The Senior ML Engineer will build and maintain large-scale ML production pipelines, focusing on delivering production-grade solutions and collaborating with R&D teams. Responsibilities include prototyping new algorithms, managing datasets, and optimizing ML models for customer impact.
Building hardware is like writing software with no debugger, no logs, and only three compile attempts—before mass production. This lack of visibility leads to costly waste.
Instrumental’s AI-powered platform gives hardware teams the data and insights they need to catch and fix issues early. Leading brands like Meta, Bose, and Cisco use it to build better products, faster, with less waste.
We’re a ~70-person, mission-driven team that values inclusivity and impact. If that resonates with you, let’s talk.
About The Role
We’re seeking a highly customer-centric Senior ML Engineer who will join our cross-functional engineering team. You’ll be responsible for working with our talented engineers to build and maintain a highly scalable end-to-end ML production pipeline. The role is focused on delivering production-grade ML solutions, including DL- and LLM-based approaches, that reliably work at scale.
- Maintain an obsessive focus on delivering value to our customers.
- Maintain ownership of large-scale ML systems, all the way to surfacing the features to customers, and measuring their impact.
- Partner closely with the entire R&D organization, working in a highly collaborative, cross-functional environment where you’ll be exposed to the entire scope of a deliverable rather than just the ML portion of the project.
- Quickly prototype and iterate on new algorithmic concepts, and prioritize them based on customer needs. Utilize state-of-the-art AI approaches, including emerging LLM-based and multimodal solutions.
- Guide efforts to acquire high-quality datasets.
- Manage and improve the ML pipeline, from data management, model management, and resource scheduling.
- Proven track record of delivering systems at scale in a production environment.
- At least 3 years of delivering production systems in Python, Java or Scala. Familiarity with best practices for code quality, testing, and version control.
- Start-up or equivalent experience where you demonstrate strong attention to detail and ownership balanced with a scrappy, get-stuff-done, mentality.
- Experience with deep learning in a production setting, understanding how to manage data, training, deployment, and inference at scale with familiarity in LLM-based or computer vision-based approaches.
- Solid understanding of data management, model deployment, and performance optimization.
- Feel at home communicating research and other complex ideas to a broad swath of the company including engineers and non-engineers.
We’re a growing team that works collaboratively, is supportive of each other, and is highly energized by the opportunity for a large impact. We actively work to promote an inclusive environment, valuing passion and the ability to learn. You’re encouraged to apply even if your experience doesn’t precisely match the job description!
The following is a representative annual base salary range for this position within the Bay Area: $194,000-214,000. Job level and salary opportunities are evaluated through our interview process – we review the experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of each applicant.
Instrumental is proud to offer a highly-rated variety of benefits, including health, vision, dental, commuter plans, and parental leave.
At Instrumental, protecting company and customer information is a shared responsibility. Employees are expected to comply with company engineering, security, access control, and privacy policies, and promptly report suspected security incidents or policy violations.
Instrumental Palo Alto, California, USA Office
909 Alma Street, Palo Alto, CA, United States, 94301
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