Sr. Machine Learning Engineer, EPD Ads

Pinterest Engineering; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 332,000; Full time

Job summary

Pinterest is seeking an Ads ML Engineer in the United States to evolve the machine learning technology stack within Ads. You will build advanced ML models to personalize the Pinterest experience, collaborating with cross-functional teams and leveraging data-driven methods to improve candidate retrieval.

The role emphasizes rapid experimentation, staying current with recommendation systems trends, and applying LLMs to enhance content understanding, with a base salary range and US-based

Qualifications

• 2+ years of industry experience applying ML methods (e.g., user modeling, personalization, recommender systems, search, ranking, NLP, RL, graph representation learning).
• Degree in computer science, statistics, or related field; or equivalent experience.
• End-to-end hands-on experience with data pipelines, large-scale ML systems and big data technologies (e.g., Hadoop/Spark).

Responsibilities

• Build cutting-edge technology using DL/ML to personalize Pinterest.
• Partner with teams across Pinterest to improve ML models for product surfaces (Homefeed, Ads, Growth, Shopping, Search).
• Use data-driven methods and leverage data to improve candidates retrieval.
• Work in high-impact environment with quick experimentation and product launches.
• Keep up with industry trends in recommendation systems.
• Leverage LLMs to enhance content understanding.

Skills

Machine Learning

Recommender systems

Deep learning

Natural language processing

Big data

Python

SQL

LLMs

Education

BS in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Cursor

Copilot/Codex

SQL

Job description

About Pinterest:

Millions of people around the world come to our platform to find creative ideas, dream about new possibilities and plan for memories that will last a lifetime. At Pinterest, we’re on a mission to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love, and that starts with the people behind the product.

Discover a career where you ignite innovation for millions, transform passion into growth opportunities, celebrate each other’s unique experiences and embrace the flexibility to do your best work. Creating a career you love? It’s Possible.

At Pinterest, AI isn't just a feature, it's a powerful partner that augments our creativity and amplifies our impact, and we’re looking for candidates who are excited to be a part of that. To get a complete picture of your experience and abilities, we’ll explore your foundational skills and how you collaborate with AI.

Through our interview process, what matters most is that you can always explain your approach, showing us not just what you know, but how you think. You can read more about our AI interview philosophy and how we use AI in our recruiting process here.

With more than 500 million users around the world and 300 billion ideas saved, Pinterest Machine Learning engineers build personalized experiences to help Pinners create a life they love. With just over 4,000 global employees, our teams are small, mighty, and still growing. At Pinterest, you’ll experience hands‑on access to an incredible vault of data and contribute large‑scale recommendation systems in ways you won’t find anywhere else.

Within the EPD (Engineering, Product, and Design), Ads ML Engineering team connects the dots between the aspirations of Pinners and the products offered by our partners. In this role, you will be responsible for developing and executing a vision for the evolution of the machine learning technology stack within Ads.

What you’ll do:

• Build cutting edge technology using the latest advances in deep learning and machine learning to personalize Pinterest
• Partner closely with teams across Pinterest to experiment and improve ML models for various product surfaces (Homefeed, Ads, Growth, Shopping, and Search), while gaining knowledge of how ML works in different areas
• Use data driven methods and leverage the unique properties of our data to improve candidates retrieval
• Work in a high-impact environment with quick experimentation and product launches
• Keep up with industry trends in recommendation systems
• Leverage LLMs to enhance content understanding

What we’re looking for:

• 2+ years of industry experience applying machine learning methods (e.g., user modeling, personalization, recommender systems, search, ranking, natural language processing, reinforcement learning, and graph representation learning)
• Degree in computer science, statistics, or related field; or equivalent experience
• End-to-end hands‑on experience with building data processing pipelines, large scale machine learning systems, and big data technologies (e.g., Hadoop/Spark)
• Practical knowledge of large scale recommender systems, or modern ads ranking, retrieval, targeting, marketplace systems
• Nice to have:
  • M.S. or PhD in Machine Learning or related areas
  • Publications at top ML conferences
  • Experience using Cursor, Copilot, Codex, or similar AI coding assistants for development, debugging, testing, and refactoring
  • Familiarity with LLM-powered productivity tools for documentation search, experiment analysis, SQL/data exploration, and engineering workflow acceleration
  • Expertise in scalable realtime systems that process stream data
  • Passion for applied ML and the Pinterest product
  • Background in computational advertising

Relocation Statement:

• This position is not eligible for relocation assistance. Visit our PinFlex page to learn more about our working model.

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Our Commitment to Inclusion:

Pinterest is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. We want to have the best qualified people in every job. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state or local laws. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you require a medical or religious accommodation during the job application process, please complete this form for support.

At Pinterest we believe the workplace should be equitable, inclusive, and inspiring for every employee. In an effort to provide greater transparency, we are sharing the base salary range for this position. The position is also eligible for equity. Final salary is based on a number of factors including location, travel, relevant prior experience, or particular skills and expertise.

Information regarding the culture at Pinterest and benefits available for this position can be found here.

US based applicants only

$189,721—$332,012 USD