Principal Machine Learning Engineer thrivemarket · Remote · US · Machine Learning Engineering $175,000–$250,000 7d ago

Aimlroles; Vista, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 175,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health benefits (medical

Dental, vision, life and disability

Competitive salary + equity

401k Employer Match

9 Days of Observed Holidays

Flexible PTO

Subsidized ClassPass membership

Office in Playa Vista

Free Thrive Market membership

Life Coaching & Therapy coverage

Job summary

Thrive Market is seeking a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to bridge research and hands‑on MLOps, shaping search and discovery while translating model results into business impact. You’ll implement cutting‑edge ML papers, benchmark architectures, and guide production pipelines with cross‑functional teams.

Role spans from research to production with latitude to define how work is done, including a focus on LLM‑driven search. The office is in Playa Vista, CA, with travel to HQ as needed.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of machine learning engineering spanning both MLOps and research-oriented work, with demonstrated principal-level impact across the full loop from research paper to production implementation to business impact presentation
• Hands‑on experience reading and implementing ML papers, and running comparative training experiments to evaluate new model architectures against production baselines
• Experience building and operating ML infrastructure and pipelines, such as standing up a Redis cluster
• Experience with, or an informed perspective on, search and discovery systems, particularly how large language models have changed what's feasible to build in house versus buy
• Comfortable operating as a cross‑functional driver, not just an individual contributor, able to debate architecture and statistical methodology across teams
• Experience presenting technical results and roadmaps, including business and revenue impact, to broad or executive audiences

Responsibilities

• Build new ML systems from the ground up, close data gaps as they arise, and maintain and improve the existing ML pipeline
• Read and implement ML papers on alternative model architectures, then run training experiments to benchmark results against current production models
• Stand up and manage infrastructure, such as a Redis cluster, to support ML workloads
• Weigh in on and help drive architecture decisions and statistical methodology alongside the broader engineering team
• Help shape Thrive Market's long-term vision for search and discovery, informed by how large language models have changed what's possible to build
• Present model results and roadmap, including business and revenue impact

Skills

MLOps

Research-level thinking

Papers reading & implementation

Cross-functional driver

Model evaluation & experiments

Presentation to execs

Tools

Redis cluster

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

ABOUT THRIVE MARKET

Thrive Market was founded in 2014 with a mission to make healthy and sustainable living easy and affordable for everyone. As an online, membership-based market, we deliver the highest quality healthy, and sustainable products at member-only prices, while matching every paid membership with a free one for someone in need. Every day, we leverage innovative technology and member-first thinking to help our over 1,700,000+ members find better products, support better brands, and build a better world in the process. We are also a Certified B Corporation, a Public Benefit Corporation, and a Climate Neutral Certified company. Join us as we bring healthy and sustainable living to millions of Americans in the years to come.

THE ROLE

As Principal Machine Learning Engineer, you'll bridge hands-on MLOps execution with research-level thinking, a combination that spans everything from infrastructure to publication-grade experimentation. You'll read and implement cutting-edge ML papers, debate architecture and statistical methodology with the engineering team, and translate model results into clear business impact at company All Hands. Given how much large language models have reshaped what's possible, you'll also help shape Thrive Market's long-term vision for search and discovery. It's a role that runs the full arc from research to production to business outcomes, with real latitude to define how that work gets done.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Build new ML systems from the ground up, close data gaps as they arise, and maintain and improve the existing ML pipeline.
• Read and implement ML papers on alternative model architectures, then run training experiments to benchmark results against current production models.From your scopehelp define the long-term search vision, especially given how LLMs have shifted what's possible
• Stand up and manage infrastructure, such as a Redis cluster, to support ML workloads.
• Weigh in on and help drive architecture decisions and statistical methodology alongside the broader engineering team.
• Help shape Thrive Market's long-term vision for search and discovery, informed by how large language models have changed what's possible to build.From your scopehelp define the long-term search vision, especially given how LLMs have shifted what's possible
• Present model results and roadmap, including business and revenue impact

QUALIFICATIONS

• 8+ years of machine learning engineering spanning both MLOps and research-oriented work, with demonstrated principal-level impact across the full loop from research paper to production implementation to business impact presentation
• Hands‑on experience reading and implementing ML papers, and running comparative training experiments to evaluate new model architectures against production baselines
• Experience building and operating ML infrastructure and pipelines, such as standing up a Redis cluster
• Experience with, or an informed perspective on, search and discovery systems, particularly how large language models have changed what's feasible to build in house versus buy
• Comfortable operating as a cross‑functional driver, not just an individual contributor, able to debate architecture and statistical methodology across teams
• Experience presenting technical results and roadmaps, including business and revenue impact, to broad or executive audiences

PREFERRED

• Hands-on experience with search, personalization, recommendations, ranking, or lifecycle modeling.
• Experience with MLOps best practices, including model versioning, CI/CD for ML, monitoring, and operating models in containerized and orchestrated environments (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience in e-commerce, marketplace, or subscription-based businesses.
• Familiarity with working in environments with moderate technical debt or evolving data foundations.
• Experience defining and owning metrics, experimentation frameworks, or model performance monitoring in production.
• Demonstrated ability to influence beyond immediate project scope, shaping best practices, standards, or strategy across teams.

BELONG TO A BETTER COMPANY:

• Comprehensive health benefits (medical, dental, vision, life and disability)
• Competitive salary (DOE) + equity
• 401k Employer Match
• 9 Days of Observed Holidays
• Flexible Paid Time Off
• Subsidized ClassPass Membership with access to fitness classes and wellness and beauty experiences
• Ability to work in our beautiful office in Playa Vista
• Free Thrive Market membership with exclusive employee discount
• Coverage for Life Coaching & Therapy Sessions on our holistic mental health and well-being platform

We're a community of more than 1 Million + members who are united by a singular belief: It should be easy to find better products, support better brands, make better choices, and build a better world in the process. At Thrive Market, we believe in building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic culture. If you are excited about this role along with our mission and values, we encourage you to apply.

Thrive Market is an EEO/Veterans/Disabled/LGBTQ employer

At Thrive Market, our goal is to be a diverse and inclusive workplace that is representative, at all job levels, of the members we serve and the communities we operate in. We’re proud to be an inclusive company and an Equal Opportunity Employer and we prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success as a company, and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. If you’re thinking about joining our team, we expect that you would agree!

Employment with Thrive Market requires that employees be based in the United States. This is a condition of employment and must be maintained throughout the duration of employment.

If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please email us at [e-mail] and we’ll be happy to assist you.

JOB INFORMATION

• Compensation Description - The base salary range for this position is $175,000 - $250,000/Per Year.
• Compensationmay vary outside of this range depending on several factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and geographic location.
• Total Compensation includes Base Salary, Stock Options, Health & Wellness Benefits, Flexible PTO, and more!
• This position requires traveling to our HQ office in Los Angeles, California, twice a year for all-company summits; once in the summer and once in the winter.