We are looking for our first Staff Machine Learning Engineer to establish and lead our machine learning initiatives. This is a critical, foundational role where you will have the unique opportunity to shape the future of data science and ML. You will be responsible for identifying high-impact opportunities, designing, building, and deploying machine learning models that directly drive business growth and enhance user experience across our platform.

We are looking for a highly skilled, hands-on practitioner who is passionate about translating business challenges into data-driven solutions. You aren't just theoretical; you build, you code, you ship, and you measure. You have a proven history of deploying ML models into production environments that have delivered tangible results. You possess the experience and desire to mentor future ML hires and establish best practices as our capabilities grow.


What You Will Do

Identify & Prioritize: Collaborate closely with product, engineering, data analytics, and business stakeholders to identify and prioritize the most impactful ML opportunities that align with Niche's strategic goals. Our first area of focus is our Recommendations, which includes matching students with the right schools

Design & Build: Lead the end-to-end development of machine learning models from data collection and feature engineering to algorithm selection, training, tuning, and validation. This is a hands-on coding role

Deploy & Integrate: Develop production-grade code and systems to deploy, serve, and monitor ML models at scale, ensuring reliability and performance. Integrate models effectively into Niches products and internal systems

Measure & Iterate: Define key performance metrics, establish robust monitoring frameworks, analyze model performance in production, and drive continuous improvement through iteration and experimentation

Champion & Evangelize: Clearly communicate complex ML concepts, model behaviors, and results to both technical and non-technical audiences. Champion the use of machine learning & data science across the organization

Lead & Mentor: Establish ML development best practices, coding standards, and documentation. As the function grows you will guide and mentor other ML engineers

Innovate: Stay abreast of the latest advancements in machine learning, data science, and MLOps, evaluating and potentially adopting new technologies and techniques relevant to us.

What We Are Looking For

Experience: 8+ years of professional experience in software development or data science, with at least 5+ years specifically focused on building and deploying machine learning models in a production environment

Proven Impact: Demonstrable track record of successfully shipping multiple machine learning models that resulted in measurable business growth (e.g., increased user engagement, conversion rates, operational efficiency, revenue). You can clearly articulate the business problem, the ML solution, and the quantitative impact achieved

Technical Depth (Hands-On):

Expertise in Python and common ML libraries/frameworks (e.g., scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras, XGBoost)

Deep understanding of core ML concepts (e.g., classification, regression, clustering, recommendation systems, NLP, time series analysis, experimentation, model evaluation)

Strong SQL skills and experience working with large datasets and data processing tools (e.g., Pandas, Spark)

Experience with ML deployment patterns and MLOps principles (e.g., model serving, monitoring, CI/CD for ML, feature stores)

Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) is essential

Business Acumen: Strong ability to understand business needs, translate them into well-defined ML problems, and connect technical work back to strategic objectives. You prioritize work based on potential business impact

Leadership Experience: Experience or a strong aptitude for leading technical projects, defining technical direction, and mentoring others. Excellent communication and collaboration skills

Education: MS or PhD in Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related quantitative field, OR equivalent practical experience demonstrating deep expertise in machine learning

Bonus Points

Experience building ML capabilities from the ground up

Experience with recommendation systems, search ranking algorithms, or NLP applied to user-generated content

Experience in the EdTech or consumer-facing platform space

Familiarity with Golang, express, Postgres, Snowflake, DBT, and Tableau

Contributions to open-source ML projects or publications in relevant conferences/journals

VIP Applicant Program You've Been Selected!

Congratulations! LatamRecruit.com has chosen you from thousands of tech professionals to be part of our VIP Applicant Program.

What does it mean?

We help you secure a 6-figure role and guide you through every step from application to interview success.

Benefits of the VIP Program

Job Matching

We search through thousands of roles and send you those that best fit your skills.

Application Help

We help you build a strong application and qualify for a pre-screening call.

Interview Coaching

Before each interview, we coach you on how to present yourself and answer confidently.

Ongoing Support

You wont go through the job hunt alone. we support you until you are hired.

Your Responsibilities

Just be open to feedback.
We handle the heavy lifting searching, applying, preparing, and guiding you.

Cost & Payment Structure

Our help is free until you sign a contract and start working.

After you're hired, we charge 10% of your first-year salary, payable in 4 monthly installments.

If you are a senior candidate (e.g., salary ~$100,000/year- $120,000/year):

• Month 1: $2,500
• Month 2: $2,500
• Month 3: $2,500
• Month 4: $2,500

If you are junior mid level (salary ~$60,000$70,000/year):

• Month 1: $1,500
• Month 2: $1,500
• Month 3: $1,500
• Month 4: $1,500

After that you simply enjoy your new, higher compensation.

Approval & Program Duration

• Approval may take up to one week.
• Once approved, we aim to find your first project within one additional week.
• Due to high demand, we have only 10 spots per month. If not selected this cycle, you may re-apply in future months.

If disqualified, you can apply again after 2 years with detailed feedback provided to guide improvement.