[Remote] Feature Platform Engineer at WhatNot

San Francisco, California, United States

WhatNot Logo
$225,000 – $320,000Compensation
Senior (5 to 8 years), Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level
Full TimeJob Type
UnknownVisa
E-commerce, Machine Learning, Live ShoppingIndustries

Requirements

  • 4+ years of professional experience developing machine learning systems and algorithms
  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics or a related technical field, or equivalent work experience
  • 3+ years of software engineering experience building and maintaining production systems for consumer-scale loads
  • 1+ years of professional experience developing software in Python
  • Ability to work autonomously and drive initiatives across multiple product areas and communicate findings with leadership and product teams
  • Experience with operational, search, and key-value databases such as PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, Elasticsearch, Redis
  • Firm grasp of visualization tools for monitoring and logging e.g. DataDog, Grafana
  • Familiarity with cloud computing platforms and managed services such as AWS Sagemaker, Lambda, Kinesis, S3, EC2, EKS/ECS, Apache Kafka, Flink
  • Professionalism around collaborating in a remote working environment and well tested, reproducible work
  • Exceptional documentation and communication skills
  • Must live within commuting distance of New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, or San Francisco hubs (US-based)

Responsibilities

  • Own the feature ingestion and storage infrastructure powering both core business logic and ML models across critical business surfaces–supporting growth, recommendations, trust and safety, fraud, seller tooling, and more
  • Push the boundaries of real-time decisioning, ensuring Whatnot’s ML models respond ever faster to constantly changing marketplace dynamics
  • Design and evolve real-time feature pipelines that feed both our online and offline stores, ensuring sub-second latency, high reliability, and model training fidelity
  • Optimize system performance by managing resource utilization and developing intelligent feature caching strategies
  • Empower scientists to iterate faster by building abstractions, APIs, and developer tools that simplify the development of near-realtime features
  • Stretch beyond your comfort zone to take on new technical challenges as we scale AI across Whatnot’s ecosystem

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

Feature EngineeringReal-time PipelinesML InfrastructureFeature StorageOnline StoresOffline StoresLow Latency SystemsScalable InfrastructureData Ingestion

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

What is the salary range for the Feature Platform Engineer position?

The salary range is $225K - $320K.

Is this role remote, and what are the location requirements?

The role is remote with flexibility to work from home or global office hubs, but team members must live within commuting distance of New York, Seattle, Los Angeles, or San Francisco hubs.

What experience and skills are required for this role?

Candidates need 4+ years of professional experience developing machine learning systems and algorithms, plus a Bachelor’s degree.

What is the company culture like at Whatnot?

Whatnot values low ego, a growth mindset, leaning into action and high impact, and fosters a remote co-located team inspired by innovation.

What makes a strong candidate for this Feature Platform Engineer role?

Strong candidates are intellectually curious, highly entrepreneurial engineers with a growth mindset, low ego, and eagerness to build and scale AI/ML infrastructure.

WhatNot

Online marketplace for authentic collectibles

About WhatNot

Whatnot.com operates as an online marketplace dedicated to collectibles, particularly focusing on items like Funkos and FiGPiNs. The platform ensures that every collectible listed is 100% authentic through a rigorous verification process that includes hand authentication, providing trust and security for both buyers and sellers. It caters to collectors and enthusiasts who seek a reliable space to buy and sell rare and exclusive items from popular franchises such as Marvel Comics and Star Wars. Whatnot.com distinguishes itself from competitors by charging low fees on sales and offering seller protection, which guarantees prompt and secure payments. The company's goal is to create a trusted environment for the growing community of collectible enthusiasts, facilitating safe and easy transactions for unique items.

Marina del Rey, CaliforniaHeadquarters
2019Year Founded
$728.7MTotal Funding
SERIES_ECompany Stage
Consumer Software, Consumer GoodsIndustries
501-1,000Employees

Benefits

Competitive base salary and stock options
Unlimited Vacation Policy and No Meeting Holidays
Health Insurance options including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Short term disability & Long term Disability
Work From Home Support
Up to $500 monthly to spend within Whatnot App
Care benefits

Risks

Increased competition from TikTok Shop may impact Whatnot's market share.
The collectibles market's volatility could affect Whatnot's sales and inventory.
Expansion into new categories may dilute Whatnot's specialized brand identity.

Differentiation

Whatnot offers a unique marketplace for 100% authenticated collectible items.
The platform integrates live shopping with entertainment, enhancing user engagement.
Whatnot's partnerships with major franchises like Marvel boost its market appeal.

Upsides

Whatnot's $265M funding round supports expansion and new product categories.
The platform's collaboration with PSA enhances trust through integrated authentication services.
Rising interest in live shopping among younger demographics drives Whatnot's growth.

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