Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Ads Content Understanding

About the Role

The role will involve roughly 50% technical leadership and mentorship and 50% hands-on work, including modeling, pipelines, and debugging complex production systems. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in machine learning, natural language processing, and software engineering, with experience in leading cross-functional teams and driving technical vision.

What You Will Do

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to Machine Learning Engineers and Software Engineers doing ML work in ACU
• Develop evaluation systems and quality monitoring systems for content understanding signals using state-of-the-art language model judge practices
• Drive operational excellence for ACU's ML systems by defining service level objectives, alerting, and dashboards for key signals
• Build and evolve content understanding capabilities for commercial conversations, including sentiment, stance, product entities, and categories
• Lead the design and implementation of signals pipelines and produce an ACU signals registry
• Partner with platform teams and other content understanding teams to ensure efficient, reliable serving at Reddit scale
• Drive large language model and modern machine learning best practices within ACU
• Define when to prompt, fine-tune, or distill models and design evaluation and safety harnesses
• Lead at least one major distillation effort to replace external APIs with in-house models

What We Are Looking For

• 5+ years of experience in machine learning or a related field, with a focus on natural language processing and content understanding
• Strong programming skills in languages such as Python, Java, or C++
• Experience with machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Scikit-learn
• Knowledge of software engineering principles, including design patterns, testing, and validation
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and driving technical vision
• Strong understanding of advertising technology and the role of machine learning in content understanding
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and adapt to changing priorities

Nice to Have

• Experience with Excel and data analysis
• Knowledge of cloud computing platforms such as AWS or GCP
• Familiarity with containerization using Docker and orchestration using Kubernetes
• Experience with agile development methodologies and version control systems such as Git

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive salary and equity package
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Flexible paid time off and holidays
• Remote work stipend and equipment allowance
• Opportunities for professional growth and development
• Access to cutting-edge technologies and tools
• Collaborative and dynamic work environment

• Tip: Highlight your experience with machine learning frameworks and natural language processing in your resume and cover letter.
• Tip: Showcase your ability to drive technical vision and lead cross-functional teams by providing specific examples from your previous experience.
• Tip: Be prepared to discuss your understanding of advertising technology and the role of machine learning in content understanding during the interview process.
• Tip: Familiarize yourself with Reddit's company culture and values, and be ready to explain how your skills and experience align with them.
• Tip: Consider creating a portfolio that demonstrates your proficiency in machine learning and software engineering, and be prepared to discuss your projects and experiences in detail.
• Tip: Don't hesitate to ask about the company's approach to remote work, professional development opportunities, and employee well-being during the interview process.