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Machine Learning Engineer Jobs in Santa Barbara, CA

Create3D and 2D layouts thatare ready tobe used to construct processes or fabricated machinery ... includes learning experiences to support your career growth and success. At Avantor, dare to go ...

Create 3D and 2D layouts that are ready to be used to construct processes or fabricated machinery ... includes learning experiences to support your career growth and success. At Avantor, dare to go ...

Create3D and 2D layouts thatare ready tobe used to construct processes or fabricated machinery ... includes learning experiences to support your career growth and success. At Avantor, dare to go ...

Showing results 41-60

Machine Learning Engineer information

See Santa Barbara, CA salary details

$35K

$143.3K

$215.3K

How much do machine learning engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 21, 2026, the average yearly pay for machine learning engineer 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 and systems. They work at the intersection of software engineering and data science, transforming data-driven prototypes into scalable, production-ready solutions. Their responsibilities include data preprocessing, model selection, algorithm implementation, and optimizing models for performance and efficiency. Machine Learning Engineers often collaborate with data scientists, software developers, and other stakeholders to integrate AI technologies into products and services.

What does a machine learning engineer do?

A machine learning engineer maintains production systems and often works with other engineers. In this career, you work with software development methodology, use modern software development tools, and use agile practices. You also play a role in software design and architecture, so you may occasionally work with a programmer. An engineer may help to predict how a model should perform or seek out regression issues by using different test types and algorithms. To fulfill your duties and responsibilities, you work on a computer and use an array of skills and programs to carry out these tests.

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 strong programming skills (particularly in Python), a solid background in mathematics and statistics, and a degree in computer science or a related field. Experience with machine learning frameworks (such as TensorFlow or PyTorch), data processing tools, and cloud platforms is typically required. Problem-solving ability, effective communication, and adaptability are crucial soft skills for collaborating with teams and translating complex models into practical solutions. These competencies ensure the development, deployment, and continual improvement of machine learning systems that drive business value.

What are some common challenges faced by machine learning engineers when deploying models to production?

Machine Learning Engineers often encounter challenges such as ensuring model scalability, maintaining data consistency between training and production environments, and monitoring model performance over time. Integrating models into existing software infrastructure may require collaboration with DevOps and software engineering teams to address issues like latency, version control, and resource allocation. Additionally, ongoing model maintenance is crucial to prevent model drift and ensure that predictions remain accurate as new data becomes available.

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

AspectMachine Learning EngineerData Scientist
CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in CS, Data Science, or related; experience with ML frameworksBachelor's or Master's in Statistics, Data Science, or related; strong analytical skills
Work EnvironmentDevelops scalable ML models, deploys algorithms into productionAnalyzes data, builds models, interprets data insights
Industry UsageTech companies, startups, AI-focused firmsFinance, healthcare, marketing, research organizations

While both roles work with data and machine learning, Machine Learning Engineers focus on building and deploying scalable ML models in production environments. Data Scientists primarily analyze data, create models, and generate insights. The roles often overlap but differ in their core responsibilities and focus areas.

What are the most commonly searched types of Machine Learning Engineer jobs in Santa Barbara, CA?

The most popular types of Machine Learning Engineer jobs in Santa Barbara, CA are:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Infographic showing various Machine Learning Engineer job openings in Santa Barbara, CA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 70% Full Time, 28% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $143,278 per year, or $68.9 per hour.

Staff Software Engineer - Investor/Owner

AppFolio

Goleta, CA

Full-time

Re-posted 2 days ago


AppFolio rating

7.2

Company rating: 7.2 out of 10

Based on 8 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

184th of 245 rated software companies


Job description

Hi, We’re AppFolio.

 

We’re innovators, changemakers, and collaborators. We’re more than just a software company; we’re a cloud-based powerhouse that creates products to make our customers’ lives easier. We are an AI-first engineering organization, revolutionizing how people do business. We want your ideas, enthusiasm, and passion to help us keep innovating at the speed of the modern market.

 

Who we are looking for:

 

We are looking for a pioneering technical leader to join a young, high-growth, cross-functional product development team, and to help drive the engineering growth and evolution of our Investor segment. As a Staff Software Engineer, you will help us design and build best-in-class app experiences, transforming sophisticated business needs into robust, production-grade SaaS infrastructure and pages. The ideal candidate will thrive in a highly collaborative environment, applying the latest in generative AI-assisted techniques to build an innovative product for our customers, has a passion for building leading-edge software and is driven to help build a successful SaaS product used by our large and growing audience of property managers and owners, and who wants to hold themselves to the highest standard of technical excellence while mentoring others in a high-stakes, high-scale environment.

 

Key Responsibilities:
  • Drive the technical vision and strategy across the Owner subsegment, influencing the product roadmap and making key architectural decisions that align with business goals.
  • Lead the design and implementation of complex, distributed systems that power our next-generation products, preparing our systems for a 10x increase in traffic and engagement.
  • Act as a force multiplier by coaching engineers and fostering a high-trust, autonomous culture where continuous learning and ownership are the norms.
  • Collaborate as a peer with Product, Design, and Machine Learning leaders to bridge the gap between "what’s possible" in AI and "what’s valuable" for our customers.
  • Operate in a highly autonomous team that owns the full lifecycle of solutions you build, from discovery to development to production
  • Proactively research, share, and apply new technologies and patterns that improve system quality and accelerate delivery.
  • Use test-driven development, code reviews, and continuous integration to deliver high-quality software and rapidly fix bugs as they come up.


You know you’re the right fit if…
  • You have 8+ years of experience developing and scaling web-based applications, preferably in a SaaS environment.
  • You have a track record of leading high-stakes projects from initial ambiguity to successful launch–aligning stakeholders, making tough technical trade-offs, and ensuring long-term system health.
  • You have experience leading architectural discussions, defining system design, and guiding technical decision-making. 
  • You have proactively adopted AI tooling into your daily workflow. You don't just use these tools; you understand how to prompt, iterate, and validate AI-generated output to maintain the highest standards of excellence.
  • You take a pragmatic approach to technology, adopting new tools where they add value, while mastering proven technologies.
  • You care about long-term maintainability, advocate for clean architecture, and drive continuous refactoring and improvement. 
  • You balance intensity and sustainability—you’ll go the extra mile when needed but also model healthy work-life balance.
  • You have an ability to solve complex problems without a roadmap
  • You love to learn about and use new tech, but understand the value of continuing to leverage existing technology when it gets the job done.
  • You care about the long-term maintainability of the codebase and advocate for refactoring and code cleanliness.
  • You can identify and resolve code-smells through sensible refactoring.
  • You care about the long-term maintainability of the codebase and will learn to advocate for refactoring and clean-ups where appropriate.
  • You care about work-life balance and want your company to care about it, too; you'll put in the extra hour when needed but won't let it become a habit.

 

 Nice To Have
  • Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D. in Computer Science or related technical discipline.
  • Experience with technologies in our stack such as Ruby on Rails, Golang, React, AWS, or service-oriented architectures.
Compensation & Benefits      
The base salary that we reasonably expect to pay for this role is $167,200 - $209,000.      
The actual base salary for this role will be determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s skills, education, experience, etc.       
Please note that base pay is one important aspect of a compelling Total Rewards package. The base pay range indicated here does not include any additional benefits or bonuses that you may be eligible for based on your role and/or employment type.
Regular full-time employees are eligible for benefits - see here
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