[Hiring] Staff Machine Learning Engineer @PrizePicks

Role Description

As a Staff Machine Learning Engineer, you will lead the technical charge to scale and productionize our core machine learning capabilities. Your work will directly impact key metrics like Time-to-Bet, Deposit Velocity, and Platform Integrity by integrating robust, low-latency ML models across our sports betting and daily fantasy ecosystems.

• Architect Scalable ML Systems: Design and build the end-to-end machine learning infrastructure, transitioning experimental Data Science models into robust, high-availability production services.
• Real-Time Inference at Scale: Steer the design and deployment of low-latency services to serve model inferences in milliseconds. You will power real-time decisions across the platform, from dynamic oddsmaking and risk analysis to smart deposit defaults.
• Feature Engineering & Data Strategy: Partner with Data Science to build scalable logging and data pipelines. You will lead the creation and optimization of a centralized feature store required to train complex models across diverse business domains.
• End-to-End MLOps Leadership: Champion best practices for model deployment, monitoring, and CI/CD for ML. You will implement automated retraining pipelines and observability tools to ensure data drift and model degradation are caught and addressed instantly.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in Machine Learning Engineering or Backend Engineering, with a proven track record of deploying and maintaining complex ML models in high-traffic production environments.
• 3+ years of technical leadership, acting as a lead and driving architecture decisions for consumer applications or scalable backend platforms.
• Experience with Real-Time Data: Proficient in streaming architectures (Kafka/Flink/PubSub) and building low-latency services to serve model inference in <100ms.
• MLOps Expertise: Deep experience managing the full ML lifecycle (training, deploying, monitoring) using tools like MLFlow, Kubeflow, Databricks, or SageMaker.
• Strong Coding Skills: Expert in Python and SQL; proficiency in Go, C++, or Rust is a strong plus for building high-performance inference layers.
• Cloud Native: Deep experience with GCP services (BigQuery, Cloud Functions, GKE, Vertex AI) or AWS equivalents.

Requirements

• Experience implementing reinforcement learning or complex probabilistic models for dynamic pricing, risk management, or fraud detection.
• Background in Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS), oddsmaking, or high-frequency trading.
• Experience building and scaling "Feature Stores" that successfully bridge batch historical data with real-time event streams.

Benefits

• Company-subsidized medical, dental, & vision plans
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Annual bonus
• Flexible PTO to encourage a healthy work/life balance (2 weeks STRONGLY encouraged!)
• Generous paid leave programs, including 16-week paid parental leave and disability benefits
• Workplace flexibility and modern work schedules focused on getting the job done, not hours clocked
• Company-wide in-person events and team outings
• Lifestyle enhancement program
• Company equipment provided (Windows & Mac options)
• Annual performance reviews with opportunities for growth and career development