Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer

Job Description

Senior Staff Software Engineer, Machine Learning

Etsy

Job Details

• Location: Brooklyn, NY or Remote (US-based) - Flex, Remote, and Office-based modes available.
• Salary: $245,000.00 - $319,000.00 annually

About the Role & Team

We are looking for a Senior Staff Software Engineer, Machine Learning to be a pivotal technical leader in architecting the next generation of AI/ML models and systems that connect buyers and sellers across Etsy's platform. In this highly influential role, you will define and lead the technical strategy for our core AI/ML solutions in Search, Recommendations, and Ads.

The Search, Recommendations, and Ads organization is at the heart of Etsy’s marketplace, responsible for the algorithms that power discovery and connection. Our technical environment is evolving rapidly toward more sophisticated generative and agentic experiences, requiring a blend of deep research and robust software engineering. We focus on mid-to-long-term research topics while ensuring our models remain high-performance and scalable within our blameless engineering culture.

What Does the Day-to-Day Look Like?

• Identify customer problems and opportunities; lead teams to research, architect, design, and operationalize AI/ML solutions.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional leaders to define and execute a compelling product and technical roadmap for ML solutions.
• Drive cross-functional technical alignment and execution across various engineering teams.
• Lead R&D in advanced AI, with a major focus on mid/long-term research topics that push the boundaries of the industry.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to grow the skills and capabilities of engineers across the entire organization.
• Apply a disciplined, data-driven approach to technical decision-making and experimentation.

Qualities That Will Help You Thrive

• 10+ years of progressive experience in ML and AI, with a proud track record of building large-scale, high-performance models and systems.
• Deep experience with the end-to-end development lifecycle of ML/AI, focusing on both large-scale model training and serving.
• A foundational and practical understanding of machine learning principles and the critical steps required to successfully productionize models at scale.
• Proficiency with modern data processing frameworks (e.g., Spark, Beam, Hadoop) and ML frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn).
• Exceptional ability to define and solve highly ambiguous or unconstrained technical problems, knowing when to strategically seek assistance.
• A proven track record of successfully collaborating with engineers, leaders, and product managers to drive complex projects to completion.
• A demonstrated commitment to supporting and mentoring other engineers, elevating the technical capability of the organization.

About Etsy & Our Promise

Etsy is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods. We build, power, and evolve the tools and technologies that connect millions of entrepreneurs with millions of buyers around the world. At Etsy, we believe that a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace furthers relevance, resilience, and longevity. We encourage people from all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and experiences to apply. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or veteran status.