Staff Software Engineer, Machine Learning
At a glance
Senior Machine Learning Engineering role at LinkedIn. Bengaluru · full-time.
Pay not stated Machine Learning Engineering salary
aimlroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Take embeddings, retrieval, ranking and classification models from development through launch in large production settings
- Create relevance models for recommender systems and personalized intent engines
- Test new ranking methods and use Generative AI and NLP techniques to shape product features
- Work with data science, product and infrastructure partners to turn ideas into production systems
- Guide junior ML engineers on entity resolution, lead scoring and search relevance
What you bring
- A graduate degree in computer science or a related technical area, or equivalent hands-on experience
- At least eight years in machine learning, artificial intelligence or a related field
- Five or more years in architecture or technical leadership, steering large-scale AI work
- Practical experience across the ML lifecycle, from data pipelines and training through deployment, monitoring and optimization
- Expertise in at least one area such as LLMs, generative AI, search and recommendations, reinforcement learning or large-scale deep learning
Who this fits
This senior role suits someone who can set technical direction, build production ML systems and mentor other engineers. The position is hybrid in Bengaluru, with work split between home and a LinkedIn office on selected days according to team needs.
From the employer
LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network, built to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. Our products help people make powerful connections, discover exciting opportunities, build necessary skills, and gain valuable insights every day. We're also committed to providing transformational opportunities for our own employees by investing in their growth. We aspire to create a culture that's built on trust, care, inclusion, and fun – where everyone can succeed.
Join us to transform the way the world works.
We are looking for a Staff Machine Learning Engineer to play a pivotal role within the AI team. This role goes beyond building models - you will set the technical direction and lead initiatives that push the boundaries of what's possible. You will combine deep research expertise with the ability to build production-grade ML systems at scale, partnering across engineering, product, and research to deliver transformative AI solutions.
At LinkedIn, our approach to flexible work is centered on trust and optimized for culture, connection, clarity, and the evolving needs of our business. The work location of this role is hybrid, meaning it will be performed both from home and from a LinkedIn office on select days, as determined by the business needs of the team.
Responsibilities
Own end-to-end model development and deployment of embeddings, retrieval, ranking, and classification models in large-scale production environments.
Build and deploy relevance models that power our various recommender systems and personalized intent engines.
Explore novel approaches for machine learning ranking and modeling downstream impact, as well as new ways of creating new product features by leveraging the cutting edge machine learning techniques in Generative AI, NLP.
Keep scalability and performance in mind through your design and engineering choices.
Work directly with partner data science, product, and infrastructure teams to take your ideas from conception to production.
Mentor junior ML engineers in applying advanced machine learning techniques to core problems such as entity resolution, lead scoring, and search relevance.
Represent LinkedIn in academic and industry circles by showcasing our innovation, data products and scientific expertise in bringing game-changing data products to market.
Basic Qualifications
MS/PhD degree in Computer Science or related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
8+ years of experience in machine learning, artificial intelligence, or related fields.
5+ years in an architect or technical leadership role driving large-scale AI initiatives.
Hands-on experience with end-to-end ML lifecycle: data pipelines, training, deployment, monitoring, and optimization.
Expertise in at least one of: LLMs, generative AI, search/recommendations, reinforcement learning, or large-scale deep learning.
Preferred Qualifications
10+ years of experience building and scaling machine learning systems in production.
Proven experience in pre-training and fine-tuning LLMs, including domain-specific adaptations.
Strong software engineering skills (Python, Java, C++, or similar), with the ability to design robust, scalable systems.
Track record of influencing product and technical strategy through AI/ML innovation.
Publications, patents, or open-source contributions in machine learning, NLP, or related areas.
Suggested Skills
Machine Learning
Large Language Models
Generative AI
Search & Recommendations
Reinforcement Learning
Technical Leadership
Cross-Functional Collaboration
You Will Benefit from Our Culture
We strongly believe in the well-being of our employees and their families. That is why we offer generous health and wellness programs and time away for employees of all levels.
India Disability Policy
LinkedIn is an equal employment opportunity employer offering opportunities to all job seekers, including individuals with disabilities. For more information on our equal opportunity policy, please visit https://legal.linkedin.com/content/dam/legal/Policy_India_EqualOppPWD_9-12-2023.pdf
Global Data Privacy Notice for Job Candidates
Please follow this link to access the document that provides transparency around the way in which LinkedIn handles personal data of employees and job applicants: https://legal.linkedin.com/candidate-portal.
India Disability Policy
LinkedIn is an equal employment opportunity employer offering opportunities to all job seekers, including individuals with disabilities. For more information on our equal opportunity policy, please visit https://legal.linkedin.com/content/dam/legal/Policy_India_EqualOppPWD_9-12-2023.pdf
Global Data Privacy Notice and Compliance Posters for Job Candidates
Please use this link to access documents that provide information about how LinkedIn handles the personal data of employees and job applicants, as well as the E-Verify Participation Notice and the Department of Justice Immigrant and Employee Rights Section Right to Work posters: https://www.linkedin.com/legal/candidate-portal.