Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer

What’s the role?
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. You will apply state-of-the-art techniques, including hybrid retrieval, multi-tasking deep learning, Generative Recommendations, and Agentic shopping experiences to create a cohesive, highly personalized customer journey for over 85 million buyers and over 5 million sellers.

Do you have a passion for designing and implementing strategies for a holistic AI/ML ecosystem? Are you excited by the challenge of leading research initiatives and building advanced algorithms at a global scale? Are you motivated to mentor engineers and shape the future state of the industry? If so, this could be the perfect match.

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.

Of course, this is just a sample of the kinds of work this role will require! You should assume that your role will encompass other tasks, too, and that your job duties and responsibilities may change from time to time at Etsy's discretion, or otherwise applicable with local law.

Qualities that will help you thrive are:
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.