Airbnb

Senior Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Growth Platform Engineering

Airbnb$244K — $305K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Consumer Technology
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 12+ years of industry experience in applied ML/AI with MS or PhD
  • Strong programming skills in Scala, Python, Java, or C++
  • Deep understanding of ML/AI best practices and algorithms
  • Experience with ML technologies like Tensorflow, PyTorch, and Kubernetes
  • Expertise in architectural patterns for large-scale software applications

Responsibilities

  • Develop AI-powered solutions for the Airbnb growth platform
  • Guide engineering teams in designing AI products from inception to production
  • Collaborate with cross-functional leaders to build resilient, scalable systems
  • Work with structured and unstructured data to improve ML models
  • Productionize and operate ML/AI models at scale
  • Mentor non-ML engineers in applying ML/AI solutions

Benefits

  • Bonus opportunities
  • Equity options
  • Employee Travel Credits
  • Remote work eligibility in registered states
  • Comprehensive benefits package
Full Job Description
The Community You Will Join:

The Growth Platform team's vision is to drive long term sustainable growth for the Airbnb community. Our mission is to build a best-in-class agentic system, and capabilities to support the growth of all Airbnb products, current and future. We achieve this by delivering highly personalized and relevant content and product experiences to the Airbnb community, both on and off of the Airbnb platform. The north star is full autonomy - where AI identifies opportunities, creates campaigns, personalizes experiences, and optimizes outcomes with minimal human intervention. We are progressing along a deliberate maturity curve: AIassisted → agentic → autonomous, with human-in-the-loop controls at every stage to ensure brand safety, quality, and compliance.

The Growth Platform deeply integrates with the Airbnb product, understanding the customer journey and enabling differentiated customer engagement experiences to drive product growth. The platform also powers digital marketing channels including landing pages, email, push, SMS, and digital advertising, as well as the machine learning/AI and data platforms that feed into the management and optimization of these channels.

The Difference You Will Make:
  • As a machine learning engineer or scientist, your expertise will be pivotal in developing AI-powered solutions to shape the future of the Airbnb agentic growth platform with cutting-edge AI techniques. You will drive and guide the rest of the engineers to brainstorm, design and develop AI products and features from inception to production.
  • We're seeking a Senior Staff Engineer who thrives at the intersection of technical depth, architectural thinking, and mentorship.
  • You'll collaborate with cross-functional leaders, build resilient systems that operate globally at scale, and help evolve the foundational building blocks behind AI-powered growth systems.

Some example projects you will work on:
  • AI-Powered Content Generation - Developing agentic capabilities to autonomously create personalized emails, push notifications, Ad copy, and creatives. This significantly scales marketing efforts by enabling more campaigns, greater variant testing, and faster iteration cycles.
  • ML/AI Orchestration for Decisioning - Utilizing AI to determine the optimal audience, message, channel, and timing for communications. This shifts marketing decision-making to model-driven intelligence, enhancing relevance and minimizing message fatigue. The direct impact is an uplift in engagement rates, conversion, and ultimately, bookings.
  • Proactive Marketing Analyst Agent - Designing an AI agent that autonomously identifies new marketing opportunities and converts them into executable campaigns. It leverages world knowledge, proprietary Airbnb intelligence, and deep customer profiles. A crucial performance-based feedback loop ensures the system continuously learns from campaign outcomes to refine and improve future recommendations.

A Typical Day:
  • Work with large scale structured and unstructured data; explore, experiment, build and continuously improve Machine Learning models and pipelines for Airbnb product, business and operational use cases.
  • Work collaboratively with cross-functional partners including product managers, operations and data scientists, to identify opportunities for business impact; understand, refine, and prioritize requirements for machine learning, and drive engineering decisions.
  • Hands-on develop, productionize, and operate ML/AI models and pipelines at scale, including both batch and real-time use cases.
  • Leverage third-party and in-house Machine Learning tools & infrastructure to develop reusable, highly differentiating and high-performing Machine Learning systems, enable fast model development, low-latency serving and ease of model quality upkeep.
  • Collaborate actively with engineers to apply ML / AI in their solutions to help validate ideas and guide to the right outcomes.
  • Partner with ML/AI Engineers in foundations engineering to mentor and develop initiatives that make ML/AI applications a core discipline for non-ML/AI engineers.


Your Expertise:
  • 12+ years of industry experience in applied ML/AI, inclusive MS or PhD in relevant fields
  • Strong programming (Scala / Python / Java / C++ or equivalent) and data engineering skills
  • Deep understanding of ML/AI best practices (e.g. training/serving skew minimization, A/B test, feature engineering, feature/model selection), algorithms (e.g. neural networks/deep learning, optimization) and domains (e.g. natural language processing, computer vision, personalization, search and recommendation, marketplace optimization, anomaly detection)
  • Deep understanding of Machine Learning best practices (eg. training/serving skew minimization, A/B test, feature engineering, feature/model selection) and algorithms (eg. gradient boosted trees, neural networks/deep learning, optimization)
  • Experience with technologies such as: Tensorflow, PyTorch, Kubernetes, Airflow (or equivalent), Kafka (or equivalent)
  • Expertise with architectural patterns of a large, high-scale software applications (e.g., well-designed APIs, high volume data pipelines, efficient algorithms, models)

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Agentic and Automation: Experience with AI technologies in automating processes and developing agentic solutions and frameworks.
  • Agile Practice for AI Production: Experience with the entire AI product development lifecycle from incubation to production at scale, following agile practices in the Applied AI/ML domain.
  • Infrastructure Acumen: Experience building robust testing frameworks for agent behavior validation and continuous improvement, and driving architectural requirements on ML infrastructures

Your Location:

This position is US - Remote Eligible. The role may include occasional work at an Airbnb office or attendance at offsites, as agreed to with your manager. While the position is Remote Eligible, you must live in a state where Airbnb, Inc. has a registered entity. Click here for the up-to-date list of excluded states. This list is continuously evolving, so please check back with us if the state you live in is on the exclusion list. If your position is employed by another Airbnb entity, your recruiter will inform you what states you are eligible to work from.

How We'll Take Care of You:

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits.

Pay Range

$244,000-$305,000 USD

About Airbnb

Airbnb is an online community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book accommodations through mobile phones or the Internet. The company connects travelers seeking authentic experiences with hosts offering unique, inspiring spaces. Whether the available space is a castle for a night, a sailboat for a week, or an apartment for a month, Airbnb is the easiest way for people to showcase these distinctive spaces to an audience of millions. By facilitating bookings and financial transactions, Airbnb makes the process of listing or booking a space effortless and efficient. With 4,500,000 listings in over 65,000 cities in 191 countries, the company offers the widest variety of unique spaces for everyone at any price point around the globe.

Airbnb Careers

Join the vibrant team at Airbnb, the world’s leading community-driven hospitality company, where innovation, leadership, and diversity training are at the heart of our professional ethos. At Airbnb, we offer more than just job opportunities; we provide a platform for growth, learning, and meaningful connections. Work You’ll Do Become a part of Airbnb’s dynamic team and contribute to reshaping the travel and hospitality landscape globally. Our commitment to innovation and cultural understanding sets us apart, allowing us to enhance the travel experience for millions of users worldwide. Lead with Innovation and Diversity At Airbnb, we believe in leading with innovation and embracing diversity. Our leadership is committed to fostering an inclusive environment where every team member can thrive. Diversity training is integral to our operations, ensuring that we continue to be a leader in creating inclusive travel experiences. Explore Professional Growth and Development Airbnb offers a wealth of career advancement opportunities, supported by robust training programs and professional development courses. Whether you’re looking for a full-time position or an internship, Airbnb empowers you to excel and grow your career to new heights. Join Our Global Team Work alongside a global team of passionate, creative, and solution-driven professionals. At Airbnb, we value the skills and perspectives of our diverse team members, and we continuously strive to leverage this collective power to innovate and lead in the industry. Benefits and Culture Airbnb is dedicated to providing its employees with a supportive and empowering work environment. Our benefits package is designed to enhance your life both inside and outside of work. Enjoy comprehensive health benefits, flexible working conditions, and unique perks that encourage a balance of work and life. Networking and Career Opportunities Expand your professional network within Airbnb through various networking events, mentorship programs, and collaborative projects. Our vibrant culture of connectivity opens doors to enriching career paths and professional relationships. Apply Now Ready to take the next step in your career? Explore the exciting job opportunities and internships available at Airbnb. We are actively hiring talented individuals who are passionate about making a difference in the world of travel. Visit our Careers Page Stay updated with the latest from Airbnb Careers by visiting our dedicated careers page. Discover new job openings, read about our company culture, and find tips for your resume and interview preparation. Join Airbnb and be part of a team that’s committed to redefining the future of travel through innovation, leadership, and a deep respect for diverse cultures and communities. Your journey to a fulfilling career starts here.
Learn more about Airbnb
Size
5,000 employees
Market Cap
$52.6 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$4.5 billion
Founded
2008
5 Year Trend
+29.3%
Revenue
$3.3 billion
NASDAQ

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