Founding Engineer - Machine Learning
About the Role
A well-funded AI/ML platform startup (Series A) based in Mountain View, CA is looking for a Founding Engineer – Machine Learning to build and scale core ML systems from the ground up. You'll join a small, high-velocity team working closely with the founders to establish technical culture, reliable ML pipelines, and measurable product impact. This is a rare opportunity to shape the architecture and direction of ML infrastructure at an early stage.
What You'll Do
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Build and optimize end-to-end ML pipelines from data ingestion through deployment.
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Implement and fine-tune LLMs, embeddings, and generative models for real-world use cases.
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Develop efficient training and inference systems leveraging distributed compute.
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Partner with data and product teams to translate ideas into measurable ML outcomes.
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Contribute to model monitoring, evaluation, and continual learning frameworks.
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Establish best practices for model versioning, reproducibility, and scalability.
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Move quickly between experimentation and production deployments, balancing research and engineering rigor.
What We're Looking For
Required:
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3–10 years of experience as an ML Engineer, Applied Scientist, or Research Engineer.
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Strong ML fundamentals: data preprocessing, feature engineering, model training, and optimization.
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Proficiency in Python and at least one deep learning framework: PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX.
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Experience with distributed training/inference and cloud ML infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
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Hands-on experience building end-to-end ML pipelines from data ingestion to production deployment.
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Familiarity with MLOps tooling (e.g., Weights & Biases, MLflow) and model monitoring approaches.
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Comfortable working with large datasets and high-throughput systems.
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Bias for action, ability to work autonomously, and eagerness to build systems from scratch.
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Willingness to work onsite in Mountain View, CA.
Nice to Have:
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Experience with vector databases and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) workflows.
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Experience with continual learning, model monitoring, and evaluation frameworks.
Compensation & Benefits
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Salary: $220,000 – $300,000 USD annually
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Early-stage equity commensurate with a founding engineer role
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Note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position
Location
Onsite in Mountain View, CA . This is not a remote role.
Originally posted on Himalayas