Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer

DoorDash; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 242,800 - 357,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with employer match

16 weeks paid parental leave

Wellness benefits

Commuter benefits match

Paid time off and sick leave

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Mental health program

Job summary

DoorDash is looking for a Senior Staff Engineer to lead the technical direction for AI-driven experiences, focusing on ranking and relevance systems. You'll design and develop next-generation AI-first models while collaborating with various teams to ensure impactful user improvements.

Ideal candidates have over 5 years of experience in building ML models, a strong foundation in AI tools, and are passionate about applying cutting-edge technology to real-world challenges. Generous compensation and benefits are offered.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience building, deploying, and scaling ML and AI models for large-scale products.
• Proficiency in using AI coding tools throughout the software-development lifecycle.
• Deep expertise in deep learning, large language models, information retrieval, and recommendation systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical direction for AI-first experiences.
• Apply state-of-the-art machine learning techniques to personalization and query understanding.
• Own the full model lifecycle from research to production.

Skills

Machine Learning

Deep Learning

Natural Language Processing

Python

Java

C++

Education

Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

XGBoost

Claude Code

Codex

Cursor

Job description

About the Team

The Ads & Promos Delivery team powers the last‑mile delivery of ads and promotions, connecting merchant intent with consumer demand across search and discovery experiences.

About the Role

As a Senior Staff Engineer, you will lead the technical direction for AI‑first experiences, including ranking and relevance systems that sit at the core of our ads marketplace. You will design and build next‑generation AI‑first ranking systems using sequence modeling, deep learning, and large language models to enhance query understanding, user and merchant representation, contextual relevance, and multi‑objective optimization.

Responsibilities

• Apply state‑of‑the‑art machine learning and LLM techniques to personalization, query understanding, and user/content representation.
• Rigorously evaluate models with offline analysis and online experimentation, designing metrics and experiments to measure quality, impact, and trade‑offs.
• Own the full model lifecycle from research to production, including data analysis, model development, evaluation, A/B testing, and continuous iteration.
• Partner closely with product managers, data scientists, and designers to ensure AI‑driven systems deliver meaningful, user‑facing improvements.
• Stay at the forefront of ML and AI innovation by assessing emerging research and translating promising approaches into scalable, production‑ready systems.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience building, deploying, and scaling ML and AI models for large‑scale, user‑facing or data‑intensive products.
• Proficiency in using AI coding tools (e.g., Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) throughout the software‑development lifecycle.
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Deep expertise in one or more of: deep learning, large language models, information retrieval, ranking and relevance, recommendation systems, natural language processing, or content understanding.
• Strong programming skills in Python, Java, or C++, with hands‑on experience using ML frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or XGBoost.
• Extensive experience across the full ML lifecycle, including data analysis, feature engineering, iterative model development, rigorous offline and online evaluation, and ongoing monitoring.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills in fast‑paced, cross‑functional environments.
• Product‑minded and impact‑driven, passionate about applying cutting‑edge ML and AI to real‑world problems.

Bonus Points

• Experience designing and deploying LLM‑based systems, including prompt engineering and retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) architectures.
• Experience solving large‑scale, user‑centric personalization problems (user modeling, retrieval, ranking, relevance).
• Demonstrated contributions to the ML community through open‑source projects, publications, or applied research.

Compensation and Benefits

Pay range: $242,800—$357,000 USD. Base salary is localized. Equity grants are available. Benefits include 401(k) with employer match, 16 weeks paid parental leave, wellness benefits, commuter benefits match, paid time off and sick leave, medical, dental, vision, 11 paid holidays, disability and basic life insurance, family‑forming assistance, and a mental health program. For more detail, visit our careers page.

Statement of Non‑Discrimination

In keeping with our beliefs and goals, no employee or applicant will face discrimination or harassment based on: race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital/domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability status, or veteran status. Above and beyond discrimination and harassment based on “protected categories,” we also strive to prevent other subtler forms of inappropriate behavior (i.e., stereotyping) from ever gaining a foothold in our office. We value a diverse workforce and encourage applications from all backgrounds.