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PinterestPinterestSan Francisco, CA

Director, Machine Learning Engineering – Content & User Understanding

Director-level ML leader to define vision and drive execution of Pinterest's foundational content and user understanding models powering homefeed, search, ads and more.

267k – 551k/yr
Hybrid12+ YOEML Engineering

About the role

What you'll do

Lead ML Strategy and Innovation for Foundational Content and User Understanding

  • Set the multi-year vision, technical strategy, and investment roadmap for content and user understanding ML models and systems.
  • Drive innovation of cutting-edge AI approaches, including large scale sequence modeling, VLM and LLM.

Lead Execution and Deployment Across Pinterest to Deliver Topline Impact

  • Ensure the foundational content and user understanding models and systems are effective and scalable to power downstream applications across Pinterest surfaces: homefeed, related, search, shopping, growth and ads.
  • Collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Data Science leaders in partner teams to translate foundational ML techniques into significant business impact. Form strong collaboration across teams and build trust.

Build and Scale a World-Class ML Organization

  • Manage, hire, and develop a team of high-performing managers and ML / Backend engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, technical excellence, rigor, and impact.

Drive ML Influence Across Pinterest

  • Act as the primary technical spokesperson for Content and User Understanding to executive leadership and external partners.
  • Represent the team's needs and priorities in company-wide planning and resource allocation to ensure long-term, strategic ML investment.

What we're looking for

  • 12+ years of professional experience as a technical leader, including 5+ years in people leadership roles (managing managers and senior ICs).
  • Technical degree in a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
  • Deep ML expertise: building and operating large-scale ML systems in recommendation, ads or search.
  • Expertise in large scale deep learning, VLM and LLM approaches.
  • Track record to set long term technical vision and lead teams to deliver top line business impacts.
  • Seasoned People Leader: Proven success leading complex ML organizations, managing managers, and exceptional communication and influence skills to drive close collaboration with multiple partner teams.

Skills

Machine LearningLLMsVision-Language ModelsVlmDeep LearningRecommendation SystemsSearch SystemsAdvertising SystemsLarge-Scale Ml SystemsSequence ModelingTechnical Leadership

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