Staff Backend Engineer, Customer Value Optimization

hellofresh; United States; Hybrid; USD 107,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and dental coverage from day 1

Mental wellness app subscription

Fitness membership discounts

Generous vacation and PTO

Job summary

hellofresh is hiring a Staff Backend Engineer for a Customer Value Optimization team in Toronto. You will translate ML model needs into scalable backend systems and serve as a technical bridge between data science and engineering across multiple squads.

You will shape model serving practices, drive scalable architectures, and mentor engineers while delivering high-impact, production-grade ML platforms in a hybrid work setting.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of backend engineering with Python
• Experience building/operating ML model serving systems
• Strong understanding of distributed systems, APIs and microservices
• Proven track record delivering cross-functional projects
• Excellent communication with data scientists and engineers
• Collaborative, low-ego approach with strong technical judgment

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and own robust infrastructure for live serving of ML models in production
• Translate data science needs into engineering solutions and bridge DS and backend teams
• Define and drive best practices for model serving, APIs, and system design across squads
• Lead cross-squad technical initiatives from architecture to implementation
• Partner with data scientists to ensure production-ready models are performant and observable
• Contribute to engineering standards and the tribe's technical roadmap
• Mentor engineers across squads without line-management duties

Skills

Backend Python

Distributed systems

APIs

Microservices

Cross-functional delivery

Communication

Tools

ML frameworks

Serving tools

Feature stores

Job description

Role overview

This is a Staff-level Backend Engineer opening on a Customer Value Optimization team focused on personalizing the end-to-end customer experience. The role is a high-impact individual contributor position sitting at the intersection of data science and backend engineering, acting as the technical bridge that turns machine learning models into reliable, scalable production systems. You will work across multiple squads within the tribe, partnering with data scientists and engineers to raise the technical bar and accelerate how ML-driven value is delivered to customers.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and own robust, scalable infrastructure for live serving of machine learning models in production
• Translate data science needs into engineering solutions and serve as the technical bridge between data science and backend engineering teams
• Define and drive best practices for model serving, APIs, and system design across squads
• Lead cross-squad technical initiatives, from architecture decisions through hands-on implementation
• Partner with data scientists to ensure models are production-ready - performant, observable, and maintainable
• Contribute to engineering standards and the technical roadmap at the tribe level
• Mentor and support engineers across squads without holding direct line management responsibility

Requirements

• 7+ years of backend engineering experience with a strong foundation in Python
• Proven experience building and operating ML model serving systems or ML platforms in production
• Deep understanding of distributed systems, APIs, and microservices architecture
• Strong track record of delivering complex, cross-functional projects across team boundaries
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to work fluently with data scientists, machine learning engineers, and data engineers
• Collaborative, low-ego approach combined with strong technical judgment

Nice to have

• Hands-on experience with common ML frameworks and serving tools
• Familiarity with feature stores, model registries, or broader MLOps tooling

  Benefits and work setup

  • Health and dental coverage from day one, plus a health spending account
  • Mental wellness app subscription and fitness membership discounts
  • Generous vacation and PTO to support work-life balance
  • Parental leave top-up program for expectant parents
  • Career progression support backed by a dedicated learning and development function
  • Active employee resource groups and ongoing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives
  • Discount on weekly meal kit subscription boxes
  • Flexible hybrid arrangement based in Toronto, ON, with a minimum expectation of three days per week in the office and personal choice on the remaining days, alongside regular team and company in-office days
  • Posted pay range: $149,940-$159,940 CAD