Staff ML Engineer, Search Discover Feed Recommendation

Google LLC; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 207,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Google LLC is seeking a Staff ML Engineer for the Search Discover Feed Recommendation team in Mountain View, CA. The role focuses on building AIGC quality frameworks and agentic flows to deliver high-quality AI-generated content across Discover and Notifications.

You will work on context engineering, evaluation loops, and integration of LLM-based tools into workflows, impacting billions of users globally. Strong leadership and cross-team collaboration are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience in software development.
• 5 years of experience in ML, recommendation systems, NLP, or related field.
• Experience building offline/online quality evaluation frameworks for LLMs (e.g., LLM-as-a-judge, RLHF, DPO).
• Experience integrating generative AI tools or LLM interfaces into workflows.

Responsibilities

• Build advanced AI-generated content (AIGC) quality frameworks and agentic flows for Discover and Notifications.
• Develop AI-generated content through context engineering and agentic feedback loops.
• Conduct advanced quality evaluations and leverage downstream signals to improve AIGC performance.
• Resolve system-level bottlenecks in recommending and serving AIGC content for low-latency surfaces.
• Influence broader ML strategy and drive technical innovation for AIGC quality.

Skills

Software development

Machine learning

Recommendation systems

NLP

LLM integration

Quality evaluation

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience

Master’s degree or PhD (preferred)

Tools

RLHF

AIGC frameworks

Job description

Staff ML Engineer, Search Discover Feed Recommendation

Share Staff ML Engineer, Search Discover Feed Recommendation

corporate_fare Google place Mountain View, CA, USA

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience in software development.
• 5 years of experience in machine learning, recommendation systems, natural language processing, or a related field.
• Experience building offline and online quality evaluation frameworks for Large Language Models (e.g., LLM-as-a-judge, RLHF, DPO).
• Experience integrating generative AI tools or LLM interfaces into workflows.

Preferred qualifications:

• Master’s degree or PhD in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• 8 years of experience with data structures/algorithms.
• 3 years of experience in a technical leadership role leading project teams and setting technical direction.
• Experience optimizing machine learning inference, resolving system-level bottlenecks, and improving serving efficiency for low-latency global surfaces.
• Experience integrating large language model quality evaluation frameworks with downstream recommendation signals.

About the job

Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.

The Discover Feed Recommendation team leads by recommending AI-generated content (AIGC) to fulfill user interests. As a Staff Machine Learning Engineer focusing on Search AIGC Quality, you will be responsible for AIGC quality control, topic identification, context engineering, and content understanding. You will build the agentic loops and evaluation frameworks needed to ensure factuality, freshness, coherence, and tone for AI-generated content that empowers users across Google's proactive surfaces like Discover and Notifications.

In Google Search, we're reimagining what it means to search for information – any way and anywhere. To do that, we need to solve complex engineering challenges and expand our infrastructure, while maintaining a universally accessible and useful experience that people around the world rely on. In joining the Search team, you'll have an opportunity to make an impact on billions of people globally.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
US: $207000 - $300000 (USD) + 20% bonus target + equity + benefits

• Build advanced AI-generated content (AIGC) quality frameworks and agentic flows to generate content for proactive surfaces like Discover and Notifications.
• Develop AI-generated content through advanced context engineering and agentic feedback loops to identify and deliver engaging stories globally.
• Conduct advanced quality evaluations and leverage downstream dense recommendation signals and feedback to improve the performance of the AIGC stack.
• Resolve key system-level bottlenecks in recommending and serving AIGC content to optimize efficiency for low-latency surfaces.
• Navigate high ambiguity, drive technical innovation for AIGC quality, and influence the broader organizational machine learning strategy.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to building a workforce that is representative of the users we serve, creating a culture of belonging, and providing an equal employment opportunity regardless of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), expecting or parents-to-be, criminal histories consistent with legal requirements, or any other basis protected by law. See also Google's EEO Policy , Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal , Belonging at Google , and How we hire .

Google is a global company and, in order to facilitate efficient collaboration and communication globally, English proficiency is a requirement for all roles unless stated otherwise in the job posting.

Equity is granted exclusively and discretionarily by Alphabet Inc. on the basis of an agreement concluded between you and Alphabet Inc. Alphabet Inc. is your sole contractual partner with respect to equity grants. GSU grants are not guaranteed, are discretionary, are subject to approval by the Alphabet Inc. board of directors or its delegate, the terms of the relevant Alphabet Inc. stock plan, and your grant agreement. They have no impact on statutory payments. Current or past grants do not confer an acquired right.