Senior Machine Learning Engineer, AI Product and Platform

BetterUp; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Access to BetterUp coaching

Competitive compensation

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Flexible paid time off

Volunteer Days

Learning and Development stipend

401(k) self contribution

Job summary

A leading coaching and AI company is seeking an experienced professional to build and ship ML systems, specifically focusing on LLM fine-tuning and prompt engineering. The role involves collaborating closely with engineers and product teams, measuring success through A/B tests, and making data-driven improvements. Candidates should have a strong background in Python and modern ML tools like PyTorch or TensorFlow, along with excellent communication skills. The position supports a hybrid work environment in New York.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience building and shipping ML systems in production.
• Hands-on experience with LLM fine-tuning, prompt engineering, or RAG pipelines.
• Solid understanding of deployment basics.

Responsibilities

• Prototype, evaluate, and fine-tune LLM-powered features.
• Own the production lifecycle, collaborating with a tight squad.
• Contribute to technical design and measure success metrics.

Skills

ML system development

Python for AI development

ML tooling knowledge

Communication skills

Curiosity and action bias

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Jupyter

Job description

What You’ll Do

• Prototype, fine‑tune, and evaluate LLM‑powered features—from conversational insights to practice‑moment nudges—using Python and Jupyter notebooks.
• Own the production lifecycle: data prep, experiment design, offline/online evaluation, and weekly pushes to prod alongside a tight squad of ML/Backend/Full Stack Engineers.
• Collaborate daily with Product, Coaching Science, and Learning Design to turn behavior‑change research into delightful user moments.
• Contribute to technical design by shaping model architectures, retrieval strategies, and safety guards—while staying hands‑on in code.
• Measure what matters: define success metrics, implement A/B tests, and iterate quickly on real coach feedback.
• Ship end‑to‑end improvements to products like FocusFrame, our AI copilot that helps coaches deliver higher‑impact sessions in real time.

Hybrid Work

We are a hybrid company. Employees are expected to be available in an office hub at least two days per week, or eight days per month. US hub locations: Austin, TX; New York City, NY; San Francisco, CA; Arlington, VA metro area. Please ensure you can realistically commit to this structure before applying.

What You’ll Bring

Core

• 4+ years building and shipping ML systems in production, with at least 6–12 months hands‑on with LLM fine‑tuning, prompt engineering, or RAG pipelines.
• Fluency in Python for AI development and comfort working in Jupyter/IPython.
• Solid understanding of modern ML tooling (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX) and containerized/cloud deployment basics.
• Clear, approachable communication with both technical peers and non‑technical partners.
• Bias toward action, curiosity, and comfort navigating ambiguity in a fast‑moving startup environment.

Bonus (nice‑to‑have, Not Required)

• Prior experience in coaching, learning‑science, ed‑tech, or behavior‑change domains.
• Exposure to RLHF, preference tuning, or multimodal models.

Not sure you hit every bullet? We value growth mindsets—please apply anyway.

AI at BetterUp

Our team thrives at the intersection of human expertise and AI capability. As an AI‑forward company, we adapt and learn continuously. We look for teammates excited to evolve alongside technology—people who experiment boldly, share discoveries openly, and help define best practices for AI‑augmented work. You’ll have opportunities to showcase how you harness AI to learn, iterate, and amplify your impact.

Benefits

• Access to BetterUp coaching; one for you and one for a friend or family member.
• A competitive compensation plan with opportunity for advancement.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Flexible paid time off.
• Per year:
  • All federal/statutory holidays observed.
  • 4 BetterUp Inner Workdays.
  • 5 Volunteer Days to give back.
  • Learning and Development stipend.
  • Company‑wide Summer & Winter breaks.
• Year‑round charitable contribution of your choice on behalf of BetterUp.
• 401(k) self contribution.

Job Details

Salary ranges: New York City and San Francisco: $200,000 – $275,000. Austin, Arlington, and Chicago: $180,000 – $247,500.

EEO and Legal

BetterUp Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment. We compensate our employees fairly for their work. Base salary is determined by experience, education, location, and market indicators. The base salary range for this role is as provided above. At BetterUp, we protect your privacy and handle personal information in accordance with our Applicant Privacy Notice.