferably various forms of visual encoders and LLMs.
• 2+ years of industry computer vision experience.
• M.S. or PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, or related areas.

Nice to Have

• Publications at top ML conferences.
• Experience using Cursor, Copilot, Codex, or similar AI coding assistants for development, debugging, testing, and refactoring.
• Familiarity with LLM‑powered productivity tools for documentation search, experiment analysis, SQL/data exploration, and engineering workflow acceleration.

In-Office Requirement Statement

• We let the type of work you do guide the collaboration style. That means we’re not always working in an office, but we continue to gather for key moments of collaboration and connection.
• This role will need to be in the office for in‑person collaboration 1–2 times per quarter and therefore can be situated anywhere in the country.

Relocation Statement

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

US based applicants only

$138,905 – $285,982 USD

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, 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 complete this 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.