Machine Learning Manager, Notifications Relevance

About the Role

Reddit's community is built on shared interests, passion, and trust, making it home to the most open and authentic conversations on the internet. With a vast array of topics and communities, the challenge of delivering relevant content to each user is substantial. The Notifications Relevance team tackles this challenge head-on, using machine learning and AI to connect users with content that matters to them. As the leader of this team, you will be responsible for guiding the development of these systems, ensuring they are adaptive, holistic, and continuously improving.

The role of the Machine Learning Manager is highly visible within the company, requiring collaboration with various stakeholders, including product and upper management. Your ability to communicate complex technical concepts and set realistic expectations will be crucial in ensuring that your team's plans align with company goals. Furthermore, you will be responsible for the career development of your engineers, helping them identify goals and create plans to achieve them, and fostering a culture of innovation and leadership within the team.

What You Will Do

• Lead the team in architecting and designing notifications relevance at Reddit, focusing on holistic, adaptive systems that cover budgeting optimization, candidate retrieval, and ranking.
• Collaborate with machine learning engineers to design, implement, and optimize machine-learning models that drive personalization and user re-engagement.
• Participate in the full development cycle, including design, development, QA, experimentation, analysis, and deployment of machine learning models.
• Build and maintain a diverse team that can collaborate across disciplines to find technical solutions to complex challenges.
• Serve as a thought partner to product and upper management, ensuring alignment between your team's plans and company goals.
• Communicate your team's work and set expectations with cross-functional stakeholders, including product, engineering, and design teams.
• Help engineers identify career goals and create development plans to achieve them, focusing on continuous learning and growth.
• Seek opportunities to challenge your engineers and managers, encouraging them to step outside their comfort zones and take on leadership roles.
• Foster a culture of experimentation, learning from failure, and continuous improvement within the team.

What We Are Looking For

• 2+ years of experience building and managing engineering teams, with a focus on machine learning or software engineering.
• 5+ years of experience as a Machine Learning Engineer or Software Engineer working on large-scale machine learning systems, preferably in a role related to personalization or recommendations.
• Deep understanding of building and deploying large-scale recommender systems, including retrieval and ranking components.
• Hands-on experience working with deep learning models, sequential features, and real-time systems.
• Experience with distributed training and inference using tools like Ray, PyTorch Distributed, or similar technologies.
• Familiarity with reinforcement learning or multi-objective optimization in recommendation systems, with an understanding of how these techniques can enhance user experience.
• Entrepreneurial and self-directed, with a bias towards action in fast-paced environments and the ability to drive projects forward independently.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, with excellent leadership and team management skills.

Nice to Have

• Experience with A/B testing and experimentation frameworks, with the ability to design and analyze experiments to measure the impact of machine learning models on user engagement.
• Knowledge of natural language processing (NLP) techniques and their application in recommender systems, which could enhance the relevance of notifications.
• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and version control systems like Git, with experience working in a collaborative environment.
• Experience with cloud computing platforms such as AWS or GCP, with a understanding of how to design and deploy scalable machine learning systems.

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive salary and equity package, reflecting the importance of this role in Reddit's future growth.
• Comprehensive health insurance, including medical, dental, and vision coverage, to support the well-being of you and your family.
• Generous PTO policy, allowing you to recharge and pursue your passions outside of work.
• Remote work stipend, acknowledging the unique challenges and benefits of working remotely and providing support for your home office setup.
• Opportunities for professional growth and development, including workshops, conferences, and online courses, to help you stay at the forefront of machine learning and software engineering.
• Access to a vibrant community of professionals, with regular team meetings, social events, and opportunities to collaborate with other departments within Reddit.

• Highlight your experience with large-scale machine learning systems, particularly those related to personalization and recommendations, in your resume and cover letter.
• Prepare to discuss your approach to building and deploying recommender systems, including how you handle challenges like scalability and real-time processing.
• Showcase your leadership skills by describing your experience in managing engineering teams, including how you foster a culture of innovation and continuous learning.
• Be ready to explain complex technical concepts, such as deep learning models and reinforcement learning, to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrate your understanding of the importance of experimentation and A/B testing in evaluating the effectiveness of machine learning models, and be prepared to discuss your experience with these methodologies.
• Research Reddit's culture and values, and be prepared to discuss how your own values and approach to work align with those of the company, showcasing your enthusiasm for the role and the company.
• Prepare questions for your interviewers, such as what the biggest challenges are for the Notifications Relevance team, and how the company supports the growth and development of its engineers.