Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Personalization & Recommendations at Quizlet

San Francisco, California, United States

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Not SpecifiedCompensation

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

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

EdTech, TechnologyIndustries

Requirements

Expertise in modern RecSys (deep learning–based retrieval, embeddings, multi-task ranking, reinforcement learning)
Experience architecting and implementing large-scale retrieval, ranking, and recommendation systems
Ability to work onsite in San Francisco office a minimum of three days per week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and as needed)

Responsibilities

Work closely with other senior leaders to define and drive the long-term technical vision for personalization and recommendations across multiple Quizlet surfaces, ensuring alignment between modeling strategy, platform capabilities, and product roadmaps
Communicate complex modeling trade-offs and recommendations to diverse audiences (from senior leadership to cross-functional partners), influencing decisions through clear reasoning, data, and empathy
Architect and build large-scale personalization models across candidate retrieval, ranking, and post-ranking layers, leveraging user embeddings, contextual signals, and content features to power adaptive learning experiences
Develop scalable retrieval and serving systems using modern architectures such as Two-Tower, deep ranking, and ANN-based vector search for real-time personalization at global scale
Lead model training, evaluation, and deployment pipelines for retrieval and ranking systems, ensuring training-serving consistency, reliability, and robust monitoring
Partner closely with Product and Data Science to translate learning objectives (e.g., engagement, retention, and mastery) into measurable modeling goals and experimentation frameworks
Advance evaluation methodologies by refining offline metrics

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

Machine LearningRecommendation SystemsRetrieval SystemsRanking SystemsRecSysScalable InfrastructurePersonalizationSearch Systems

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

Is this a remote position or does it require office attendance?

This is an onsite position in the San Francisco office, requiring employees to be in the office a minimum of three days per week: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and as needed by your manager or the company.

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

The role requires modern RecSys expertise including deep learning–based retrieval and embeddings, multi-task ranking, and reinforcement learning, along with experience architecting and implementing large-scale retrieval, ranking, and recommendation systems.

What is the compensation or salary for this position?

This information is not specified in the job description.

What is the team structure like for this role?

You'll collaborate closely with Product Managers, Data Scientists, Platform Engineers, and fellow ML engineers on the Personalization & Recommendations ML Engineering team.

What makes a strong candidate for this position?

Strong candidates are senior technical leaders who can architect cutting-edge personalization systems, guide strategic direction, mentor peers, and bring expertise in large-scale RecSys while respecting privacy, fairness, and integrity.

Quizlet

Develops educational tools for students and teachers

About Quizlet

Quizlet develops educational tools designed to inspire and empower students and teachers. It serves over 60 million active users each month and is recognized as one of the top education apps available on iOS and Android. Quizlet's products include various learning tools that help users study and retain information effectively. The platform offers both free and premium subscription services, allowing users to access additional features and resources. Unlike many competitors, Quizlet has a large user base and a strong presence in the education technology market, which enhances its community and resource sharing. The company's goal is to create a significant global impact in education by providing accessible and effective learning solutions.

San Francisco, CaliforniaHeadquarters

2005Year Founded

$60.3MTotal Funding

SERIES_CCompany Stage

Consumer Software, EducationIndustries

501-1,000Employees

Benefits

Shared financial success: Competitive salaries, stock options and a 401k that makes saving for retirement easy.

Competitive healthcare: Comprehensive health, dental, vision and disability plans for you and your family.

PTO and family benefits: Everyone gets four weeks of PTO. Our generous family leave plan has you covered when you welcome a new, little learner into your family.

Professional development: Learning never stops. Get reimbursed each year for professional development, and learn from the best with regular tech talks.

A welcoming workplace: Enjoy free lunch and dinner with great company. Benefit from adjustable desks and employee lounges while taking in amazing views of the Bay.

Commuter benefits: We don’t have a school bus, but we'll help cover your public transportation and parking. If you decide to work late, your ride home is on us as well.

Risks

Increased competition from AI-driven platforms like Khan Academy and Duolingo.

Recent U.S. outage may decrease user trust and retention.

New CEO's strategic shifts could disrupt operations or alienate existing users.

Differentiation

Quizlet offers AI-powered features like Magic Notes and Memory Score for personalized learning.

The platform's gamification strategy includes features like Quizlet Challenge and Quizlet Learn.

Quizlet's Q-Chat beta feature aligns with the trend of conversational AI in education.

Upsides

Quizlet's new CEO, Beidler, may drive fresh strategic direction and innovation.

Intentional slowing of AI adoption focuses on quality, ensuring sustainable long-term growth.

AI-powered features enhance user engagement, potentially increasing retention and user base.

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