Staff Machine Learning Engineer

Pinterest; San Francisco (CA); Presencial; USD 228.000 - 469.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Pinterest Labs is seeking a Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Applied Science, to tackle challenges in machine learning and AI. You will drive research, architecture, scale, and production deployment of Generative Recommendation Systems and RL solutions, collaborating with researchers and engineers across the company.

The role requires deep expertise in ML, RL, and large-scale systems, with a track record of translating research into tangible product impact.

Formación

• MS/PhD in Computer Science or equivalent industry experience.
• Minimum 6 years of relevant industry experience.
• Hands-on experience with large-scale recommendation systems and reinforcement learning.
• Publications at top ML conferences and cross-functional collaboration experience.

Responsabilidades

• Contribute to cutting-edge AI/ML research applicable to Pinterest challenges across Ads, Discovery, Growth, and Search.
• Identify, scope, architect, build, and deliver full ML solutions from 0 to 1 at scale with timelines and resources.
• Identify new research opportunities by collaborating with external/internal teams and expand impact of Applied Science.
• Act as a technical leader in the applied AI space, translating research into product impact with product/engineering/data science partners.

Conocimientos

Large-scale ML systems

Applied AI leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Strong communication

Educación

MS/PhD in Computer Science or equivalent experience

Descripción del empleo

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.

Our new progressive work model is called PinFlex, a term that’s uniquely Pinterest to describe our flexible approach to living and working. Visit our PinFlex landing page to learn more.

Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Applied Science

As part of Pinterest Labs, you'll work on tackling new challenges in machine learning and artificial intelligence along with a world‑class team of research scientists and machine learning engineers. In this role, you will play a central part in transforming how content is discovered on Pinterest by driving the research, architecture, scale and production deployment of Generative Recommendation System (GenRec) and Reinforcement Learning solutions. You will conduct research that directly applies across Pinterest engineering teams, engage in external collaborations and mentoring, and perform research in the intersection of recommendation systems, LLMs, VLMs, and reinforcement learning.

What You’ll Do:

• Contribute to cutting‑edge AI/ML research that can be applied to Pinterest challenges across Ads, Discovery, Growth, and Search.


• Identify, scope, architect, build, and deliver full, novel ML solutions from 0 to 1 at scale. Identify timelines and obtain resources needed.


• Identify new and upcoming research opportunities by interacting with external and internal collaborators. Own long‑term research strategy and plans to expand the impact of Applied Science.


• Act as a technical leader in the applied AI space. partner with Product, Engineering, and Data Science to translate complex engineering solutions into product impact.

What We’re Looking For:

• MS/PhD in Computer Science, or equivalent industry experience


• Minimum 6 years of relevant industry experience


• Hands‑on experience with large‑scale recommendation system and reinforcement learning applications; experience with LLM/VLM post‑training is a plus


• Technical leadership and experience in driving ambiguous research problems into production deliverables


• Publications at top ML conferences (e.g. KDD, NeurIPS, RecSys, etc.)


• Cross‑functional collaborator and strong communicator

In-Office Requirement Statement:

• We recognize that the ideal environment for work is situational and may differ across departments. What this looks like day-to-day can vary based on the needs of each organization or role.


• 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.

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.

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.