[Remote] Senior Applied Machine Learning Engineer - Search & Recommendations at Upwork

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Not SpecifiedCompensation

N/AExperience Level

N/AJob Type

Not SpecifiedVisa

N/AIndustries

Requirements

Masters/PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, NLP, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field (or equivalent research experience)
3+ years of relevant industry experience building large scale ML systems
Prior experience with large language models, retrieval augmented generation (RAG), or agentic AI
Strong experience with Python, SQL, PyTorch and/or TensorFlow
Clear track record of publications in peer‑reviewed conferences or journals (e.g. ACL, EMNLP, NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, KDD, SIGIR, WWW etc.)
Knowledge of distributed training techniques, and efficiency at scale (memory, latency, hardware constraints)

Responsibilities

Analyze millions of structured and unstructured data to identify patterns and insights in user behavior and build meaningful features to improve model performance
Design and implement efficient and reusable features, models and systems for different machine learning applications (classical & deep learned models) in low latency fashion
Contribute to the performance and continued optimization of our recommendation systems: build machine learning models to improve understanding of user preferences, user intent and context to deliver accurate, relevant and personalized recommendations
Collaborate with the business, analytics, and engineering counterparts to share the discovered data stories with stats, charts, and formal presentations, and finally propose recommendations to maximize the business impact
Build and fine‑tune large language models (LLMs), transformers, agents, and/or hybrid systems to improve relevance, semantic understanding, and user experience

Skills

Upwork

Online platform connecting freelancers and clients

About Upwork

Upwork connects freelancers with clients looking for various services in the gig economy, which focuses on short-term contracts instead of permanent jobs. The platform allows freelancers to create profiles that showcase their skills, while clients can post job listings for specific projects. Freelancers bid on these projects, and clients choose the best candidates based on proposals and reviews. Upwork earns revenue through service fees charged to freelancers based on their earnings, with a tiered structure that rewards long-term client relationships. The platform also offers premium memberships and additional services for enhanced visibility and access to job listings. Upwork provides tools for time tracking, invoicing, and project management, making it easier for both freelancers and clients to manage their work and payments. The goal of Upwork is to facilitate successful project completion by bridging the gap between freelancers and clients.

San Francisco, CaliforniaHeadquarters

2015Year Founded

$143.8MTotal Funding

IPOCompany Stage

Consulting, Enterprise SoftwareIndustries

10,001+Employees

Benefits

Health Insurance

Unlimited Paid Time Off

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Risks

Increased competition from Fiverr and Toptal threatens Upwork's market share.

The new Fiverr-style Project Catalog may commoditize services, reducing freelancers' perceived value.

Strategic shifts under new management may not align with current client expectations.

Differentiation

Upwork connects freelancers with clients across diverse industries, enhancing global work opportunities.

The platform offers tools like time tracking and invoicing for efficient project management.

Upwork's tiered fee structure incentivizes long-term client relationships, differentiating it from competitors.

Upsides

Upwork's acquisition of Objective AI enhances its AI capabilities for better talent matching.

The introduction of Featured Jobs increases visibility for job posts, attracting more candidates.

Upwork's recognition as the top job posting site boosts its credibility among employers.

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