Sr. Manager, Machine Learning Engineering-Applied Research

Pinterest; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 228,000 - 469,000; Full time

Job summary

Pinterest is seeking a highly technical Engineering Manager with deep expertise in modern recommendation systems to lead a team of ML researchers and engineers within the Applied Science group.

You will shape the technical roadmap, balance cutting-edge research with production embeddings, and partner with senior leaders to drive Pinterest’s core mission forward. In-office 1-2 times per quarter; US-based.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of combined post-graduate academic and industry experience applying state-of-the-art ML technologies to real-world problems on web-scale data.
• 3+ years of direct people management experience.
• Track record of delivering high-impact initiatives across multiple product areas.
• Experience mentoring, coaching, and up-leveling software and ML engineers.
• Self-propelled learner with appetite for building proof-of-concept prototypes.
• Ability to transform vague questions into well-defined projects with clear success metrics.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical roadmap and strategic vision for Pinterest’s next-generation recommendation systems.
• Transition breakthrough ML research into production-ready systems impacting core metrics.
• Lead and develop a team of ML researchers and engineers specializing in recommendation systems.
• Collaborate with Core Engineering, Ads Engineering, Infrastructure, Content, and Data Science to prototype, build, and scale solutions.

Skills

Technical Depth

Proven Execution

Talent Development

Continuous Learner

Business Acumen

Communication Skills

Education

MS/PhD in CS/ML/NLP

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.

Pinterest is on a mission to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love. The Applied Science team plays a critical role in this mission by developing cutting-edge machine learning solutions that scale across all of Pinterest engineering teams (see our team’s publications).

We're looking for a highly technical Engineering Manager with a deep understanding of modern recommendation systems to manage, lead and develop a team of machine learning researchers and engineers within the Applied Science team. In this role, you will help the team build a portfolio of work which can balance that addresses both immediate short-term business needs and long-term strategic breakthroughs. You will partner with senior leaders to evolve our technical roadmap and directly drive Pinterest’s core mission forward.

What you will do:

• Vision and Strategy: Own the technical roadmap and strategic vision for Pinterest’s next-generation recommendation systems. Champion the use of state-of-the-art ML techniques to deliver revolutionary innovations in recommendation technology.

• Research to Production: Successfully transition breakthrough ML research into production-ready systems that directly impact core company metrics.

• Team Leadership and Culture: Manage, inspire, and develop a talented team of machine learning researchers and engineers specializing in recommendation systems. Partner with your team to define their charter, ensuring a strong balance between cutting-edge research and building foundational embeddings that benefit products across the entire company.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Collaborate with Core Engineering, Ads Engineering, Infrastructure, Content, and Data Science teams to prototype, build, and scale solutions to complex engineering challenges. Partner with leadership to deepen user understanding and set the strategic direction for our recommendation system roadmap.

What we are looking for:

• Technical Depth: 7+ years of combined post-graduate academic and industry experience applying state-of-the-art ML technologies to real-world problems on web-scale data, alongside 3+ years of direct people management experience.

• Proven Execution: A track record of delivering high-impact initiatives across multiple product areas, with a demonstrated ability to influence peers and leadership using data-driven insights.

• Talent Development: Experience mentoring, coaching, and up-leveling software and machine learning engineers.

• Continuous Learner: A self-propelled learner who stays ahead of industry trends, new tools, and emerging methodologies, with an appetite for building proof-of-concept prototypes.

• Business & Product Acumen: The ability to transform vague, ambiguous questions into well-defined projects with clear success metrics that drive business decisions.

• Communication & Credibility: Excellent communication skills with the ability to distill complex technical findings for leadership and product teams, backed by a strong track record of publications in machine learning, AI, data science, or related technical fields.

• Academic Credentials: MS/PhD in Computer Science, ML, NLP, Statistics, Information Sciences or related field

Nice to have:

• Track record of publishing at top-tier ML/RecSys conferences (KDD, RecSys, NeurIPS, CVPR).
• Experience leveraging modern LLM/Agentic workflows and generative AI capabilities to accelerate engineering productivity and context extraction.

In-Office Requirement Statement:

• We let the type of work you do guide the collaboration style. That means we're not always working in an office, but we continue to gather for key moments of collaboration and connection.

• This role will need to be in the office for in-person collaboration 1-2 times/quarter and therefore can be situated anywhere in the country.

Relocation Statement:

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

#LI-REMOTE #LI-DM57

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

$227,871—$469,147 USD

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.

By submitting this application, I certify that all information submitted in my application and throughout the hiring process is true, accurate, and complete to the best of my knowledge. I understand that any false statement, omission, or misrepresentation may disqualify me from employment consideration or result in termination if discovered after hire.