Senior Staff ML Engineer

Grindr; Palo Alto (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental & Vision Full premium coverage

401(k) with 6% match

Fertility and family-building support

Company bonus and equity

Flexible vacation policy

Monthly stipends for wellness, cell phone, internet

Job summary

Grindr is seeking a Senior Technical Leader with extensive experience in machine learning to architect and oversee large-scale systems that redefine connections for its users. This hybrid role based in Palo Alto will involve driving the company’s ML strategy, collaborating across teams, and innovating through recommendation platforms. Benefits include comprehensive health coverage, retirement plans, and flexible time off policies, ensuring a supportive workplace fostering growth and inclusivity.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in building ML systems and platform-scale architecture.
• Fluency in Python and popular ML frameworks.
• Experience in building machine/deep learning models.

Responsibilities

• Architect and oversee large-scale recommendation systems.
• Leverage LLMs to enhance user connections.
• Provide technical leadership across teams.

Skills

Machine Learning systems development

Python programming

Recommendation systems

Data technologies (Snowflake, Airflow)

Kubernetes

ML frameworks (PyTorch, Tensorflow)

Tools

AWS

GCP

Databricks

Job description

Grindr is an AI-native platform powering millions of connections worldwide.

About The Job

This is a hybrid role based in our Palo Alto or San Francisco offices and will require you to be in office Tuesdays and Thursdays.

We’re at the dawn of an AI-driven evolution, and you’ll be a senior technical leader shaping the vision. This is your chance to harness cutting-edge machine learning to redefine how millions of people in the LGBTQ+ community around the world connect—whether it’s an entertaining chat, a casual encounter or long-term relationship. We’re doubling down on ML as the future of Grindr, and in these early days, you’ll drive strategy and execution that leaves a mark on a one-of-a-kind platform at global scale.

• Early-Stage Impact: It’s still early days for ML at Grindr, so you’ll be charting the roadmap and building foundational systems surrounded by high-impact, greenfield work, setting the stage for our long-term ML strategy.
• Recommendations That Reshape: Architect and scale recommendation platforms that match millions to their next big moment, adapting to a range of intents with impact you can feel.
• Conversations That Connect: Use LLMs to uncover insights, and define best practices for conversational AI at Grindr, helping users find their spark with precision and flair.

• Architect and oversee large-scale recommendation systems to serve millions, balancing performance and innovation.
• Leverage the latest LLMs to process vast conversation data and enhance user connections.
• Prototype, iterate, and ship production-ready ML solutions that solve real problems for our user.
• Provide technical leadership across teams, collaborating with engineering, data science and product teams to turn bold ideas into tangible results.
• Evaluate, influence, and integrate emerging AI tools and techniques at an organizational level to keep Grindr’s tech stack ahead of the curve.

Role Requirements

• 10+ years of experience building ML systems with a focus on 0-to-1 system development, platform‑scale architecture, and creating new capabilities from scratch. Experience with recommendation systems or similar is a plus.
• Proven ability to deliver at scale, with fluency in Python and popular ML frameworks.
• A scrappy mindset—you tackle messy challenges head‑on and get real results.
• Experience using data and deployment technologies (Snowflake, Airflow, Kubernetes, Docker, Helm, Spark, PySpark).
• Experience building machine/deep learning models with at least one common framework such as PyTorch, Tensorflow, or Keras.
• Experience with any public cloud environment - AWS, GCP or Databricks.

You May Thrive In This Role If You

• Expertise in building and maintaining LLM workflows for nuanced, human-driven tasks.
• A track record of leading the development of recommendation platforms that hit the mark for diverse user needs.
• Thrives in a fast‑paced, outcome‑driven environment with lots of cross‑functional collaboration.
• A proven history of setting technical direction, driving adoption of ML systems across organizations, and owning products end‑to‑end from early‑stage concept to full‑scale rollout.

Benefits And Perks

• Health, Dental & Vision Full premium coverage for you. Partial coverage for dependents.
• Family Formation Up to $300,000 in fertility and family‑building support, covering IVF, surrogacy, egg freezing, and adoption.
• Retirement: 401(k) with 6% match and immediate vesting.
• Compensation: Industry‑competitive compensation, company bonus, and equity for every employee.
• Gender‑Affirming Care: Industry‑leading gender‑affirming offerings with up to 90% cost coverage, access to Included Health, monthly stipends for HRT, and more.
• Time Off & Rest Flexible vacation policy. Two company‑wide rest weeks per year.
• Other Benefits: Monthly stipends for cell phone, internet, wellness, food, and commuting, breakfast/lunch.

Grindr is an equal‑opportunity employer.