Lead Machine Learning Engineer

1st Dibs•New York, NY

61d•$168,000 - $210,000

About The Position

1stDibs is a one-of-a-kind online marketplace that connects design lovers to more than one million extraordinary pieces, from furniture and fine art to jewelry and fashion. As a leading global marketplace for design lovers, we enable shoppers to discover beautiful things and engage with top sellers from around the world. We encourage our shoppers to interact with sellers throughout all stages of the transaction, including item inquiries, price negotiations and customization requests. As the Lead Machine Learning Engineer at 1stDibs, you will be a key driver in shaping the future of our marketplace by developing intelligent, data-driven products that enhance the user experience and drive business growth. The Machine Learning team is at the core of the 1stDibs experience. We are responsible for the algorithms that power our search engine, recommendation systems, and pricing insights. As a Lead Machine Learning Engineer, you will tackle some of our most impactful challenges, from optimizing search relevance and ranking to building top-of-the-funnel recommendation models that inspire our discerning clientele. Your work will directly influence how millions of design lovers discover and connect with the world's most beautiful things.

Requirements

You have 5+ years of hands-on experience building and deploying machine learning models in a production environment.
You possess a strong understanding of core ML algorithms, including classification, regression, ranking, and recommendation systems, and know when to apply them.
You are proficient in Python and common ML frameworks like Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, or PyTorch.
You have proven experience building and maintaining production services and REST APIs, demonstrating strong software engineering fundamentals.
You have experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure) for deploying and managing ML workloads.
You are a strategic thinker with the ability to connect machine learning initiatives to tangible business and product outcomes.
You are a strong communicator and collaborator, capable of leading complex projects and working effectively with cross-functional teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Large Language Models (LLMs) and their application in areas like search or recommendations.
Experience with MLOps principles and tools (e.g., MLflow, Kubeflow).
Familiarity with search technologies such as Elasticsearch or Solr.
Previous experience working in an e-commerce or online marketplace environment.

Responsibilities

Lead the design, development, and deployment of scalable machine learning models and services for core business areas, including search relevance, advertising, pricing, and recommendations.
Architect and build robust, production-grade ML pipelines and REST APIs to serve models at scale.
Collaborate closely with product managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to understand business requirements and translate them into technical solutions.
Drive innovation by researching and experimenting with new algorithms and technologies to solve complex problems.
Own the end-to-end lifecycle of machine learning projects, from initial ideation and data analysis to deployment, monitoring, and iteration.