# Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Relevance and Personalization

**Company:** [Airbnb](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/airbnb)
**Location:** Remote
**Role:** ML Engineering
**Salary:** $212k – $265k/yr
**Experience:** 9+ years
**Skills:** Machine Learning, Python, Scala, Java, C++, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Kubernetes, Spark, Apache Airflow, Apache Kafka, Data Warehousing, Natural Language Processing, Computer Vision, A/B Testing
**Posted:** 2026-09-08

> Staff machine learning engineer leading scalable ranking, search, recommendation, and personalization systems. The role requires 9+ years of applied machine learning experience, strong programming and data engineering skills, and expertise productionizing models and pipelines.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Develop and continuously improve machine learning models for product, business, and operational use cases using large-scale structured and unstructured data.
- Collaborate with software engineers, product managers, operations, and data scientists to identify opportunities, prioritize machine learning requirements, make engineering decisions, and quantify impact.
- Develop, productionize, and operate machine learning models and pipelines at scale for batch and real-time use cases.
- Use third-party and in-house machine learning tools and infrastructure to enable reusable systems, rapid model development, low-latency serving, and maintainable model quality.
- Build end-to-end ranking algorithms and ecosystems for search, recommendation, personalization, and marketplace optimization.
- Work on areas such as feature platforms, model interpretability, hyperparameter optimization, and concept drift detection.

## Requirements
- 9+ years of industry experience in applied machine learning, including an MS or PhD in a relevant field.
- Strong programming and data engineering skills using Scala, Python, Java, C++, or equivalent.
- Deep understanding of machine learning best practices, including training/serving skew minimization, A/B testing, feature engineering, and feature and model selection.
- Knowledge of neural networks, deep learning, and optimization.
- Experience with relevant domains such as natural language processing, computer vision, personalization, search and recommendation, marketplace optimization, or anomaly detection.
- Experience with at least three of TensorFlow, PyTorch, Kubernetes, Spark, Airflow or equivalent, Kafka or equivalent, and data warehouses such as Hive.
- Experience building end-to-end machine learning infrastructure and/or productionizing machine learning models.
- Experience with architectural patterns for high-scale software applications, including well-designed APIs, high-volume data pipelines, and efficient algorithms and models.
- Familiarity with test-driven development, A/B testing, incremental delivery, and deployment.

## Compensation
- Base pay range: $212,000–$265,000 USD.
- May also be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and employee travel credits.

## Similar jobs

- [Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Traffic Intelligence](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/cee28c3a-eb64-42f7-a584-8d2b4a0980b8) - Airbnb - Remote - $212k – $265k/yr
- [Staff Software Engineer - AI Agent Evaluations](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/d3ace257-7e34-447e-83ab-6d583c58936a) - Idme - Mountain View, CA - $218k – $271k/yr
- [Senior Staff Software Engineer, Agentic Search](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/5beacffe-b81b-4377-8a7b-fb5c956d03ee) - Ironclad - San Francisco, CA - $220k – $270k/yr
- [Staff Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities – Maritime](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/6584cef4-dd17-40e1-854e-fb8a2411eb50) - Shield AI - Washington, DC - $221k – $331k/yr
- [Staff Engineer, Perception Software](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/f7fd4093-6de3-4fa2-a6af-4195c25747f0) - Shield AI - San Diego, CA - $200k – $300k/yr

**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/55294862-2c7b-41d0-a788-4d486f8212f1
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/55294862-2c7b-41d0-a788-4d486f8212f1