Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Payments

airbnb, Inc.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Airbnb, Inc. is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer for Payments to lead end-to-end AI initiatives across the payments lifecycle.

You will build and deploy large-scale AI applications, optimize real-time and batch workflows, and collaborate across product, software, and operations to deliver secure, delightful payment experiences. Join a mission-driven Payments org focused on intelligent controls, fraud defenses, and personalized checkout flows at global scale, with opportunities to shape

Qualifications

• 5+ years of industry experience in applied AI/ML, MS or PhD in relevant fields.
• Strong programming (Python/Java) and data engineering skills.
• Hands-on experience with at least three: PyTorch/TensorFlow, scalable inference stacks, vector search, orchestration/MLOps (Kubeflow, Airflow), Spark/Ray/Kafka.
• Production AI systems: design, deployment, monitoring, drift/latency cost awareness.

Responsibilities

• Spearhead LLM agents, realtime anomaly detectors, and other breakthrough solutions.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, ops, and data science to spot opportunities and measure value.
• Design, train, deploy, and operate large-scale AI applications for batch and streaming workloads with low latency and high reliability.
• Mentor teammates and push AI boundaries while aligning with production excellence.

Skills

Python

Java

LLM workflows

Fine-tuning

LoRA RLHF

PyTorch

TensorFlow

MLOps

Vector search

Spark

Kafka

Education

MS or PhD

Tools

Kubeflow

Airflow

Spark

Kafka

Ray

Job description

Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Payments

Remote-USA

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

The Community You Will Join:

Payments is key for any healthy marketplace, and is just as central to our product at Airbnb. The Payments org at Airbnb is responsible for everything related to settling money in Airbnb’s global marketplace and makes the Payment experience as delightful, magical, intuitive, and easy as possible. At the Payments modeling team, our goal is to empower the mission by introducing intelligences and personalizations that optimize Airbnb’s massive daily transaction volume to best collect payments from guests, distribute payouts to hosts while preventing fraudulent transactions from happening.

The Difference You Will Make:

As a Senior ML Engineer for Payments, you will be the catalyst that transforms bold AI innovation - LLMpowered workflow, realtime fraud defenses, and hyperpersonalized checkout flows - into production systems that make Airbnb Payment experience feel effortless and secure; you’ll architect and own end-to-end solutions at global scale, partner closely with product, software, and operations teams to turn complex requirements into elegant, latencyfirst services, and set the technical standard for model governance, continuous learning, and engineering excellence that elevates our entire payments ecosystem while shaping the company’s broader AI strategy.

A Typical Day:

• Spearhead LLM agents, realtime anomaly detectors, and other breakthrough solutions that solve real-world problems and create product magic.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, ops, and data science to spot high leverage opportunities, refine AI/ML requirements, make principled architecture choices, and measure business value with clear, data-driven metrics.
• Design, train, deploy, and operate large-scale AI applications for both batch and streaming workloads, ensuring low latency, high reliability, and continuous improvement via automated monitoring and retraining loops.
• Mentor and inspire teammates, fostering a collaborative, experimentation-driven environment where cutting edge research meets production excellence and every engineer is empowered to push AI boundaries at Airbnb.

Your Expertise:

• 5+ years of industry experience in applied AI/ML, inclusive MS or PhD in relevant fields.
• Strong programming (Python/Java) and data engineering skills.
• Proven mastery of modern AI/LLM workflows — prompt engineering, fine tuning (LoRA, RLHF), hallucination mitigation, safety guardrails, and rigorous online/offline testing to minimize training/inference drift and ensure reliable outcomes.
• Handson experience with at least three of the following: PyTorch/TensorFlow , scalable inference stacks, vector search, orchestration/MLOps platforms (Kubeflow, Airflow), largescale data streaming & processing (Spark, Ray, Kafka)
• Demonstrated success designing, deploying, and monitoring production AI systems - e.g. personalization engines, generative content services - complete with drift/cost/latency monitoring, automated retraining triggers, and cross-functional collaboration that translates ambiguous business needs into measurable AI impact.
• Prior knowledge of AI/ML Applications in the Payments domain is highly desirable

Our Commitment To Inclusion & Belonging:

Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible. We believe diverse ideas foster innovation and engagement, and allow us to attract creatively-led people, and to develop the best products, services and solutions.

We strive to also provide a disability inclusive application and interview process. If you are a candidate with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in order to submit an application, please contact us at: [e-mail] . Please include your full name, the role you’re applying for and the accommodation necessary to assist you with the recruiting process.

We ask that you only reach out to us if you are a candidate whose disability prevents you from being able to complete our online application.

How We'll Take Care of You:

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.