Principal ML Engineer

Typeface; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 230,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Full medical, dental, and vision insurance

Flexible time off

Daily lunch & snacks

Mentorship & impact

Job summary

Typeface is hiring a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to define technical strategy and drive architectural decisions. This hybrid role based in Palo Alto involves leading design of large-scale ML systems while collaborating closely in office 3 days a week.

The ideal candidate will have 15+ years of experience in machine learning, with a strong background in generative AI. The position offers a competitive salary range of $230,000-$260,000 along with comprehensive benefits including medical insurance and flexible time off.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience building and scaling machine learning systems.
• Proven track record of driving multi-team technical strategy.
• Experience leading large, ambiguous, high-impact initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Define the long-term technical vision for generative AI.
• Lead architecture of scalable ML platforms.
• Mentor and guide engineers across levels.

Skills

Machine Learning Systems

Deep Expertise in Generative AI

Technical Strategy

Mentoring Senior Engineers

Python Programming

Education

Master’s or PhD in Computer Science

Tools

C/C++ Programming

Job description

About Typeface

We help the world’s biggest brands move from brief to fully personalized campaigns — in days, not months.

Founded by Abhay Parasnis and backed by Microsoft, GV, Salesforce, Lightspeed, Madrona and Menlo, we’re building category-defining technology at the intersection of creativity and AI with real impact. Join us to help shape the future of enterprise marketing.

What You’ll Do

As a Principal Machine Learning Engineer, you will operate at the company level—defining technical strategy, driving architectural decisions, and shaping the future of generative AI at Typeface.

You will lead the design of large-scale ML systems and shared platforms that power all generative capabilities across agents, text, image, audio, and video. This role requires a strong combination of deep technical expertise, product intuition, and the ability to influence teams and leadership.

How You’ll Make an Impact

• Define and drive the long-term technical vision for generative AI across Typeface’s product ecosystem
• Lead architecture and design of scalable ML platforms (training, evaluation, inference, safety) used across multiple teams
• Drive company-level ML strategy, aligning technical investments with product and business priorities
• Influence and partner with executive leadership, product, and design to shape high-impact initiatives
• Mentor senior engineers and raise the technical bar across the ML organization
• Architect and lead development of large-scale generative AI systems powering agentic orchestration and multimodal content generation
• Define and evolve shared ML infrastructure and platforms for training, fine-tuning, evaluation, and serving
• Drive cross-team initiatives spanning multiple ML systems and product areas
• Establish best practices for ML system evaluation, safety, reliability, and performance at scale
• Identify and incubate 0→1 opportunities in generative AI with high business impact
• Make high-leverage technical decisions that unlock velocity across teams
• Mentor and guide engineers across levels, influencing design and execution beyond your immediate team

What You Bring

• 15+ years of experience building and scaling machine learning systems, with demonstrated impact at the Principal level
• Master’s or PhD degree in Computer Science or a related field
• Proven track record of driving multi-team or company-level technical strategy
• Experience leading large, ambiguous, high-impact initiatives (platforms and/or 0→1 systems)
• Deep expertise in ML systems and infrastructure, including training, evaluation, and inference at scale
• Strong background in Generative AI / LLMs / multimodal systems
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leadership and align cross-functional stakeholders
• Track record of mentoring senior engineers and elevating engineering excellence
• Proficiency in Python and systems-level programming (C/C++ or equivalent)
• Bonus: Experience building ML platforms used across multiple products or teams
• Bonus: Prior role as a Staff+ / Principal / Senior Staff engineer at a leading AI or technology company
• Bonus: Contributions to the field (publications, patents, open-source, or widely adopted systems)
• Bonus: Experience in enterprise SaaS or high-growth startup environments

Location

This is a hybrid role based in our Palo Alto HQ. We collaborate in-office 3 days a week.

Base Salary

The base salary range for this role is $230,000-$260,000. Actual compensation may vary based on level, experience, and skillset as assessed in the interview process.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation — including salary, equity, and 401(k)
• Full medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family
• HSA and FSA options to support your financial wellness
• Flexible time off — including parental leave
• Well-being programs — resources to support your mental and physical health
• Daily lunch & snacks
• Mentorship & impact — work closely with top AI leaders on products that ship

Equality Opportunity Statement

We welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, medical condition, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. We comply with applicable laws in every jurisdiction where we operate.