Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Collectors Universe, Inc.; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Collectors is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to join our AI/ML team and build applied ML systems from prototype through production. You will work across computer vision, structured data, and agentic AI workflows, shipping tools that help graders, researchers, and collectors.

You’ll partner with product, engineering, operations, and domain experts to turn ambiguous problems into measurable, reliable ML solutions, and contribute high-quality code, documentation, and design artifacts.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in machine learning or applied AI.
• Hands-on experience shipping ML systems in production.
• Proficient in Python and standard ML tooling; strong software basics.
• Experience in computer vision, multimodal, or information extraction is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and deploy end-to-end ML systems for AI/ML product initiatives.
• Own projects from framing to launch and monitoring with outcomes.
• Develop production-grade CV, multimodal, and agentic pipelines.
• Build data pipelines and evaluation frameworks for scalable training and inference.
• Collaborate with annotation, product, and domain experts to define data needs and metrics.
• Translate findings into technical recommendations balancing quality, latency, cost.

Skills

Machine Learning

Python

Production Systems

Data Pipelines

Model Evaluation

Tools

TensorFlow/PyTorch

Version Control

Cloud ML Infrastructure

Job description

Collectors is the leading creator of innovative technology that provides value-added services for collectors worldwide. We grade, authenticate, vault, and sell millions of record-setting collectibles, all while modernizing and digitalizing the process to further our mission of helping collectors pursue their passions. We’re always on the lookout for talented people to join our growing team. Our services span collectible trading cards, autographs, comic books, coins, video games, event tickets, and memorabilia. Our subsidiaries include PSA, PCGS, Beckett, SGC, and Card Ladder. Since our founding in 1986, we have graded and authenticated millions of items. We employ more than 3000 people across our headquarters in Santa Ana, California and offices in New Jersey, Texas, Florida, Japan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Canada, Mexico, Germany, the UK, and France.

As part of our interview process, we request that candidates have their cameras on during video interviews. This helps foster meaningful conversation and allows us to create an experience that closely resembles our standard working environment. Certain interview steps may take place by phone. For remote roles, and at our discretion, candidates may be asked to participate in an on-site interview as part of the final stages of the process. We understand there may be occasional circumstances requiring accommodation and are happy to discuss them as needed. Your recruiter will be able to clarify expectations and answer any questions you have.

Collectors is the leading creator of innovative technology that provides value-added services for collectors worldwide. We grade, authenticate, vault, and sell millions of record-setting collectibles, all while modernizing and digitalizing the process to further our mission of helping collectors pursue their passions. We’re always on the lookout for talented people to join our growing team. Our services span collectible trading cards, autographs, comic books, coins, video games, event tickets, and memorabilia. Our subsidiaries include PSA, PCGS, Beckett, SGC, and Card Ladder. Since our founding in 1986, we have graded and authenticated millions of items. We employ more than 3000 people across our headquarters in Santa Ana, California and offices in New Jersey, Texas, Florida, Japan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Canada, Mexico, Germany, the UK, and France.

We’re looking for a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to join our AI/ML team and build applied machine learning systems from prototype through production. This role is ideal for an engineer who is equally comfortable training and evaluating models, designing production-ready pipelines, and shipping tools that help internal teams make better decisions. You’ll work across computer vision, structured data, and agentic AI workflows, with direct impact on products used by graders, researchers, and collectors. You’ll partner closely with product, engineering, operations, and domain experts to turn ambiguous problems into measurable, reliable ML solutions.

What You’ll Do

• Design, build, and deploy end-to-end machine learning systems that support AI/ML product initiatives
• Own projects from problem framing through implementation, evaluation, launch, and post-launch monitoring, with clear accountability for outcomes
• Develop production-grade computer vision, multimodal, and agentic pipeline solutions that can ingest images and other inputs, reason over uncertainty, and return structured, reliable outputs
• Build and improve data pipelines, model evaluation frameworks, and feedback loops that ensure training and inference systems remain accurate, scalable, and maintainable over time
• Partner with annotation, operations, product, and domain experts to define data requirements, labeling standards, success metrics, and rollout plans
• Translate experimental findings into clear technical recommendations, balancing model quality, latency, cost, and operational complexity
• Contribute high-quality code, documentation, and technical design artifacts, and collaborate effectively through design reviews, code reviews, and cross-functional discussions

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years of experience in machine learning, applied AI, or a closely related software engineering field
• Strong hands-on experience building and shipping machine learning systems in production, including data preparation, model training, evaluation, deployment, and monitoring
• Proficiency in Python and common ML tooling, along with solid software engineering fundamentals such as testing, modular design, observability, and version control
• Experience in one or more of the following areas: computer vision, multimodal modeling, information extraction, search/retrieval, or LLM-based systems
• Demonstrated ability to define statistically sound evaluation methodologies and make data-driven decisions about model readiness and trade-offs
• Strong judgment in system design, including how to build solutions that are scalable, maintainable, and practical for real-world operations
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical decisions to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• A high-ownership mindset with the ability to operate independently, navigate ambiguity, and drive work to completion
• Nice to Have Experience working on image-heavy or quality-sensitive domains such as computer vision inspection, authentication, fraud detection, or document/image understanding
• Experience with agentic systems, tool-using LLMs, verification loops, or workflows that combine models with retrieval and structured outputs
• Familiarity with cloud ML infrastructure, experiment tracking, and production inference patterns
• Experience collaborating with human-in-the-loop operations, annotation teams, or domain specialists to improve model quality
• Interest in collectibles, trading cards, marketplaces, or trust-and-safety style problems

Collectors uses e-Verify to validate your ability to work legally in the United States.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, national origin, gender, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or parental status, disability, veteran status, or other class protected by applicable law. We believe that a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills will better service the diverse community of collectors we support.

If you require an accommodation to apply or interview with us due to a disability or special need, please email [e-mail]

U.S. residents: for disclosures relating to personal information we collect during the employment application and recruitment process, please see our Privacy Notice for U.S. Applicants.

Collectors is the leading creator of innovative technology that provides value-added services for collectors worldwide. We grade, authenticate, vault, and sell millions of record-setting collectibles, all while modernizing and digitalizing the process to further our mission of helping collectors pursue their passions. We’re always on the lookout for talented people to join our growing team. Our services span collectible trading cards, autographs, comic books, coins, video games, event tickets, and memorabilia. Our subsidiaries include PSA, PCGS, Beckett, SGC, and Card Ladder. Since our founding in 1986, we have graded and authenticated millions of items. We employ more than 3000 people across our headquarters in Santa Ana, California and offices in New Jersey, Texas, Florida, Japan, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Canada, Mexico, Germany, the UK, and France.