Sr ML Engineer

Visa; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 145,200 - 224,800; Full time

Job summary

Visa is seeking a Senior Machine Learning Engineer for the Merchant Data Platform to advance AI-powered merchant analytics. You will design and deploy scalable models and pipelines to enrich merchant data, with focus on data quality, real-time inference, and cost efficiency.

You will apply NLP, LLMs, and probabilistic methods to tackle name normalization, brand mapping, and deduplication. You will collaborate with product managers, data engineers, and platform teams, mentor junior engineers, and

Qualifications

• 2+ years of relevant work experience and a Bachelor’s degree, OR 5+ years of relevant work experience.
• Experience in developing and implementing AI/ML models and algorithms.
• Experience in designing and building scalable machine learning pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and deploy scalable ML models and pipelines to enrich merchant data, including entity resolution and data standardisation.
• Build end‑to‑end ML solutions (data ingestion, feature engineering, model training, deployment, monitoring).
• Apply NLP, LLMs, and probabilistic modelling to solve data challenges.
• Partner with product managers and engineers to translate business problems into ML solutions.
• Develop and maintain data quality frameworks and observability systems to monitor model performance.

Skills

Python

ML systems

NLP

LLMs

MLOps

Distributed systems

Data pipelines

Mentoring

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Spark

Cloud platforms

Job description

Senior Machine Learning Engineer - Merchant Data Platform:

We are looking for a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to join our Merchant Data Platform (MDP) AI/ML team, helping to build the next generation of an AI-powered merchant ecosystem.

In this role, you will leverage cutting‑edge machine learning and generative AI techniques to enhance merchant data, improve data quality, and unlock actionable insights that power critical business decisions across Visa's global ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and deploy scalable machine learning models and pipelines to enrich merchant data, including entity resolution, attribute inference, and data standardisation
• Build end‑to‑end ML solutions (data ingestion, feature engineering, model training, deployment, monitoring), ensuring high performance, reliability, and scalability
• Apply advanced techniques such as NLP, LLMs, and probabilistic modelling to solve challenges like merchant name normalisation, brand hierarchy mapping, and data deduplication
• Partner closely with product managers, data engineers, and platform teams to translate business problems into ML‑driven solutions and influence product direction
• Develop and maintain data quality frameworks and observability systems to continuously monitor model performance, detect drift, and improve accuracy
• Optimise models and systems for latency, throughput, and cost efficiency, especially in real‑time and large‑scale environments
• Contribute to and improve MLOps practices, including CI/CD pipelines, feature stores, model lifecycle management, and experimentation frameworks
• Mentor junior engineers, review designs/code, and help elevate the team's technical standards and best practices

What We're Looking For:

• Strong experience building and deploying production‑grade machine learning systems at scale
• Proficiency in Python and ML frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or similar
• Hands‑on experience with distributed systems, big data technologies (e.g. Spark), and cloud platforms.
• Solid understanding of ML fundamentals, including model evaluation, feature engineering, and data pipelines.
• Experience with real‑time inference systems, data pipelines, and MLOps tooling
• Strong problem‑solving skills with the ability to handle ambiguous, open‑ended problems independently.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across teams

Impact You'll Make:

• Enable high‑quality, standardised merchant data across global markets
• Unlock new insights and data products that drive business value and innovation
• Help scale Visa's AI/ML capabilities across multiple regions and use cases
• Drive technical excellence and best practices in machine learning engineering.

Visa requires at least 3 days in office; expectations of these days will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications:

• 2+ years of relevant work experience and a Bachelor’s degree, OR 5+ years of relevant work experience.
• Experience in developing and implementing AI/ML models and algorithms.
• Experience in designing and building scalable machine learning pipelines.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 3 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor's Degree or more than 2 years of work experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD).
• Experience in collaborating with cross‑functional teams to integrate AI/ML solutions.
• Experience in collecting, preprocessing, and analysing large datasets.
• Experience in training and evaluating machine learning models.
• Experience in modernising legacy code and adopting emerging technologies.
• Experience in acting as a design authority and shaping best practices within engineering teams.
• Experience in communicating technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders.
• Experience in leading multiple workstreams in AI application development.
• Experience in generative AI and large language models (LLMs).
• Experience in infrastructure automation development and enhancing productivity using LLM models.
• Experience in developing robust and scalable products for cybersecurity.
• Experience in conducting research and experimenting with new AI/ML techniques.
• Experience in mentoring junior team members and leading implementations on key modules.

U.S. Applicants Only

The estimated salary range for this position is $145,200.00 to $224,800.00 USD per year, which may include potential sales incentive payments (if applicable). Salary may vary depending on job‑related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location. In addition, this position may be eligible for bonus and equity. Visa has a comprehensive benefits package for which this position may be eligible that includes Medical, Dental, Vision, 401(k), FSA/HSA, Life Insurance, Paid Time Off, and Wellness Program.

Work Hours

Varies upon the needs of the department.

Travel Requirements

This position requires travel 5-10% of the time.

Mental/Physical Requirements

This position will be performed in an office setting. The position will require the incumbent to sit and stand at a desk, communicate in person and by telephone, frequently operate standard office equipment, such as telephones and computers.

Visa is an EEO Employer

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. Visa will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the EEOC guidelines and applicable local law.