Senior Staff Machine Learning Systems Engineer, Ads ML Platform

Details

Reddit's Ads ML Platform team builds infrastructure that accelerates high-scale machine learning systems and tooling for Ads ML, while extending reusable capabilities to broader Reddit ML use cases. The platform supports the full ML development lifecycle, including feature creation, training-data generation, offline experimentation, model-quality validation, production launches, and reliable ML operations.

The Senior Staff Machine Learning Systems Engineer will lead the technical strategy for the end-to-end Ads ML engineer lifecycle. The initial focus is on feature development and training iteration workflows, including building features, generating reliable training data, running experiments, and moving from ideas to validated model improvements. Over time, the scope will expand to serving and online experimentation workflows.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical strategy for the end-to-end Ads ML engineer lifecycle, starting with feature development, training data, offline experimentation, and model iteration workflows.
• Align Ads ML platform priorities with Reddit's broader ML Platform vision and translate Ads pain points into reusable platform capabilities where appropriate.
• Define architecture and technical standards for ML feature and training-data systems across batch and streaming computation, backfills, lineage, quality, observability, and online/offline consistency.
• Work closely with ML engineers and platform customers to identify high-leverage friction points and improve development velocity.
• Build platform abstractions and workflow automation that make ML development faster, safer, more reliable, and more self-service.
• Extend the platform strategy over time into serving and online experimentation workflows, creating a seamless offline-to-online ML development experience.
• Partner across Ads, ML Platform, Data Platform, modeling, product, and engineering teams to clarify ownership, resolve ambiguity, and drive execution.
• Mentor Staff and senior engineers, raise the architecture and operational bar, and help develop future technical leaders.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in infrastructure, distributed systems, ML platforms, data platforms, or large-scale backend systems.
• 4+ years of experience building or operating production ML infrastructure, feature platforms, training-data systems, experimentation systems, or large-scale data pipelines.
• Experience leading broad, ambiguous, multi-team platform initiatives from strategy through adoption.
• Experience building platforms used directly by ML engineers, data scientists, or product teams developing production ML systems.
• Deep experience with ML platforms, feature platforms, training data, experimentation, developer infrastructure, or distributed data infrastructure.
• Experience with distributed data and compute systems such as Spark, Flink, Kafka, Ray, Airflow, Iceberg, Kubernetes, BigQuery, Snowflake, Databricks, or similar technologies.
• Ability to balance urgent customer needs with durable architecture and reusable platform patterns.
• Ability to influence senior engineers and leaders through technical reasoning, RFCs, design reviews, decision frameworks, and operating mechanisms.
• Interest in shaping how production ML systems are built, scaled, and operated, beyond model training alone.

Benefits

• Comprehensive healthcare benefits and income replacement programs.
• 401(k) with employer match.
• Global benefit programs supporting workspace, professional development, caregiving, and other lifestyle needs.
• Family planning support.
• Gender-affirming care.
• Mental health and coaching benefits.
• Flexible vacation and paid volunteer time off.
• Generous paid parental leave.
• In addition to base salary, the role is eligible for equity in the form of restricted stock units and may be eligible for commission depending on the position offered.

Additional Information

Reddit is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a workforce representative of the diverse communities it serves. Reddit provides reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans during the application and interview process.

Interviews for select roles and locations may be recorded, transcribed, and summarized by artificial intelligence, with an option to opt out before scheduled interviews. Reddit states that it collects identifiers, professional and employment-related information, sensory information from audio or video recordings, and other information candidates choose to share for employment evaluation purposes.

The position may span more than one career level. Final compensation depends on factors including skills, depth of experience, and relevant credentials.