Principal Machine Learning Engineer
Job Description
Launch Potato, a thriving digital media company reaching over 30M+ monthly visitors, is seeking a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to lead their personalization and optimization systems. As The Discovery and Conversion Company, they connect consumers with leading brands through data-driven content and technology.
This role represents a unique opportunity for a deep technical expert to shape the future of ML architecture at Launch Potato. As the Principal ML Engineer, you'll be responsible for defining the company-wide personalization strategy, tackling complex technical challenges, and implementing cutting-edge ML techniques. The position requires expertise in advanced ML architectures, real-time systems, and privacy-preserving personalization.
The ideal candidate brings 10+ years of experience building ML systems, with particular expertise in personalization. You should be a recognized expert in the field, demonstrated through publications, patents, or significant industry impact. Experience with platforms serving billions of predictions and a track record of innovative solutions in personalization systems is essential.
Launch Potato offers a competitive compensation package ranging from $160,000 to $250,000, plus profit-sharing bonuses and benefits. The company maintains a remote-first culture with team members across 15+ countries, fostering a high-performance environment where speed, ownership, and measurable impact drive success. This is an excellent opportunity for a technical leader who can influence without authority, drive consensus, and communicate effectively with both technical and executive audiences.
The company is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, providing equal opportunities regardless of background. If you're passionate about machine learning, eager to solve complex technical challenges, and want to make a significant impact in a fast-growing company, this role offers the perfect platform to accelerate your career while working with a global team of high-performers.
Responsibilities For Principal Machine Learning Engineer
- Design company-wide personalization architecture and strategy
- Solve complex technical challenges (cold start, exploration/exploitation, real-time learning)
- Research and implement state-of-the-art ML techniques
- Define standards and patterns used across all ML teams
- Lead cross-functional initiatives spanning multiple quarters
- Mentor senior engineers and review critical technical decisions
- Represent the company in the external ML community
Requirements For Principal Machine Learning Engineer
- 10+ years building ML systems, with deep personalization expertise
- Recognized expert in ML systems (publications, patents, or industry impact)
- Experience architecting ML platforms serving billions of predictions
- Track record of 0→1 innovation in personalization systems
- Expertise in multiple approaches (deep learning, bandits, causal ML, graph methods)
- Ability to influence without authority and drive consensus
- Exceptional communication skills for technical and executive audiences
- Advanced ML architectures at scale
- Real-time ML systems and edge deployment
- Multi-stakeholder marketplace optimization
- Online learning and adaptive systems
- Privacy-preserving personalization
Benefits For Principal Machine Learning Engineer
- Profit-sharing bonus
- Competitive benefits package
