Software Engineer, Applied Machine Learning

fal; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Interesting work

Growth opportunities

Health insurance (US)

Team events/offsites

Job summary

fal is building the next generation of generative media platforms. We are seeking a hands-on Applied ML Engineer to own the model layer powering our APIs and products.

You will bridge cutting‑edge research with scalable, consumer‑facing services, extending open‑source models and maintaining a fleet of generative model APIs. You will split time between conditioning, fine‑tuning, and deploying models at scale, while collaborating with some of the world’s largest e‑commerce retailers and media

Qualifications

• 3+ years as Applied ML Engineer with focus on generative media or CV.
• Expert-level proficiency in Python and PyTorch.
• Deep practical understanding of diffusion and flow-based generative models.
• Hands-on experience with open-weight model ecosystems (Hugging Face, Diffusers).
• Strong engineering judgment for scalable, reliable, secure production ML systems.

Responsibilities

• Extend SOTA image, video, audio, and 3D models with new capabilities.
• Fine-tune models on large GPU fleets and build fine-tuning APIs.
• Create reusable components and abstractions for model capabilities and inference pipelines.
• Apply advanced inference techniques to minimize latency and maximize throughput.
• Deploy and maintain scalable generative model APIs for customers.
• Collaborate with customers including major e-commerce and media studios.

Skills

Python

PyTorch

Diffusion models

Open-source tooling

Production deployment

Model serving

Tools

Hugging Face

Diffusers

Job description

fal is the generative media ecosystem powering the next generation of AI products. We build the infrastructure, tools, and model access that teams need to move from idea to production, and do it at scale without compromise. For developers and enterprises, fal is the foundation that makes generative media not just possible, but practical: a unified platform where high-performance inference, orchestration, and observability come together to unlock new categories of AI-native products.

As generative media reshapes industries across a market projected to grow by hundreds of billions over the next decade, fal is becoming the ecosystem that ambitious teams build on.

About this role

We are seeking a hands‑on, production‑focused Applied Machine Learning Engineer to take technical ownership of the model layer powering our next‑generation generative media platform. In this role, you will bridge the gap between cutting‑edge generative research and scalable, consumer‑facing products.

You will split your time between extending SOTA open‑source models with additional capabilities and helping maintain our fleet of generative model APIs.

What you’ll do

• Novel Model Pipelines: Work with our post‑training team to extend SOTA image, video, audio, and 3D models with additional capabilities and modalities. Develop novel approaches to model conditioning, generation, and editing, including both training‑free methods and model fine‑tuning.
• Fine‑Tuning: Leverage our massive GPU fleet to fine‑tune generative models for novel capabilities. Build and maintain fine‑tuning APIs that allow customers to customize models for their specific needs.
• Architecture & Abstraction: Identify common patterns across the models we serve and develop reusable components, abstractions, and building blocks that accelerate the development of new model capabilities and inference pipelines.
• Inference Optimization: Work hand‑in‑hand with our ML Performance & Optimization team to apply state‑of‑the‑art inference techniques and best practices, ensuring models run efficiently with low latency, high throughput, and optimal GPU utilization.
• Production Deployment: Build, deploy, and maintain scalable, reliable generative model APIs. Anticipate and resolve production challenges to ensure our models serve customers reliably at scale.
• Customer Collaboration: Work directly with customers, including some of the world's largest e‑commerce retailers and film and TV production studios, to develop novel solutions to their generative media needs.

Qualifications/Nice‑to‑haves

• Experience: 3+ years of professional experience as an Applied ML Engineer, with at least 1–2 years focused on generative media or computer vision.
• Core Frameworks: Expert‑level proficiency in Python and PyTorch.
• Generative Media: Deep practical understanding of diffusion and flow‑based generative models.
• Open‑Source Tooling: Hands‑on experience working with open‑weight model ecosystems, including Hugging Face, Diffusers, and related tooling.
• Engineering Rigor: Ability to anticipate and solve challenges that arise when deploying ML models to production. Strong engineering judgment in designing systems that are scalable, reliable, secure, safe, and performant.
• Training‑Free Model Extensions: Experience designing and implementing training‑free extensions to image, video, audio, or 3D generative models, such as novel conditioning methods, inference‑time modifications, or new model capabilities.
• Model Post‑Training: Experience developing and executing custom post‑training or fine‑tuning approaches to extend generative models with additional capabilities.
• Startup Experience: Track record of working in fast‑paced startup environments or digital media and entertainment industries.
• Ability to Ship: Demonstrated ability to independently take ambitious ML ideas from concept to production.

What we offer at fal

• Interesting and challenging work
• A lot of learning and growth opportunities
• Health, dental, and vision insurance (US)
• Regular team events and offsites

U.S. EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY INFORMATION

fal provides equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Compensation Range: $180K - $230K