Senior Machine Learning Engineer - Discovery (ML + Backend Engineering)

Scribd

147d • $120,000 - $228,000

About The Position

We’re looking for a Machine Learning Engineer who will design, build, and optimize ML systems that scale to millions of users. You’ll work across the entire lifecycle — from data ingestion to model training, deployment, and monitoring — with a focus on creating fast, reliable, and cost-efficient pipelines. You’ll also play a key role in delivering next-generation AI features like doc-chat and ask-AI that expand how users interact with Scribd’s content.

Requirements

• 4+ years of post qualification experience as a professional ML or software engineer, with a proven track record of delivering production ML systems at scale.
• Proficiency in at least one key programming language (preferably Python or Golang; Scala or Ruby also considered).
• Expertise in designing and architecting large-scale ML pipelines and distributed systems.
• Deep experience with distributed data processing frameworks (Spark, Databricks, or similar).
• Strong cloud expertise (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and experience with deployment platforms (ECS, EKS, Lambda).
• Proven ability to optimize system performance and make informed trade-offs in ML model and system design.
• Experience leading technical projects and mentoring engineers.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent professional experience.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with embedding-based retrieval, large language models, advanced recommendation or ranking systems.
• Expertise in experimentation design, causal inference, or ML evaluation methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with engineering and analytics teams to build large-scale ingestion, transformation, and validation pipelines on Databricks.
• Train, evaluate, and deploy ML models (including generative models) to production using Scribd’s internal platform and industry-standard frameworks.
• Design and run A/B and N-way experiments to measure the impact of model and feature changes.
• Partner with product managers, data scientists, and analysts to identify opportunities, define requirements, and deliver solutions that solve real user problems.

Benefits

• Healthcare Insurance Coverage (Medical/Dental/Vision): 100% paid for employees
• 12 weeks paid parental leave
• Short-term/long-term disability plans
• 401k/RSP matching
• Onboarding stipend for home office peripherals + accessories
• Learning & Development allowance
• Learning & Development programs
• Quarterly stipend for Wellness, WiFi, etc.
• Mental Health support & resources
• Free subscription to the Scribd Inc. suite of products
• Referral Bonuses
• Book Benefit
• Sabbaticals
• Company-wide events
• Team engagement budgets
• Vacation & Personal Days
• Paid Holidays (+ winter break)
• Flexible Sick Time
• Volunteer Day
• Company-wide Employee Resource Groups and programs that foster an inclusive and diverse workplace.
• Access to AI Tools: We provide free access to best-in-class AI tools, empowering you to boost productivity, streamline workflows, and accelerate bold innovation.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 251-500 employees