Senior Machine Learning Engineer

About Weaviate

Weaviate is an AI startup with open source and creativity at its core. Our AI-native vector database uses machine learning to create meaningful insights from unstructured data in a completely new way. Named one of Forbes’ Top 50 AI startups, and with over a million monthly downloads, Weaviate is quickly growing in popularity with developers and enterprises alike.

Our team members work remotely across the globe with the flexibility to work from anywhere and at any time. Our people experience this as a massive benefit! Operating with a strong sense of ownership and collaboration, our teams prioritize results while empowering each individual to do their best work.

About this role

As a Senior Machine Learning Engineer at Weaviate, you will play an instrumental part in researching and applying cutting-edge AI and ML research into AI Native Weaviate products.

You will join the Innovation Labs team, which researches, develops, and integrates exciting new AI native services into Weaviate. Our team works across a wide range of exciting projects, which means our work is highly dynamic and stimulating. Current projects include Generative Feedback Loops (GFLs) & Agent APIs, a high throughput and scalable hosted embedding service, and an integrated Recommendation System. We collaborate very closely with other teams in Weaviate to ensure seamless integration, optimal performance, and reliability of our AI solutions.

This is what you’ll be doing

• Lead the development of new AI-native applications, working with our team of researchers, ML engineers, and full-stack engineers to translate research projects into scalable, production-grade solutions.
• Research and implement methods to fine-tune embedding and retrieval models for improved accuracy in niche domains.
• Optimize our Embedding Service for improved inference throughput and latency.
• Experiment with both finetuning and deploying LLM’s efficiently on our own infrastructure.
• Design, implement, and iterate on agent-based systems that integrate seamlessly with Weaviate's APIs.
• Identify opportunities where ML can create value for our users—from simple optimizations to entirely new products.
• Develop automated benchmarking pipelines to compare retrieval quality across multiple metrics.
• Work primarily on backend services using Python (and some Go).
• Participate in the full product development lifecycle, from refinement and design to deployment and maintenance.
• Perform code reviews and contribute to automated test development.

What we are looking for

• At least 3+ years of experience in ML/AI related roles.
• Comprehensive understanding of applied machine learning concepts.
• Strong background in Python programming and deep learning frameworks including PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face Transformers, and SentenceTransformers.
• Experience writing and optimizing model training and fine-tuning pipeline.
• Familiarity with LLM fine-tuning methods and a good understanding of how to leverage optimised inference engines like vLLM, TensorRT.
• Demonstrated expertise in model benchmarking and evaluation methodologies.
• Proven track record implementing production-grade ML systems and software.
• Hands-on experience with infrastructure and engineering best practices.
• Experience contributing to open-source software projects.
• Proficiency in CI/CD practices, with experience deploying and operating continuously deployed applications in production.
• Practical knowledge of agent-based systems and reasoning frameworks.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate technical concepts across teams.
• Independent work style with a proactive approach to solving challenges.
• You are usually available in a time zone between UTC-5 and UTC+2.
• You are aligned with our company values.

What we offer

• 100% remote with lots of flexibility, read more here.
• Competitive compensation, including paid time off.
• Budget available to spend on going to conferences, co-working space, home office equipment, etc.
• Work with very experienced and fun team members.
• An atmosphere that encourages learning and personal growth, and that gives you lots of freedom, flexibility, and responsibilities.

Are you interested?

Have a look at this page to learn what you can expect from our interview process. Be aware that conducting a background check is part of our onboarding.

If you are interested in Weaviate and this role, you can apply via the ‘apply now!’ button below. All of our communication will be done in response to your application. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to our recruiter via the application. In this way, we ensure that our people can focus on doing their best work.