ML-Driven Backend Engineer for Real-Time Travel Recommendations

Work180; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 112,000 - 157,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel perks

Flexible work model

Career development

Medical/dental/vision

Job summary

Expedia Group in Seattle is seeking a Software Development Engineer II to join our AI Recommendations team. You will work on backend services powering real‑time and batch recommender systems across Expedia brands.

The role focuses on Kotlin with exposure to Python, Scala, and data technologies. You’ll collaborate across brands, design scalable architectures, and contribute to ML governance while mentoring peers. In‑office three days a week; relocation not offered.

Qualifications

• 3+ years software development experience or 2+ years post‑degree with a Master’s
• Hands‑on experience with Java/Scala/Kotlin or similar languages
• Experience designing and operating scalable distributed systems on AWS

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain high‑throughput, low‑latency distributed services for multi‑brand travel platforms
• Collaborate on architecture for real‑time, design‑time, and batch processing recommenders
• Contribute to data products and ML model governance to drive insights and training
• Optimize systems to handle millions of requests per second with high personalization
• Engage in architecture reviews, documentation, and code reviews, mentoring team members
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to align solutions with business goals

Skills

Java

Scala

Kotlin

Distributed systems

AWS

Algorithms

Databases

Communication

Operational excellence

LLMs in production

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

Tools

Redis

Memcached

DynamoDB

MySQL

Job description

Expedia Group brands power global travel for everyone, everywhere. We design cutting-edge tech to make travel smoother and more memorable, and we create groundbreaking solutions for our partners. Our diverse, vibrant, and welcoming community is essential in driving our success.

Why Join Us?

To shape the future of travel, people must come first. Guided by our Values and Leadership Agreements, we foster an open culture where everyone belongs, differences are celebrated and know that when one of us wins, we all win.

We provide a full benefits package, including exciting travel perks, generous time-off, parental leave, a flexible work model (with some pretty cool offices), and career development resources, all to fuel our employees' passion for travel and ensure a rewarding career journey. We’re building a more open world. Join us.

Introduction to the team

We are seeking a talented Software Development Engineer II to join our AI Recommendations team within the Search and Recommendations organization. Our team is at the forefront of revolutionizing travel experiences through cutting-edge recommendation systems. We power personalized suggestions across Expedia Group's portfolio of brands, including Expedia.com, Hotels.com, and VRBO, enhancing user experiences on various platforms and for multiple lines of business.

As a backend-focused team, we orchestrate sophisticated recommender systems that operate in real-time, design-time, and batch processing modes. Our work spans from crafting high-performance APIs to developing robust data products that fuel insights, analytics, and machine learning model training.

In this dynamic environment, you'll have the opportunity to work primarily with Kotlin, while also exploring other languages like Python, Scala, front-end and data technologies as needed. Join us in shaping the future of AI-driven travel recommendations!

In this role, you will:

• Design, develop, and maintain high-throughput, low-latency distributed services that power software systems across multiple brands and travel verticals

• Collaborate on the architecture and implementation of orchestration layers for real-time, design-time, and batch processing recommendation systems

• Contribute to data products development and ML model governance, driving insights, analytics, and model training

• Optimize systems to handle millions of requests per second while maintaining high accuracy and personalization

• Engage in architecture reviews, technical documentation, and code reviews, while mentoring team members on best practices in building scalable and efficient services

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align technical solutions with business objectives, identify opportunities for enhancing recommendation algorithms, and propose innovative solutions to improve user experiences

Experience and qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent (3+ years software development experience), or Master's degree (2+ years post-degree experience)

• Hands-on experience developing software using Java, Scala, Kotlin, or similar object-oriented and functional languages, with strong familiarity in data structures and algorithms

• Proven experience designing and operating scalable, distributed, event-driven systems within AWS cloud infrastructure or similar technologies

• Practical knowledge of distributed SQL and NoSQL databases and caching solutions, such as Redis, Memcached, DynamoDB, or MySQL

• Excellent communication, analytical skills, a commitment to operational excellence, high-quality coding standards, and accountability for delivered solutions within globally distributed teams

• Familiarity with recommendation systems, search algorithms, machine learning, AI technologies, or experience working with large language models (LLMs) in production is highly desirable

No relocation assistance offered
Please note that this role is only available in Seattle, in alignment with our flexible work model which requires employees to be in-office at least three days a week. We are unable to offer relocation assistance for this role.

Expedia Group is proud to offer a wide range of benefits to support employees and their families, including medical/dental/vision, paid time off, and an Employee Assistance Program. To fuel each employee’s passion for travel, we offer a wellness & travel reimbursement, travel discounts, and an International Airlines Travel Agent (IATAN) membership. View our full list of benefits.

The total cash range for this position in Seattle is $112,000.00 to $156,500.00. Employees in this role have the potential to increase their pay up to $179,000.00, which is the top of the range, based on ongoing, demonstrated, and sustained performance in the role.

Starting pay for this role will vary based on multiple factors, including location, available budget, and an individual’s knowledge, skills, and experience. Pay ranges may be modified in the future.

Accommodation requests

If you need assistance with any part of the application or recruiting process due to a disability, or other physical or mental health conditions, please reach out to our Recruiting Accommodations Team through the Accommodation Request.

We are proud to be named as a Best Place to Work on Glassdoor in 2024 and be recognized for award-winning culture by organizations like Forbes, TIME, Disability:IN, and others.

Expedia Group's family of brands includes: Brand Expedia®, Hotels.com®, Expedia® Partner Solutions, Vrbo®, trivago®, Orbitz®, Travelocity®, Hotwire®, Wotif®, ebookers®, CheapTickets®, Expedia Group™ Media Solutions, Expedia Local Expert®, CarRentals.com™, and Expedia Cruises™. © 2024 Expedia, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners. CST: 2029030-50

Employment opportunities and job offers at Expedia Group will always come from Expedia Group’s Talent Acquisition and hiring teams. Never provide sensitive, personal information to someone unless you’re confident who the recipient is. Expedia Group does not extend job offers via email or any other messaging tools to individuals with whom we have not made prior contact. Our email domain is @expediagroup.com. The official website to find and apply for job openings at Expedia Group is careers.expediagroup.com/jobs.

Expedia is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. This employer participates in E-Verify. The employer will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee's I-9 to confirm work authorization.