Machine Learning Engineer

Overview
Airbnb is seeking a Staff Machine Learning Engineer to join our Translation AI team remotely. As a Staff Machine Learning Engineer, you will lead the development and deployment of machine translation systems that connect guests and hosts across languages worldwide. Your work will improve the international guest booking experience, enable seamless communication, and reduce barriers for global travelers. Collaborating with cross-functional teams and ML infrastructure engineers, you will create production-grade AI solutions that power Airbnb’s global platform and drive innovation in language technology.

Location: US – Remote Eligible
Pay Range: $204,000–$255,000 USD

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with teams across Airbnb, including Customer Support and Guest & Host Tools, to deliver advanced machine translation capabilities.

• Identify and prioritize translation-related challenges and opportunities across products.

• Design and implement scalable translation models to improve accuracy, reduce latency, and optimize costs.

• Develop pipelines, tooling, and infrastructure for data preparation, evaluation, model training, and inference in collaboration with the ML Infrastructure team.

• Leverage cutting-edge open-source models like Llama and commercial translation offerings.

• Continuously test, evaluate, and improve machine translation systems for production environments.

• Mentor and guide teams on best practices for ML model deployment, scalability, and observability.

Qualifications

• 9+ years of industry experience in applied Machine Learning; MS or PhD in a relevant field preferred.

• Strong programming skills in Scala, Python, Java, C++, or equivalent.

• Deep experience in machine learning development, particularly NLP and language modeling.

• Experience deploying production ML systems at scale, including monitoring, evaluation, and progressive rollouts.

• Familiarity with PyTorch, HuggingFace, LlamaFactory, NVidia Triton/TRTLLM, Ray, and other open-source ML tools.

• Strong understanding of GenAI trends, LLM strengths/limitations, and model selection tradeoffs.

• Excellent communication, collaboration, and cross-functional teamwork skills.

Work Location & Eligibility

• US – Remote Eligible; occasional office visits or offsites may be required.

• Must reside in a state where Airbnb, Inc. has a registered entity. Check the current list of eligible states.

Inclusion & Accessibility

Airbnb is committed to a diverse, inclusive workforce and encourages applications from all qualified individuals. We provide disability-inclusive accommodations during the application and interview process. Candidates needing assistance can contact reasonableaccommodations@airbnb.com.

Compensation & Benefits

• Base salary: $204,000–$255,000 USD (subject to factors such as experience, skills, and market conditions)

• Bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits

• Supportive remote work flexibility and career development opportunities