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Machine Learning Engineer Opt Jobs in Santa Barbara, CA

AppFolio

Sr. Machine Learning Engineer

Santa Barbara, CA

$112K - $154K/yr

Who We Are Looking For We're hiring a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to design and ship the next generation of voice and conversational AI agents within Realm-X. This role helps define AppFolio ...

AppFolio

Sr. Machine Learning Engineer

Santa Barbara, CA

$112K - $154K/yr

Who We Are Looking For We're hiring a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to design and ship the next generation of voice and conversational AI agents within Realm-X. This role helps define AppFolio ...

AppFolio, Inc.

Sr. Machine Learning Engineer

Santa Barbara, CA · On-site +1

$116K - $159K/yr

Who We Are Looking For We're hiring a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to design and ship the next generation of voice and conversational AI agents within Realm-X. This role helps define AppFolio ...

Toyon

Deep Learning Algorithm Developer

Goleta, CA

$120K - $200K/yr

Toyon has openings for researchers and developers to solve challenging real-world problems using Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML) techniques. Experience in Computer Vision is ...

Toyon

AI/ML Software Engineer

Goleta, CA

$120K - $200K/yr

Toyon is seeking highly qualified AI/ML Software Engineer candidates to develop software in the Python or C++ languages in support of Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Machine Learning (ML) applications.

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All JobsMachine Learning Engineer Opt JobsMachine Learning Engineer Opt Jobs in Santa Barbara, CA

Machine Learning Engineer Opt information

See Santa Barbara, CA salary details

$35K

$143.3K

$215.3K

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

As of Aug 29, 2026, the average yearly pay for machine learning engineer opt in Santa Barbara, CA is $143,278.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $112,900.00 and $172,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a machine learning engineer?

Machine Learning Engineers are specialized software engineers who design, build, and deploy machine learning models into production environments. They work at the intersection of software engineering and data science, transforming data-driven prototypes into scalable, reliable systems that organizations can use to make predictions or automate tasks. Their responsibilities include data preprocessing, choosing appropriate algorithms, model training, and ensuring the model's performance in real-world applications. Machine Learning Engineers often collaborate with data scientists, data engineers, and product teams to deliver intelligent solutions.

What are some common challenges machine learning engineers face when deploying models to production environments?

Machine Learning Engineers often encounter challenges such as ensuring model scalability, handling data drift, and integrating models seamlessly with existing systems when deploying to production. Monitoring model performance in real time and retraining models as new data becomes available are also critical tasks. Collaboration with data engineers and DevOps teams is essential to address infrastructure and deployment hurdles while maintaining model accuracy and reliability.

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

To thrive as a Machine Learning Engineer, you need a solid background in mathematics, statistics, and programming (especially Python), typically supported by a degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field. Familiarity with machine learning frameworks (such as TensorFlow, PyTorch), data processing tools, and cloud platforms, along with relevant certifications, is highly valuable. Strong problem-solving ability, collaboration, and effective communication are standout soft skills in this role. These skills and qualities ensure the successful development, deployment, and integration of machine learning solutions that drive business value.

What is the difference between Machine Learning Engineer Opt vs Data Scientist?

AspectMachine Learning Engineer OptData Scientist
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in CS, AI, or related fields; certifications in ML toolsBachelor's or Master's in CS, Statistics, or related fields; data analysis certifications
Work EnvironmentDevelops, tests, and deploys ML models in production systemsAnalyzes data, builds models, and provides insights for decision-making
Employer & Industry UsageTech companies, AI startups, e-commerce, financeResearch institutions, tech firms, consulting, finance
Common Search & ComparisonOften compared for technical skills and deployment focusCompared for data analysis and business insights

Machine Learning Engineers Opt focus on deploying scalable ML models in production environments, while Data Scientists primarily analyze data and develop models for insights. Both roles require strong technical skills, but their core responsibilities differ in application and deployment.

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

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

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

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

What cities near Santa Barbara, CA are hiring for Machine Learning Engineer Opt jobs?

Cities near Santa Barbara, CA with the most Machine Learning Engineer Opt job openings:

Machine Learning Engineer Opt jobs near you
Infographic showing various Machine Learning Engineer Opt job openings in Santa Barbara, CA as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $143,278 per year, or $68.9 per hour.

Staff Machine Learning Engineer

AppFolio, Inc

Santa Barbara, CA • On-site

$200 - $250/hr

Other

Re-posted 29 days ago

AppFolio rating

7.2

Company rating: 7.2 out of 10

Based on 8 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

185th of 246 rated software companies

Job description

Staff Machine Learning Engineer – Software Engineering

Locations: Santa Barbara, CA; San Diego, CA; Remote - San Francisco, CA; Remote - Denver, CO.

Overview

We’re building an AI‑native platform for the real estate industry and are looking for a Staff Machine Learning Engineer to advance the ML platform that underpins all of AppFolio’s AI initiatives.

Your Impact
  • ML Platform: Design and operate AppFolio’s ML infrastructure on AWS – ECS, SageMaker, GPU fleets, model serving, autoscaling, and cost controls.
  • Drive AI Cost Discipline: Optimize cost across all AI applications – provider routing, caching, batch vs. real‑time, model-size selection, and inference economics.
  • Multi‑Provider Reliability: Maintain reliable, multi‑provider LLM access across Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic with sensible fallbacks and abstractions.
  • Training & Fine‑Tuning Stack: Build the training and fine‑tuning stack for small language models, including data pipelines, GPU orchestration, and evaluation.
  • Productionize Research: Partner with Voice & Agents and Research ML engineers to harden prototypes into production systems with SLOs, on‑call rotations, and observability.
  • AI Safety & Guardrails: Operate AppFolio’s AI safety and authorization layer – guardrails on AWS, scoped tool permissions, and human‑in‑the‑loop gates for autonomous agent actions.
Qualifications
  • Systems thinker: Think in terms of platforms and long‑term leverage, not just features.
  • Production builder: Built and scaled ML infrastructure in production with meaningful business impact.
  • Ambiguity: Operate effectively in high ambiguity, turning unclear infra problems into clear direction.
  • Owner‑operator: Take ownership with a founder/owner‑operator mindset, act with urgency, and focus on outcomes.
  • Pace: Strong desire to move fast and deliver impact while maintaining sound engineering judgment.
  • Collaboration: Humble, collaborative, low‑ego, and elevate those around you.
  • Sustainability: Value work‑life balance as a foundation for sustained high performance.
  • Reliability mindset: Treat ML infra like any other production system – SLOs, on‑call, observability, postmortems.
Must Have
  • ML infra at scale: Built and operated production ML infrastructure on AWS – ECS, SageMaker, GPUs, autoscaling, and cost controls.
  • Inference platforms: Production experience with model serving for both LLMs and custom models; understands quantization, batching, and routing.
  • Provider breadth: Direct experience integrating with Google (Vertex/Gemini), OpenAI, and Anthropic APIs in production.
  • Training capability: Trained or fine‑tuned language models end‑to‑end; comfortable with deep learning, evaluation, and inference.
  • Cloud‑native engineering: Strong Python, Docker, dependency management, and CI/CD for AI workloads.
  • RAG & agents: Working knowledge of LangChain / LangGraph and modern RAG patterns over structured and unstructured data.
  • Cost optimization: Demonstrated experience reducing unit cost of AI workloads without regressing quality or latency.
  • AI safety & authorization: Hands‑on experience operating AI guardrails, scoped tool permissions, and authorization layers for production AI systems.
Nice to Have
  • Experience training small language models for production use.
  • GPU performance tuning (vLLM, TensorRT, Triton, or similar).
  • Prior staff‑level role at a company with a significant AI infra footprint.
  • Experience with ontology‑driven systems or knowledge graphs supporting AI applications.
  • Contributions to open‑source ML infrastructure or LLM tooling.
Compensation & Benefits
  • Base pay range: $200,000 – $250,000. Additional benefits and bonuses may apply.
  • Regular full‑time employees are eligible for benefits.
Statement of Equal Opportunity

At AppFolio, we value diversity in backgrounds and perspectives. We are a proud Equal Opportunity Employer and welcome applicants of all races, colors, religions, sexes, sexual orientations, gender identifications, national origins, ages, marital statuses, ancestries, physical or mental disabilities, or veteran status.

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