Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer at Patreon

San Francisco, California, United States

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$284,000 – $426,000Compensation

Senior (5 to 8 years), Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

Technology, MediaIndustries

Requirements

Senior technical leader experienced in building systems from 0→1
Deep familiarity with challenges of scaling search and recommendation models
Experience operating at the intersection of modeling, systems, and product
Experience bringing ML models to production at scale
Strong care for user impact beyond offline metrics
Clear communication skills and passion for mentoring
Ability to work hybrid in-office 2 days per week in New York or San Francisco

Responsibilities

Design and build large-scale ranking, search, and recommendation systems that power discovery across the platform
Architect and productionize end-to-end ML pipelines (data ingestion, feature generation, model training, evaluation, deployment, and monitoring)
Prototype model behavior including frontend to visualize results and collaborate effectively with product and design partners
Develop embedding systems and retrieval models that serve millions of users in real time
Establish and evolve ML observability and performance monitoring for relevance metrics
Partner with cross-functional leaders to align on roadmap, goals, and impact
Mentor and guide engineers, fostering a high bar for technical excellence and experimentation
Define and lead the technical direction for Patreon’s recommendation and search systems
Own projects from prototype to production, including data, modeling, and backend components
Build tools and simple frontend prototypes to visualize model results and demonstrate how relevance models surface in the product
Influence multi-team technical strategy and collaborate with cross-functional leaders across Product, Data Science, and Infrastructure

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

Machine LearningRecommendationsSearchPersonalizationFeature EngineeringModel TrainingModel DeploymentObservabilityData Analysis

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

What is the salary range for this Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer position?

The salary range is $284K - $426K.

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

This is a hybrid role based in New York or San Francisco, requiring you to be in-office 2 days per week.

What key skills are required for this Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer role?

The role requires expertise in designing and building large-scale ranking, search, and recommendation systems, architecting end-to-end ML pipelines including data ingestion, modeling, deployment, and observability, as well as experience across the ML stack from data analysis and feature engineering to productionizing models.

What is the team structure and culture like for the Relevance team?

The Relevance team builds ML-driven systems for search, recommendations, notifications, and content relevance, working end-to-end across the ML stack and partnering closely with product, infrastructure, and design; the team is growing quickly and investing in foundational systems.

What makes a strong candidate for this Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer role?

Strong candidates can define and lead technical direction for recommendation and search systems, own projects from prototype to production including data, modeling, backend, and frontend prototypes, mentor engineers, and collaborate cross-functionally to connect ML work to user impact.

Patreon

Membership platform for creators and artists

About Patreon

Patreon is a membership platform that connects artists and creators with their most dedicated fans, allowing them to earn a sustainable income. It serves a variety of creators, including writers, musicians, visual artists, and podcasters, by enabling them to offer exclusive content and experiences to their supporters, known as patrons, in exchange for a monthly subscription fee. Creators can set up different membership tiers that provide various perks, which helps them establish a reliable income stream that is often more stable than traditional revenue sources like advertising. Patreon takes a percentage of the earnings from creators, ensuring that the company's success is tied to the success of its users. The platform also provides tools for creators to manage their memberships, engage with patrons, and grow their audience. The main goal of Patreon is to support independent creators in achieving financial stability and fostering a closer relationship with their audience.

San Francisco, CaliforniaHeadquarters

2013Year Founded

$342.5MTotal Funding

SERIES_FCompany Stage

Consumer Software, EntertainmentIndustries

1,001-5,000Employees

Benefits

Competitive Pay & Equity - Our company was built on the idea of value for value. To get the best on board, we provide competitive base salaries, stock options, and a 401k program.

The Bells and Whistles - As they say, it’s the little things: commuter stipend, computer gear, standing desks, a learning stipend for your professional development and a monthly patronage stipend.

Health Coverage - We offer incredible healthcare options for you and your loved ones (including dental, vision and mental health), as well as snacks and a daily catered lunch.

Balance & Wellness - We offer a gym stipend (or Fitness SF membership), as well as unlimited vacation and sick leave.

Risks

Alleged privacy violations could lead to legal challenges for Patreon.

Integration with AltStore PAL may attract scrutiny from Apple.

Recent layoffs and office closures suggest potential financial instability.

Differentiation

Patreon offers creators a direct revenue stream through fan subscriptions.

The platform supports diverse creators, from musicians to visual artists and podcasters.

Patreon aligns its success with creators by taking a percentage of their earnings.

Upsides

Growing demand for exclusive content boosts Patreon's appeal to creators.

Integration with AltStore PAL expands monetization opportunities for developers.

Expansion of e-commerce features diversifies creators' income streams.

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