Machine Learning Engineer II (LLM Applied Science)

Pinterest Labs is looking for a Machine Learning Engineer II to tackle new challenges in Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI. You will work alongside world-class research scientists to conduct research that can be applied across Pinterest, focusing on areas like RAG, instruction tuning, and safety alignment.

Key Responsibilities

• Applied Research: Contribute to cutting-edge research in LLMs and GenAI, translating insights into practical, scalable solutions for Pinterest problems.
• Model Optimization: Explore and productionalize techniques such as instruction tuning, preference optimization, RAG, and tool-calling.
• Data Strategy: Curate and generate training data with strong quality controls.
• Evaluation: Build reliable evaluation strategies for LLM systems, including offline metrics, human evaluation, and red-teaming.
• Ranking & Modeling: Develop LLM-powered methods to solve modeling and ranking problems across Ads, Search, and Growth.

Requirements

• Education: MS/PhD in Computer Science, ML, NLP, Statistics, or related field.
• Experience: 1-2 years of internship or professional experience.
• NLP Foundation: Strong foundation in modern deep learning for NLP (transformers, representation learning, scaling laws).
• Tech Stack: Mastery of one systems language (Java, C++, Python) and one ML framework (TensorFlow, PyTorch, MLFlow).
• Problem Solving: Experience in research and solving analytical problems in ambiguous environments.

Benefits & Work Model

• Salary: Very competitive base range of $138,905 — $285,982 USD.
• PinFlex: Flexible work model; mostly remote but requires in-person collaboration 1-2 times per quarter.
• Location: Candidates can be situated anywhere in the country, but must be US Based.