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Founding Machine Learning Engineer Jobs in Santa Clara, CA

Abaka AI

Machine Learning Engineer

Mountain View, CA

$175K - $275K/yr

About the Role We're hiring our first Machine Learning Engineer in the United States, a foundational role that will shape how Abaka builds, trains, and optimizes multimodal AI systems. You will own ...

Articul8

Machine Learning Engineer

Dublin, CA · On-site

$100 - $125/hr

We are seeking machine learning engineers to join our team full-time. As part of your role, you will help us build pipelines of data collection, data extraction, data filtering/synthetic data ...

Nace AI

Machine Learning Engineer

Palo Alto, CA · On-site

They are seeking a Machine Learning Engineer to translate research into scalable solutions, collaborating with teams to architect robust systems and integrate AI-driven features into applications.

Articul8

Machine Learning Engineer

Dublin, CA · On-site

We are seeking machine learning engineers to join our team full-time. As part of your role, you will help us build pipelines of data collection, data extraction, data filtering/synthetic data ...

BigHat

Machine Learning Engineer

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$150 - $200/hr

Machine Learning Engineer Department: DS/ML (Data Science/Machine Learning) Employment Type: Full Time Location: San Mateo, CA Description The role: We are seeking a creative, ambitious Machine ...

New

Capital One

Lead Machine Learning Engineer

San Jose, CA

$120K - $158K/yr

Lead Machine Learning Engineer As a Capital One Machine Learning Engineer (MLE), you'll be part of an Agile team dedicated to productionizing machine learning applications and systems at scale. You ...

BigHat Biosciences

Machine Learning Engineer

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$150K - $200K/yr

Machine Learning Engineer Department: DS/ML (Data Science/Machine Learning) Employment Type: Full Time Location: San Mateo, CA Description The role: We are seeking a creative, ambitious Machine ...

Apple

Machine Learning Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

... machine learning models, with a strong understanding of data and model quality Strong programming skills and hands-on experience using one or more deep learning frameworks, such as PyTorch ...

Apple

Machine Learning Engineer (Search)

Cupertino, CA

$150K - $225K/yr

We are looking for a Machine Learning Engineer to join and play a big part in the next revolution of Maps; to enable users to find more things in innovative ways. On our team, you will have plenty of ...

Capital One

Lead Machine Learning Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site +1

$120K - $158K/yr

Lead Machine Learning Engineer As a Capital One Machine Learning Engineer (MLE), you'll be part of an Agile team dedicated to productionizing machine learning applications and systems at scale. You ...

Capital One

Lead Machine Learning Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$120K - $158K/yr

Lead Machine Learning Engineer As a Capital One Machine Learning Engineer (MLE), you'll be part of an Agile team dedicated to productionizing machine learning applications and systems at scale. You ...

Apple

Machine Learning Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA

$216K - $324K/yr

... machine learning models, with a strong understanding of data and model quality Strong programming skills and hands-on experience using one or more deep learning frameworks, such as PyTorch ...

Voltai

Machine Learning Engineer

Menlo Park, CA · On-site

The Machine Learning Engineer will architect and develop high-performance AI systems, manage large-scale datasets, and translate state-of-the-art research into production-ready code while ...

Gotion, Inc.

Machine Learning Engineer

Fremont, CA · On-site

Role Summary We are seeking a highly motivated Machine Learning Engineer with a strong background in model architecture design and algorithm development, ideally with experience in scientific domains ...

Apple Inc.

Machine Learning Engineer (Search)

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$150 - $200/hr

We are looking for a Machine Learning Engineer to join and play a big part in the next revolution of Maps; to enable users to find more things in innovative ways. On our team, you will have plenty of ...

Spark Tek Inc

Machine Learning Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

Spark Tek Inc is seeking a highly skilled Machine Learning Engineer to design and build a low-latency query understanding and intelligent routing system. The role involves working on data modeling ...

Nutanix

Machine Learning Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$150 - $200/hr

Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, and experience with machine learning frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch. * Experience with cloud platforms (AWS) and containerization ...

MindSource

Machine Learning Engineer

Cupertino, CA · On-site

MindSource is seeking a Machine Learning Engineer to join their Strategic Data Solutions team. The role involves crafting, implementing, and operating analytical solutions that improve security ...

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All JobsFounding Machine Learning Engineer JobsFounding Machine Learning Engineer Jobs in Santa Clara, CA

Founding Machine Learning Engineer information

See Santa Clara, CA salary details

$37K

$151.2K

$227.3K

How much do founding machine learning engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 7, 2026, the average yearly pay for founding machine learning engineer in Santa Clara, CA is $151,231.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $119,200.00 and $182,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a founding machine learning engineer?

A Founding Machine Learning Engineer is one of the first technical team members at a startup who specializes in designing, building, and deploying machine learning systems. This role involves working closely with the founders to set the technical direction, build core AI products, and establish best practices for data and model development. In addition to hands-on coding and experimentation, a Founding Machine Learning Engineer often influences product decisions and helps shape the company's engineering culture. The role typically requires a blend of deep technical expertise, startup agility, and a willingness to tackle both high-level strategy and low-level engineering tasks.

What are some unique challenges and expectations for a founding machine learning engineer in an early-stage startup?

As a Founding Machine Learning Engineer, you'll face the unique challenge of building the company's machine learning infrastructure from the ground up, often with limited resources and rapidly evolving requirements. You'll be expected to wear many hats, from designing and deploying models to setting up data pipelines and collaborating closely with product and engineering teams. Your role will also involve making critical decisions about technology stacks and best practices that will shape the company's technical direction. Additionally, you'll have significant influence on the company's culture and have ample opportunities for growth as the team expands.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a founding machine learning engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Founding Machine Learning Engineer, you need deep expertise in machine learning algorithms, software engineering, and data science, often supported by a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with tools such as Python, TensorFlow or PyTorch, cloud platforms, and experience deploying ML models in production are typically required. Strong problem-solving abilities, entrepreneurial mindset, and excellent communication skills set standout candidates apart. These skills and qualities are vital for driving innovation, building scalable solutions from scratch, and collaborating within a fast-paced startup environment.

Are founding machine learning engineers still in demand?

Founding machine learning engineers remain in high demand as companies seek to develop AI-driven products and services. They often require strong skills in deep learning, data modeling, and proficiency with tools like TensorFlow or PyTorch, with demand driven by growth in AI applications across industries.

How much does a founding machine learning engineer make?

A founding machine learning engineer typically earns between $100,000 and $180,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and company size. Equity and bonuses may also be part of the compensation package, especially in startup environments where they play a significant role in total earnings.

What are popular job titles related to Founding Machine Learning Engineer jobs in Santa Clara, CA?

For Founding Machine Learning Engineer jobs in Santa Clara, CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Founding Machine Learning Engineer jobs in Santa Clara, CA look for?

The top searched job categories for Founding Machine Learning Engineer jobs in Santa Clara, CA are:

What cities near Santa Clara, CA are hiring for Founding Machine Learning Engineer jobs?

Cities near Santa Clara, CA with the most Founding Machine Learning Engineer job openings:

Founding Machine Learning Engineer jobs near you

Machine Learning Engineer

Abaka AI

Mountain View, CA

$175K - $275K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO

Re-posted 5 days ago

Job description

About Abaka AI
 
Abaka AI is built on one mission: to be the world's most trusted data partner for AI companies. More than 1,000 industry leaders across Generative AI, Embodied AI, and Automotive AI rely on us to power their data pipelines. With our headquarters in Silicon Valley-and teams in Paris, Singapore, and Tokyo-we support global partners with fast, reliable, and scalable data solutions.
Our offerings include a diverse catalog of off-the-shelf datasets (image, video, multimodal, reasoning, 3D, and beyond) as well as comprehensive data collection and annotation services. Whether teams need raw data, curated datasets, or full-cycle data engineering, Abaka AI provides the foundation for building high-performance AI systems.
 
 
About the Role
 
We're hiring our first Machine Learning Engineer in the United States, a foundational role that will shape how Abaka builds, trains, and optimizes multimodal AI systems. You will own the design and development of scalable training pipelines, work directly with our data engineering and research teams, and help drive the technical roadmap for model development across multiple modalities.
As an early member of the engineering team, you will influence core decisions around model training strategy, experimentation frameworks, distributed infrastructure, and internal best practices. Your work will directly impact the performance of frontier models trained on Abaka datasets and will help elevate the technical bar for our clients and partners.
If you thrive in high-ownership environments and want to shape the machine learning foundation of a fast-moving AI company, this role offers an opportunity to make an immediate and lasting impact.
 
 
Responsibilities
  • Design, build, and optimize scalable machine learning pipelines for multimodal model training, fine-tuning, and evaluation across text, image, audio, video, and 3D data.
  • Work closely with data engineering and research teams to develop efficient data workflows, including collection, preprocessing, annotation, versioning, and model integration.
  • Implement and refine training strategies for large-scale AI systems, including vision, video, and diffusion models, ensuring reproducibility, efficiency, and strong model performance.
  • Develop tools and automation frameworks that accelerate model experimentation, hyperparameter tuning, and deployment.
  • Identify and address performance bottlenecks in data or training pipelines to improve throughput, stability, and resource utilization.
  • Collaborate with product and infrastructure teams to ensure smooth integration of model outputs into both internal and client-facing applications.
  • Support internal best practices for model governance, experiment tracking, and documentation to maintain high engineering standards and reproducibility.
 
Qualifications
  • Strong academic background in computer science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, or related fields. Master's degree or Ph.D. is preferred.
  • 3+ years of experience in applied machine learning or ML engineering, with a demonstrated ability to deliver production-ready models or pipelines.
  • Proficient in Python and ML frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX, with hands-on experience in large-scale distributed training and inference systems.
  • Familiarity with multimodal data processing (e.g., text-image pairing, video understanding, speech-audio modeling) and dataset optimization for model training.
  • Solid understanding of ML system design, including feature pipelines, data loaders, model serving, and evaluation frameworks.
  • Experience with modern infrastructure tools such as Kubernetes, Ray, Airflow, or MLflow, along with cloud-based training environments (AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills, capable of working effectively across engineering, research, and product teams to accomplish shared goals.
  • Self-driven and adaptable, comfortable operating in a fast-paced startup environment, and able to demonstrate strong ownership and urgency in execution.
 
Compensation & Benefits
The base salary range for this position is $175,000 - $275,000 USD annually.
Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies and experience. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work at Abaka AI. This role is eligible for equity, as well as a comprehensive benefits package (health, dental, vision, PTO, flexible work schedule).
 

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