Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Home Surfaces Spotify

Ever wondered how Spotify seems to know just the right song or podcast you need, precisely when you need it? That's the powerful magic our Personalization team brings to life every single day. We are the creative minds behind universally loved features like Discover Weekly and Blend, tirelessly working to ensure millions of listeners across the globe effortlessly discover their next favorite audio experience. Joining our team means you will stand at the leading edge of truly understanding the intricate world of music and podcasts, crafting those perfect listening moments that keep our users engaged and delighted.

As a Staff Machine Learning Engineer within Spotify's innovative Personalization Mission, you will play a pivotal role in defining the future of personalized audio discovery. Our mission is clear: make deciding what to play next easier and more enjoyable for every single listener. The Personalization team has delivered some of Spotify’s most cherished features, from the collaborative joy of Blend to the tailored surprise of Discover Weekly, all by deeply understanding the vast world of music and podcasts. This commitment keeps millions of users listening and engaged through superb, individual recommendations.

You will join the dynamic Surfaces Moments team, a specialized ML group focused on crafting moment-based experiences across all Spotify surfaces. This team is responsible for evolving the experiences that connect listeners instantly with the content most relevant to them, notably the Home Shortcuts feature and its sophisticated underlying intelligence. By merging cutting-edge machine learning, advanced recommendation systems, and deep product thinking, we deliver incredibly relevant, personalized journeys to listeners worldwide. This is a fully remote, global opportunity, welcoming talent from anywhere.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the design, development, and deployment of robust, scalable machine learning systems that power personalized discovery and engagement across Spotify surfaces.
Drive technical strategy and architectural decisions for key ML initiatives within the Surfaces Moments team, focusing on home screen experiences and content recommendations.
Apply advanced machine learning techniques, including recommendation systems, large language models, and other innovative approaches, to solve complex personalization challenges.
Collaborate closely with product managers, data scientists, and fellow engineers to translate product vision into impactful, data-driven ML solutions.
Contribute to the entire ML lifecycle, from initial research and prototyping to A/B testing, deployment, and ongoing optimization of models in production environments.
Champion best practices in machine learning engineering, code quality, testing, and operational excellence to ensure high reliability and performance of our systems.
Mentor and guide other engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning within the team and across the broader organization.

Requirements

You bring extensive experience, typically 8+ years, in Machine Learning Engineering, with a proven track record of shipping impactful ML models and systems to production.
Deep expertise in recommendation systems, information retrieval, or related fields, including practical experience with various algorithmic approaches and evaluation methodologies.
Solid understanding of large language models (LLMs) and their applications, or a strong desire and aptitude to work extensively with them to enhance personalization.
Proficiency in building and maintaining production-scale machine learning infrastructure, including experience with data pipelines, model deployment, monitoring, and A/B testing frameworks.
Strong programming skills in languages such as Python, Java, or Scala, coupled with experience in distributed computing frameworks like Apache Spark or Google Cloud Dataflow.
Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., Google Cloud Platform, AWS, Azure) and containerization technologies.
Demonstrated ability to lead technical projects, make sound architectural decisions, and drive complex initiatives from inception to successful delivery.
Excellent communication skills, capable of effectively collaborating with cross-functional teams and explaining complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related quantitative field, or equivalent practical experience.

What You'll Gain

Impact at Scale: Your work will directly shape the listening experience for hundreds of millions of users globally, making a tangible difference in how they discover and enjoy audio.
Cutting-Edge Innovation: You will work at the forefront of machine learning, tackling exciting challenges involving large language models, advanced recommendation algorithms, and production ML infrastructure.
Collaborative Culture: Join a highly skilled, supportive, and passionate team where collaboration and knowledge sharing are at the core of how we operate.
Professional Growth: Spotify is committed to your development. You will have opportunities to mentor others, lead significant projects, and continuously expand your technical and leadership skills.
Truly Remote: Enjoy the flexibility and autonomy of working from anywhere in the world, while being part of a globally connected and inclusive team.
Pioneering Personalization: Contribute to a team that is constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible in personalized discovery, building the next generation of Spotify features.