Software Engineer, PhD, Early Career, AI/Machine Learning, 2026 Start

Google; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision, life, disability insurance

Retirement Benefits: 401(k) with company match

Paid Time Off: 20 days of vacation per year

Sick Time: 40 hours/year

Maternity Leave: 28‑30 weeks

Holidays: 13 paid days per year

Job summary

Google is seeking a Software Engineer for their Sunnyvale, California office. This role involves developing next-generation technologies, collaborating on machine learning systems, and pushing Google technology forward. Ideal candidates will have a PhD in Computer Science or a related field, expertise in programming languages including Python and C++, as well as experience in machine learning frameworks. This position supports career growth and teamwork across various impactful product areas.

Qualifications

• PhD degree in Computer Science or related field or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience coding in Python, C, C++, Java, JavaScript or Golang.
• Experience in Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate or lead on team projects in design, analysis, and development of advanced ML systems.
• Support building end-to-end ML systems across the full stack.
• Optimize complex system performance by analyzing and fixing performance bottlenecks.

Skills

Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence

Coding in Python

Coding in C

Coding in C++

Coding in Java

Coding in JavaScript

Coding in Golang

Research experience

Education

PhD degree in Computer Science, ML/AI, or related field

Tools

TensorFlow

Jax

Pytorch

Job description

In accordance with Washington state law, we are highlighting our comprehensive benefits package, which is available to all eligible US based employees. Benefits for this role include:

• Health, dental, vision, life, disability insurance
• Retirement Benefits: 401(k) with company match
• Paid Time Off: 20 days of vacation per year, accruing at a rate of 6.15 hours per pay period for the first five years of employment
• Sick Time: 40 hours/year (increased to 69 hours/year for Seattle) including 5 discretionary sick days per instance
• Maternity Leave (Short-Term Disability + Baby Bonding): 28‑30 weeks
• Baby Bonding Leave: 18 weeks
• Holidays: 13 paid days per year

By applying to this position you will have an opportunity to share your preferred working location from the following: Sunnyvale, CA, USA; Atlanta, GA, USA; Kirkland, WA, USA; Madison, WI, USA; Mountain View, CA, USA; New York, NY, USA; Raleigh, NC, USA; Durham, NC, USA; San Bruno, CA, USA; Seattle, WA, USA.

Minimum qualifications

• PhD degree in Computer Science, ML/AI, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience coding in one of the following programming languages including but not limited to: Python, C, C++, Java, JavaScript or Golang.
• Experience in Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence.

Preferred qualifications

• Research experience in designing, developing, or applying ML/AI systems or applications in a large‑scale distributed environment.
• Experience in designing, training, or refining complex ML/AI models.
• Experience in deep learning frameworks like TensorFlow, Jax, or Pytorch.
• Experience in building a stack for an AI‑powered application, including data ingestion and processing pipelines, building APIs, and connecting the model to a user‑facing interface.
• Familiarity with model architectures (CNNs, NLP Transformers, Diffusion/Vision Transformers).
• Availability to start full‑time role in 2026.

About The Job

Google's software engineers develop the next‑generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale and extend well beyond web search. We look for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large‑scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design, and mobile. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you grow and as our fast‑paced business evolves. You will be versatile, display leadership qualities, and be enthusiastic about taking on new problems across the full stack as we continue to push technology forward.

As a PhD graduate, your research expertise is invaluable to us. You will explore a variety of projects, collaborate with multiple teams, and contribute to products that change the world, across many product areas, including AI & Infrastructure, Cloud, YouTube, Search, Ads, and more.

We expect our engineers to be creative and versatile, leading and identifying new problems to push the field and Google technology forward.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate or lead on team projects to carry out design, analysis, and development of advanced ML systems across the stack using your research expertise.
• Support building end‑to‑end ML systems that involves working across the full stack, from low‑level hardware acceleration and compiler optimizations to high‑level model architecture and production APIs, transforming your research expertise into robust, scalable products.
• Optimize complex system performance by analyzing and fixing performance bottlenecks, memory inefficiencies, and errors in production systems to meet stringent customer goals.
• Elevate engineering excellence by writing well‑tested code, conducting code reviews, and fostering a culture of quality by advocating best engineering practices.

Google is proud to be an equal‑opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also Google's EEO Policy and EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form.