Software Engineer, Machine Learning

About The Company
Discord is a leading communication platform that brings together a highly engaged community of millions of users worldwide. Originally designed for gamers, Discord has evolved into a versatile platform used for a wide range of interests, including education, fandom, professional communities, and social groups. The platform enables seamless voice, video, and text communication, fostering meaningful interactions among users. Discord's commitment to innovation and user-centric development has positioned it as a pivotal player in shaping the future of online social engagement and gaming experiences. With a focus on creating a safe, inclusive, and dynamic environment, Discord continually invests in cutting-edge technology to enhance user experience and expand its capabilities across multiple platforms.
About The Role
We are seeking a highly skilled Staff Machine Learning Engineer to join our Consumer Revenue ML team based in the San Francisco Bay Area or remotely within the United States. In this role, you will spearhead the development and deployment of advanced machine learning systems that directly influence Discord's core revenue streams, including Shop, Nitro subscriptions, Server Subscriptions, and Gifting features. Your expertise will be instrumental in designing ranking, targeting, and recommendation models that connect users with relevant products, content, and subscriptions, thereby enhancing user engagement and revenue growth. This position offers an exciting opportunity to lead organization-wide initiatives, develop scalable ML solutions, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive strategic decisions based on data-driven insights.
Qualifications
8+ years of experience in applied Machine Learning, with a strong background in deep learning and recommendation systems.
Advanced degree (Ph.D. or Master’s) in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
Expertise in mainstream recommendation system architectures such as two-tower, transformer-based models, and multi-task learning.
Proficiency in Python and machine learning frameworks including PyTorch, JAX, or TensorFlow.
Proven track record of building ML systems from inception to production at scale, especially in ambiguous or early-stage environments.
Strong product and business intuition with the ability to translate experiment results into strategic roadmap decisions.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills, capable of leading cross-functional technical initiatives and aligning stakeholders.
Experience in developing internal ML platforms and tooling adopted by multiple teams.
Familiarity with personalized marketing systems such as lifecycle targeting, audience segmentation, lookalikes, and campaign optimization.
Deep expertise in distributed training (e.g., PyTorch on GPU, Ray, Anyscale) and large-scale data processing pipelines (e.g., Spark, Flink, Chronon).
Responsibilities
Design, develop, and optimize machine learning models for recommendation, ranking, and targeting across Discord’s revenue surfaces.
Lead organization-wide initiatives to build scalable ML systems, platforms, and tooling that support multiple product teams.
Translate experimental insights into actionable product strategies and feature enhancements.
Collaborate with product managers, data scientists, engineers, and other stakeholders to ensure alignment and successful implementation of ML solutions.
Develop and maintain large-scale data processing pipelines to support real-time and batch ML applications.
Stay updated with the latest advancements in machine learning and recommend innovative approaches to improve existing systems.
Mentor junior team members and foster a culture of continuous learning and technical excellence.
Ensure the deployment, monitoring, and maintenance of ML models in production environments at scale.
Benefits
Competitive US-based salary range of $272,000 to $340,000, commensurate with experience and skills.
Equity options to share in the company's success and growth.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
Flexible work arrangements, including remote work options.
Generous paid time off and holidays to support work-life balance.
Opportunities for professional development, training, and career advancement.
Inclusive and collaborative work environment that values diversity and innovation.
Equal Opportunity
Discord is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive environment for all employees. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected status. We are dedicated to providing reasonable accommodations during the hiring process and throughout employment to ensure all candidates and employees can succeed and thrive within our organization.

Work arrangement
Yes