Senior Machine Learning Engineer - Ranking

QuinStreet; United States; On-site; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonuses

Equity options

Health care benefits

Retirement benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

A leading digital media firm is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to enhance ranking systems and facilitate data-driven decisions. Candidates should have robust ML foundations and experience in large-scale production environments. The role offers a competitive salary range of $140,000 to $170,000 annually, with performance bonuses and equity options.

Qualifications

• 3+ years post-PhD or 5+ years industry experience in ML.
• Strong foundations in applied ML, statistics, and optimization.
• Experience with large-scale datasets and production ML.

Responsibilities

• Design and improve ranking systems through measurement and experimentation.
• Build pipelines and features with reliable monitoring.
• Partner with teams to ship resilient solutions end-to-end.

Skills

Applied ML

Statistics

Optimization

Python

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in CS, Statistics, or related field

Job description

Senior Machine Learning Engineer – Ranking

Join to apply for the Senior Machine Learning Engineer – Ranking role at QuinStreet

Powering Performance Marketplaces in Digital Media

QuinStreet is a pioneer in powering decentralized online marketplaces that match searchers and “research and compare” consumers with brands. We run these virtual‑ and private‑label marketplaces in one of the nation’s largest media networks.

Our industry‑leading segmentation and AI‑driven matching technologies help consumers find better solutions and brands faster. They allow brands to target and reach in‑market customer prospects with pinpoint segment‑by‑segment accuracy, and to pay only for performance results.

Our campaign‑results‑driven matching decision engines and optimization algorithms are built from over 20 years and billions of dollars of online media experience.

We believe in:

• The direct measurability of digital media.
• Performance marketing. (We pioneered it.)
• The advantages of technology.

We bring all this together to deliver truly great results for consumers and brands in the world’s biggest channel.

Responsibilities

• Design and improve ranking systems through rigorous measurement and experimentation; translate broad goals into clear metrics and deliver steady, validated gains.
• Advance evaluation practices (clean test design, offline & online alignment) and help teams make evidence‑based decisions.
• Build high‑value signals and features with reliable offline/online pipelines and robust monitoring. Incorporate content understanding signals such as text/image/metadata.
• Make uncertainty‑aware decisions; handle drift and calibration so models remain stable and trustworthy over time.

Partner with Engineering, Product, Business and Analytics to ship resilient solutions end‑to‑end.

Requirements

• Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in CS, Statistics, or related field, with 3+ years post‑PhD or 5+ years industry experience.
• Strong foundations in applied ML, statistics, and optimization with demonstrated impact in ranking/recommendations.
• Proficiency in Python and solid software engineering practices (testing, CI/CD).
• Experience working with large‑scale datasets, distributed systems, and latency‑sensitive production ML.
• Clear communication, cross‑functional collaboration, and an ownership mindset.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated success in delivering production‑grade ranking systems with measurable business impact.
• Track record building feature/signals pipelines, feature stores, and observability for ML systems.
• Depth in experimentation and metrics design, including large‑scale A/B testing and variance reduction.

The expected salary range for this position is $140,000 USD to $170,000 USD annually. This salary range is an estimate, and the actual salary may vary based on the Company’s compensation practices. The salary may be adjusted based on applicant's geographic location. The position is also eligible to receive performance bonus or commission and equity in the form of restricted stock units. This position is eligible to participate in the Company’s standard employee benefits programs, which currently include health care benefits; (2) retirement benefits; (3) the amount of paid days off (paid sick leave, parental leave, paid time off, or vacation benefits); (4) any other tax‑reportable benefits.

QuinStreet is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy status, sex, age, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristics protected by law.