Principal Machine Learning Engineer
Description For Principal Machine Learning Engineer
PayPal, a global leader in financial technology, is seeking a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to drive cutting-edge AI innovations across their platform. This role combines technical leadership with hands-on engineering, focusing on developing and deploying advanced machine learning solutions that power PayPal's global payment and financial services.
The position requires a seasoned professional with 15 years of experience to lead strategic initiatives in AI/ML, from large-scale model fine-tuning to architecting foundational AI systems. You'll work within the core Applied Intelligence team, collaborating with data scientists, software engineers, and product teams to enhance services through innovative AI/ML solutions.
As a Principal ML Engineer, you'll be responsible for the end-to-end lifecycle of ML projects, from data preparation and model training to deployment and monitoring. The role involves building scalable ML pipelines, ensuring data quality, and implementing sophisticated algorithms to solve complex problems in areas such as personalization, fraud detection, and customer experience enhancement.
PayPal offers a balanced hybrid work model with 3 days in office and 2 days flexible between office or home. The company provides comprehensive benefits including health insurance, equity options, retirement plans, and professional development opportunities. This role presents an exceptional opportunity to shape the future of financial technology while working with a diverse, global team committed to democratizing financial services.
Responsibilities For Principal Machine Learning Engineer
- Define and drive strategic vision for model development and ML applications across business domains
- Lead architecture and experimentation for foundational model pipelines
- Manage end-to-end lifecycle from data prep and training to deployment and monitoring
- Collaborate with product, infra, and engineering leaders to ship impactful solutions
- Guide model evaluation frameworks, bias detection, and performance monitoring practices
- Mentor technical leads and contribute to thought leadership internally and externally
Requirements For Principal Machine Learning Engineer
- Minimum of 15 years of relevant experience with a Bachelor's degree or equivalent
- Deep expertise in building and fine-tuning advanced ML models at scale
- Strong experience with cloud-native ML solutions (e.g., SageMaker, Vertex AI)
- Proven success in leading multi-functional ML projects from research to production
- Strong communication and strategic planning abilities to align tech with business
Benefits For Principal Machine Learning Engineer
- Comprehensive Health and Wellness programs
- Retirement and investment resources
- Paid Time Off and 4-week sabbatical program
- Career and Leadership Training and Development
- Educational benefits
- Company-matched giving
- Employee shares options
- Health and life insurance
- Flexible work environment
