Senior Software Engineer, Machine Learning (Ads)

Discord is used by over 200 million people every month for many different reasons, but there's one thing that nearly everyone does on our platform: play video games. Over 90% of our users play games, spending a combined 1.5 billion hours playing thousands of unique titles on Discord each month. Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We are focused on making it easier and more fun for people to talk and hang out before, during, and after playing games.

We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer specializing in Machine Learning to join our Revenue ML team at Discord. This team partners with our revenue product groups, focusing on both consumer revenue and our emerging Ads initiative. This role will specifically contribute to our Ads ML efforts, helping to build and scale ML capabilities in areas such as ads measurement, targeting, and delivery ranking.

As part of this team, you will play a critical role in developing foundational ML models that enhance ad relevance, optimize performance, and drive revenue. This is a unique opportunity to work on an early-stage Ads ML platform and have a direct impact on the business's success. Our tech stack includes Python, ML frameworks like PyTorch and TensorFlow, large-scale data infrastructure, and real-time ad-serving technologies.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Design, develop, and deploy machine learning models for ads targeting and ranking.
• Develop sophisticated ML solutions such as identity graph to enhance ad targeting.
• Build and optimize ad ranking models to serve the most effective ads based on campaign objectives (e.g., app installs, link click).
• Improve ads targeting and ranking by leveraging both on-platform and off-platform signals.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, engineering, and business teams to define and execute on the Ads ML roadmap.
• Scale our ML infrastructure to support an increasing number of concurrent ad campaigns while ensuring low-latency decision-making.
• Drive research and implementation of state-of-the-art ML techniques in the field of online advertising.

What You Should Have:

• 5+ years of experience as a Machine Learning Engineer or Data Scientist.
• 3+ years of experience specifically in Ads ML (ads ranking, personalization, optimization, privacy-compliant user modeling, targeting, or measurement).
• Strong proficiency in Python and familiarity with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Experience with applied deep learning (e.g transformers, embedding models).
• Proven track record of designing, implementing, and scaling ML-driven ad systems in real-world applications.
• Experience working with real-time ML inference, A/B testing, and optimization frameworks.
• Experience translating ML evaluation results and performance metrics into actionable product roadmap items.
• Ability to connect business objectives to ML solutions, with the flexibility to shift focus toward the highest-impact problems as priorities evolve.

Bonus Skills:

• Strong understanding of performance advertising and how ML impacts revenue and advertiser retention.
• Knowledge of ad tech industry standards and ads ecosystem including targeting, retrieval, ranking, pacing, frequency, auction, etc.
• Experience with large-scale recommendation systems.
• Experience with large-scale data infrastructure and distributed computing

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $220,000 to $247,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits.

Why Discord?

Discord plays a uniquely important role in the future of gaming. We're a multiplatform, multigenerational and multiplayer platform that helps people deepen their friendships around games and shared interests. We believe games give us a way to have fun with our favorite people, whether listening to music together or grinding in competitive matches for diamond rank. Join us in our mission! Your future is just a click away!

Discord is committed to inclusion and providing reasonable accommodations during the interview process. We want you to feel set up for success, so if you are in need of reasonable accommodations, please let your recruiter know.

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