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Senior / Staff ML Engineer

San Francisco, California, United States

At Instawork, our mission is to create meaningful economic opportunities for local businesses and skilled hourly professionals in communities around the world. We're building the leading AI-powered labor marketplace—and we're looking for exceptional talent to help us scale quickly and make an even greater impact. Backed by world-class investors like Benchmark, Spark Capital, Craft Ventures, Greylock, Y Combinator, and others, we’re transforming the way the world works.

We are seeking an innovative Senior / Staff ML Engineer to join our dynamic and growing team. Our goal is to create economic opportunity for businesses and local professionals globally. We believe AI and Machine Learning will be key factors across our products and company in accelerating our mission.

What You'll Do:

  • Build/integrate new machine learning models into production using the necessary tools to monitor/administer them
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to set and align on machine learning platform strategies to meet company objectives
  • Deliver best-in-class technical approach and problem analysis documents
  • Impact key company objectives by working closely with Product to refine our roadmap
  • Build/maintain reports, dashboards, and metrics to monitor the performance of our products
  • Mentor junior team members helping them to grow their skills and expertise
  • Drive key architectural decisions and contribute to our ML platform architecture and strategy
  • Act as a data evangelist to create a data-driven culture across the company and provide mentorship/feedback to analysts and other data-minded stakeholders

Who You Are:

  • BS or MS in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Physics, or a related quantitative field; PhD is a plus but not required
  • 8+ years (Staff) / 5+ years (Senior) of experience in quantitative analysis, statistical modeling, and deploying ML solutions to production
  • Strong command of advanced statistical techniques, including regression, hypothesis testing, and distributions, with practical experience applying them to real-world problems
  • Deep understanding of machine learning algorithms, including decision trees, clustering, neural networks, and their trade-offs in production environments
  • Hands-on experience with LLMs and generative AI (e.g., prompt engineering, Agent frameworks, fine-tuning, RAG, or LLMOps)
  • Proficient in Python and SQL, with experience in ML libraries such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, and XGBoost
  • Familiar with data modeling and pipeline development using dbt, with the ability to design clean, scalable transformations that support downstream ML applications
  • Working knowledge of modern data/ML infrastructure (e.g., Airflow, MLFlow, feature stores, vector databases, CI/CD for ML)
  • Strong communication and documentation skills with the ability to collaborate cross-functionally
  • Experience mentoring or providing technical guidance to others is a plus

For CA based applicants:

  • The base salary range for this position is $210,000 - $250,000, dependent on experience
  • This position is eligible for equity in the form of stock options
  • This position is eligible for Instawork benefits, including:
    • A variety of medical, dental, and vision plans with coverage beginning on the date of hire
    • Flexible paid time off
    • At least 8 paid company holidays annually
    • Home office stipend
    • Phone stipend
    • Commuter stipend
    • Supplemental pay on qualified leaves
    • Employee health savings accounts (HSA) contribution
    • Flexible spending plans
    • 401K plan
    • Perkspot - discount program through Lumity

A variety of factors are considered when determining someone’s compensation including a candidate’s professional background, experience, and location.  Final offer amounts may vary from the amounts listed above.

#LI-Onsite

About Instawork

Founded in 2016, Instawork is the leading flexible work app for local, hourly professionals. Its digital marketplace connects thousands of businesses and more than seven million workers, filling a critical role in local economies. Instawork has been featured on CBS News, the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Associated Press, and more. In 2025, Instawork was named the Workforce Hiring Solution of the Year by RetailTech Breakthrough. Instawork was ranked among the country’s top 10% of fastest-growing companies by Inc. 5000 in 2022 and 2023, and was included in the Forbes Next Billion Dollar Startup list. Instawork was also named the 2022 ACE Award recipient for “Best Innovation” and one of the “Best Business Apps” by Business Insider. Instawork helps businesses in the food & beverage, hospitality, and warehouse/logistics industries fill temporary and permanent job opportunities in more than 50 markets across the U.S. and Canada. 

At Instawork, we constantly evaluate how to build an optimal work environment for success. We’re transitioning back to fully in the office five days a week, and as we continue to grow, we're seeking candidates who are excited about contributing to our in-person culture.

For more information visit www.instawork.com

We value diversity on our team and firmly believe Instawork is stronger when we hire people who make their own unique contributions to our culture. We welcome all applicants and encourage candidates from underrepresented backgrounds to apply. 

To learn more about our company values, please visit: https://info.instawork.com/about

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