Sr. Machine Learning Engineer

Amazon is hiring a Sr. Machine Learning Engineer in Seattle, United States. It pays $193k-$262k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Amazon.

Level's read on this job

On Level's scale, this machine learning engineer role is Builds AI ●●●●: the job is building AI systems.
Pay on this posting starts in line with the typical machine learning engineer posting on Level.
Level classes it as a senior role.
Amazon has 20,000+ other open roles on Level.
Posted in the last few days.

AI in this role

The Ad Response Prediction team builds the machine learning systems that decide which ads are most relevant to shoppers across every Amazon platform and surface worldwide. You'll own the architectural direction of the ML infrastructure behind ad relevance, covering large-scale training systems, real-time inference and the LLM-based architectures that support next-generation GenAI workloads at Amazon Ads scale.

The team sits at the core of how Sponsored Products & Brands (SPB) is using generative AI to change advertising. The models and infrastructure we build directly determine ad relevance across Amazon's entire advertising surface. You'll work closely with applied scientists to take models from training and evaluation through deployment and serving. You'll also shape ML infrastructure practices beyond your immediate team.

Key job responsibilities
- Lead the development of LLM inference infrastructure for next-generation GenAI workloads at Amazon Ads scale: define the technical strategy, evaluate tradeoffs and deliver production-ready solutions
- Own the architectural direction of large-scale ML training and real-time inference systems, driving improvements in scalability, automation and efficiency across the organization
- Partner with applied scientists to design and optimize end-to-end ML pipelines, from model training and evaluation through deployment and serving, so models perform reliably at massive scale
- Influence technical direction beyond your team by establishing ML infrastructure best practices and contributing to cross-team architectural decisions
- Make principled tradeoff decisions on complex, ambiguous problems in a fast-moving GenAI space, bringing clarity and delivering results independently
- Mentor engineers across the team and be the technical resource others seek out for ML infrastructure expertise

About the team
The Sponsored Products and Brands (SPB) team at Amazon Ads is re-imagining the advertising landscape through generative AI technologies, revolutionizing how millions of customers discover products and engage with brands across Amazon.com and beyond. We are at the forefront of re-inventing advertising experiences, bridging human creativity with artificial intelligence to transform every aspect of the advertising lifecycle from ad creation and optimization to performance analysis and customer insights. We are a passionate group of innovators dedicated to developing responsible and intelligent AI technologies that balance the needs of advertisers, enhance the shopping experience, and strengthen the marketplace. If you're energized by solving complex challenges and pushing the boundaries of what's possible with AI, join us in shaping the future of advertising.

The Ad Response Prediction team within SPB is at the core of this work. The models and infrastructure we build directly determine ad relevance across Amazon's entire advertising surface. We're a collaborative, high-ownership team that moves fast and builds ML systems that operate at internet scale.

Basic qualifications

- 5+ years of non-internship professional software development experience
- 5+ years of programming with at least one software programming language experience
- 5+ years of leading design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience
- Experience as a mentor, tech lead or leading an engineering team

Preferred qualifications

- 5+ years of full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations experience
- Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, CA, Palo Alto - 193,300.00 - 261,500.00 USD annually
USA, VA, Arlington - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually
USA, WA, SEATTLE - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually

How we rate this

Sr. Machine Learning Engineer at Amazon rates 86 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.