CHICAGO DATA AND AI EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT
Harnham Data and AI Recruitment is a leading executive search firm covering the Chicago area, specializing in helping businesses find the right candidates for their data-driven roles.
As one of the premier executive recruiters covering Chicago, we take pride in our ability to connect our clients with top-tier talent across the different sectors in the Data and AI business landscape.
Our team of experienced recruitment consultants leverages an extensive network and deep market knowledge to guide clients through every step of the recruiting process. This ensures we find qualified candidates who align with each client’s business goals. With offices in multiple countries and a track record of exceptional service, we’ve worked with a wide range of clients to fill the most critical roles with the perfect candidates.
We have a strong track record of successful placements and have worked with some of the most well-known companies in the world. One of the reasons we’ve been so successful is due to the fact that we provide insights and research on the data industry, so our clients have the most up-to-date information on the data industry. Discover more by getting in touch with our Chicago executive recruitment experts today.
DATA & AI RECRUITMENT AND STAFFING
HOW WE DO IT
Like the Data & AI professionals we place, Harnham’s recruitment process is built on tried-and-tested models.
By gaining valuable insights across a range of industries, we provide bespoke search services that cater to our clients’ unique needs.
Our recruitment strategies have driven growth in sectors such as Financial Services, Real Estate, and technology, including cutting-edge fields like quantum computing. We always have a wide range of vacancies at both junior and senior level including Data Science jobs, Data Analyst jobs, and Big Data jobs, all available throughout the UK, France, United States, and the Netherlands. Whether it’s C-suite roles or mid-level leadership positions, we consistently deliver exceptional candidates. Our Chicago team specializes in placing data experts in roles like Data Scientist, Data Analyst, and Big Data Engineer. Let us help you find the ideal candidate profile to meet your organizational goals. Get in contact with us!
WHAT SETS US APART FROM OTHER CHICAGO DATA EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT AGENCIES?
What sets Harnham's Data and AI Recruitment apart from other Data and AI Recruitment agencies in Chicago, is our extensive experience in the Data industry as we've been in it for so many years.
Our Chicago Data Executive Recruitment team are well informed. They don’t just procure top executive talent; they also provide insights into industry trends, ensuring our clients remain ahead of the curve. From leadership roles to advisory positions, our Chicago data recruitment team is equipped to tackle the most challenging staffing needs. Offering insider knowledge, and a wealth of experience. Which continues to make Harnham stand out in the competitive Chicago-area market thanks to our expertise and tailored approach to executive recruiting.
We work with client organizations to develop comprehensive recruitment strategies, offering tools like salary benchmarks, diversity guides which can help diversity initiatives, and Leadership Assessments to streamline the hiring process. By focusing on aligning talent with business objectives, we’ve become trusted executive search partners for companies across a broad range of industries. For exceptional executive recruitment services in Chicago, contact Harnham today. Let us connect you with the right candidates to drive your business forward.
JOBS
LATEST Chicago
DATA JOBS
Harnham are a specialist Data & AI Recruitment business with teams that only focus on niche areas.
Machine Learning Engineer
€60000 - €61000
+ Data Science & AI
PermanentNetherlands
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Machine Learning Engineer – Executive Search Firm
Amsterdam Zuid
€60,000-€65,000 + holiday allowance
Hybrid (3 days in-office per week)
Join one of the world’s most respected executive search firms, with over 70 offices globally. Known for its high-performing, polished environment and commitment to excellence at board and senior leadership levels, this organisation is expanding its data and research capabilities to better understand what makes leadership teams successful.
The Role
We’re looking for a Machine Learning Engineer to help bring cutting-edge ideas and algorithms to life. Reporting directly to Febo, you’ll work closely with the Data Science & Data Architecture team.
Your focus will be on building and developing the firm’s data warehouse and enabling the data science team to turn research into scalable, real-world tools. This is a hands-on, development-driven position – ideal for someone who wants to see their technical work make a direct impact.
Key Responsibilities
- Build and optimise data pipelines and data models to support research and leadership analytics
- Translate technical requirements into practical, high-quality specifications
- Develop and deploy machine learning models end-to-end
- Collaborate with data scientists, researchers, and architects to bring algorithms to production
- Maintain strong communication with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment between technical and business goals
- Work on LLM models
About You
- Strong experience with Python, TensorFlow, and/or PyTorch
- Hands-on knowledge of SQL and experience building data models and data warehouses
- Exposure to AWS (not essential, but a plus)
- Background in machine learning and end-to-end pipeline development
- Excellent communication skills – comfortable working with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Ideally some experience from a consultancy or similarly fast-paced, analytical environment
What’s in It for You
- Salary of €60,000-€65,000 + holiday allowance
- Opportunity to shape the future of leadership analytics in a globally respected firm
- Collaborative, international environment with exposure to cutting-edge AI and data science projects
- Hybrid setup: 3 days per week in the Amsterdam Zuid office, minimum 1 day required
Interview Process
3 stages designed to assess both technical capability and cultural fit.

To Apply for this Job Click Here
Senior Machine Learning Scientist
San Francisco
$180000 - $200000
+ Data Science & AI
PermanentSan Francisco, California
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Senior Machine Learning Scientist
Location: SF Bay Area – Hybrid (3 days/week onsite)
Salary: $180-200k base + Equity
A leading commerce marketplace with 130M+ users and billions of daily events is hiring a Senior Machine Learning Scientist to drive innovation across personalization, feed ranking, computer vision, and GenAI. You’ll work on high-impact ML solutions that directly shape user experience and business outcomes at massive scale.
What You’ll Do
- Lead full-lifecycle ML projects from idea to production across core areas like personalization, trust & safety, marketing optimization, and user engagement.
- Own the ML development process-from data exploration and feature engineering to model training, deployment, and post-launch optimization.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with ML engineers, PMs, and business stakeholders to identify and prioritize high-leverage initiatives.
- Experiment with emerging AI techniques, including GenAI, computer vision, and LLMs, to push the boundaries of what’s possible on the platform.
- Build scalable, production-ready ML systems that enhance key metrics like retention, engagement, and conversion.
What You Bring
- 3+ years of experience building, deploying, and maintaining ML models at scale.
- Deep expertise in Python, SQL, Spark (PySpark or Scala) and frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow.
- Proven track record in consumer tech or large-scale marketplaces companies.
- Hands-on experience with CNNs, Transformers, Vision Transformers, and personalization algorithms.
- Background in user behavior modeling, search relevance, or real-time data systems.
- Strong foundation in experimentation (A/B testing), statistics, and applied ML.
- Exceptional communication skills and the ability to translate technical insights into business value.
- Experience with LLMs, RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), or PEFT (Parameter-Efficient Fine-Tuning) techniques.

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Staff Machine Learning Scientist
San Francisco
$200000 - $260000
+ Data Science & AI
PermanentSan Francisco, California
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Staff Machine Learning Scientist
Location: SF Bay Area – Hybrid (3 days/week onsite)
Salary: $200-260k base + Equity
A leading commerce marketplace with 130M+ users and billions of daily events is hiring a Staff Machine Learning Scientist to drive innovation across personalization, feed ranking, computer vision, and GenAI. You’ll work on high-impact ML solutions that directly shape user experience and business outcomes at massive scale.
What You’ll Do
- Lead full-lifecycle ML projects from idea to production across core areas like personalization, trust & safety, marketing optimization, and user engagement.
- Own the ML development process-from data exploration and feature engineering to model training, deployment, and post-launch optimization.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with ML engineers, PMs, and business stakeholders to identify and prioritize high-leverage initiatives.
- Experiment with emerging AI techniques, including GenAI, computer vision, and LLMs, to push the boundaries of what’s possible on the platform.
- Build scalable, production-ready ML systems that enhance key metrics like retention, engagement, and conversion.
What You Bring
- 7-10 years of experience building, deploying, and maintaining ML models at scale.
- Deep expertise in Python, SQL, Spark (PySpark or Scala) and frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow.
- Proven track record in consumer tech or large-scale marketplaces companies.
- Hands-on experience with CNNs, Transformers, Vision Transformers, and personalization algorithms.
- Background in user behavior modeling, search relevance, or real-time data systems.
- Strong foundation in experimentation (A/B testing), statistics, and applied ML.
- Exceptional communication skills and the ability to translate technical insights into business value.
- Experience with LLMs, RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), or PEFT (Parameter-Efficient Fine-Tuning) techniques.

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Senior Machine Learning Engineer
New York
$190000 - $210000
+ Data Science & AI
PermanentNew York
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Senior Machine Learning Engineer
New York, New York
$190,000-210,000 base salary + bonus + benefits
Harnham is partnered with a well-known financial services company that is disrupting a key area of financial services. They are building out a proprietary LLM platform that will revolutionize how certain financial tasks are carried out in the cloud. This will be a senior-level ML Engineer in the business and lead all LLM projects from end-to-end.
THE ROLE
- You will be responsible for end-to-end machine learning model development and deployment for the company’s AI platform
- You will report directly to senior leadership and work closely on technical direction
- Own development of new PoCs and quickly build into production, particularly focusing on novel NLP and LLM applications
- You will implement and design code and build out to production using various machine learning and LLM techniques, owning machine learning infrastructure
- You will play an integral role of building out the AI team and scaling out its product
- Act as a thought leader role for AI across the business
YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
The successful Senior Machine Learning Engineer will likely have the following skills and experience:
- 3-5 years of commercial experience (depending on education level) preferred with a focus on building and deploying natural language and LLM models
- Experience working in a fast-moving organization is preferred
- Expertise in Python (TensorFlow, PyTorch) for production-grade work
- Commercial experience building novel NLP and LLM AI platforms with large datasets
- Cloud experience in AWS, Azure or GCP preferred
- History of working on models from concept to production / end-to-end / 0-1
- Experience in settings wearing multiple hats
- Domain experience in financial services, investment or private equity a plus
- History of partnering with non-technical stakeholders required
- Experience as a player/coach or manager for AI teams preferred
- PhD or MS degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Engineering or similar
THE BENEFITS
A competitive base salary of $190,000-210,000 + benefits + equity
HOW TO APPLY
Please register your interest by sending your résumé to Tim Jonas via the Apply link on this page.
KEYWORDS
Machine Learning | AI | Artificial Intelligence | Technology | Fintech | Financial Services | Fortune 500 | Deployment | Production | LLMs | LLM | Large Language Models | GenAI | Gen AI | Generative AI | NLP | NLU | NLG | Natural Language Processing | Infrastructure | Architecture

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Senior Machine Learning Engineer
$180000 - $220000
+ Data Science & AI
PermanentNew York
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Senior Machine Learning Engineer
Location: New York (Hybrid)
Compensation: $180,000 – $250,000 base salary + Equity
About the Company
We’re partnered with a cutting-edge software company that’s redefining how development teams build, maintain, and scale modern applications. As engineering workflows grow increasingly complex, their intelligent platform empowers teams by deploying AI agents that automate repetitive development tasks, streamline workflows, and enhance productivity. These AI-driven systems are already transforming the software development lifecycle in dynamic environments-and the company is now scaling rapidly to meet market demand.
The Role
As an Applied AI/NLP Scientist, you’ll play a key role in designing and deploying advanced NLP and LLM-based solutions that accelerate and enhance software engineering workflows. Working directly with senior technical leadership, you’ll drive projects from early-stage research to production-ready implementations, with real impact on the development process.
Key Responsibilities
- AI Model Innovation: Architect and implement domain-specific LLM/NLP models tailored to the needs of software engineering use cases-code generation, documentation automation, code review assistance, and more.
- Research to Production: Lead end-to-end development of NLP/LLM solutions, from proof-of-concept to scalable production systems.
- Model Optimization: Improve model efficiency and output through fine-tuning, prompt engineering, RAG (retrieval-augmented generation), and inference techniques.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work alongside product managers, developers, and leadership to ensure AI capabilities align with platform strategy and user needs.
- Thought Leadership: Help shape best practices around applied NLP/LLM development, contribute to internal innovation, and author papers or patents where applicable.
- Mentorship: Provide guidance and mentorship to junior ML researchers and engineers.
Your Skills and Experience
We’re looking for a hands-on NLP expert with a passion for building tools that empower developers:
- 2-8 years of experience in applied NLP or LLM-focused system development.
- Proven track record building and deploying NLP/LLM solutions in production.
- Proficiency in Python and modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, HuggingFace, spaCy).
- Experience working with large, unstructured code and text datasets.
- Background in applied research with an ability to bring experimental models into real-world systems.
- Deep understanding of transformer-based architectures, prompt tuning, fine-tuning, and retrieval-augmented methods.
- Strong communication skills and comfort working in fast-paced, ownership-driven environments.
- Advanced degree (PhD or Master’s) in Computer Science, AI, NLP, or a related field (PhD preferred).
- Bonus: Publications in top-tier AI/ML/NLP venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ACL, ICLR, EMNLP).
The Benefits
- Competitive Pay: $200,000 – $250,000 base + performance bonus + equity
- Innovation Ownership: Contribute directly to product innovation and IP
- Comprehensive Benefits: Health, dental, vision, 401(k), generous PTO, and more
How to Apply
To explore this opportunity, please submit your resume to Luc Simpson-Kent using the Apply link on this page.

To Apply for this Job Click Here
Machine Learning Engineer, LLM
$180000 - $220000
+ Data Science & AI
PermanentNew York
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Machine Learning Engineer, LLM (Applied AI/NLP)
Location: New York (Hybrid)
Compensation: $180K-$220K base + equity + bonus
About the Company
Join a fast-growing AI startup transforming how development teams build and scale modern applications. Their intelligent platform uses LLMs to automate coding tasks, streamline workflows, and boost developer productivity.
The Role
Lead the design and deployment of advanced NLP/LLM solutions that directly impact engineering workflows code generation, documentation, and review automation. Collaborate with senior leadership to take models from research to production.
Key Responsibilities
- Build and fine-tune LLMs for developer-focused use cases
- Optimize models using prompt engineering, RAG, and inference techniques
- Collaborate across teams to align AI capabilities with product goals
- Mentor junior ML engineers and contribute to internal innovation
What You’ll Bring
- 2-8 years in applied NLP/LLM development
- Strong Python and ML stack (PyTorch, HuggingFace, etc.)
- Experience with large code/text datasets and transformer models
- Advanced degree in CS, AI, or NLP (PhD preferred)
- Bonus: Publications in top-tier ML/NLP conferences
Why Join?
- Competitive pay + equity + bonus
- Direct impact on product innovation and IP
- Full benefits: health, vision, dental, 401(k), generous PTO
How to Apply
To explore this opportunity, please submit your resume to Luc Simpson-Kent using the Apply link on this page.

To Apply for this Job Click Here
Machine Learning Engineer II
San Francisco, CA
$150000 - $200000
+ Data Science & AI
PermanentSan Francisco, California
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Machine Learning Engineer II (RECOMMENDATION SYSTEMS & PERSONALIZATION)
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA – HYBRID (3 DAYS/WEEK IN-OFFICE)
$150,000 – $200,000 BASE + EQUITY + BENEFITS
About the Company
This is a major consumer-facing tech company that runs a large online platform where millions of people shop, share, and connect. With tons of user data flowing in daily, the company is focused on using machine learning to improve product discovery, make the user experience more personalized, and build smarter tools for their marketplace. They’re growing fast and investing heavily in AI to power their next chapter.
About the Role
We’re looking for a senior machine learning expert to work on projects that directly shape what users see and interact with. In this role, you’ll help design and deploy the models behind recommendations, personalized feeds, search relevance, and pricing. You’ll also guide experiments to improve business outcomes and collaborate closely with engineers and product leaders to bring your ideas to life.
This is a hands-on technical role that’s perfect for someone who enjoys solving real-world problems with advanced modeling and working at scale.
What You’ll Do
- Design and deploy machine learning models for personalization, search, and pricing.
- Work across the full ML lifecycle: from exploring data and building models to deploying and improving them.
- Partner with cross-functional teams to integrate models into the product.
- Stay up to date on emerging ML tools and techniques-and help bring them into the business.
What We’re Looking For
- 2+ years of hands-on experience building machine learning models in production.
- Deep experience with recommendation systems, personalization, or marketplace optimization.
- Background in deep learning (e.g., CNNs, Transformers, Vision Transformers).
- Solid coding skills in Python, SQL, and Spark (PySpark or Scala).
- Familiar with frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow.
- Clear communicator-able to explain complex topics to both technical and non-technical teammates.
Nice to Have
- Experience in large-scale consumer tech or marketplaces.
- Familiarity with large language models (LLMs), RAG, or fine-tuning techniques.
- Background in computer vision or user behavior modeling.
- Experience mentoring or leading projects.
Why It’s a Great Opportunity
You’ll work on products that touch millions of users every day and have a real business impact. The team values technical excellence and gives you the space to lead projects end-to-end-from ideas to implementation. You’ll also get to explore the latest in AI and collaborate with a supportive, ambitious group of people. If you like ownership, innovation, and using machine learning to drive results, this is the role for you.

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Staff Machine Learning Engineer
$200000 - $225000
+ Data Science & AI
PermanentUSA
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Staff Machine Learning Engineer
Remote- USA
$180,000-225,000+ Equity
We are seeking a Staff Machine Learning Engineer to help design, build, and deploy advanced AI systems for financial technology applications. In this role, you will work end-to-end on machine learning projects , from research and experimentation to production deployment, with a focus on creating secure, scalable, and high-performing generative AI solutions.
This is a hands-on role where you’ll contribute directly to building models, pipelines, and workflows that power intelligent, personalized financial experiences.
What You’ll Do:
- Develop and fine-tune large language models (open-source and proprietary) for tasks such as reasoning, summarization, and multi-turn dialogue.
- Build advanced Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines, including query rewriting, embedding fine-tuning, hybrid search, reranking, and knowledge graph integration.
- Create AI-driven agentic workflows that automate financial tasks, enable co-pilot systems, and support human-in-the-loop collaboration.
- Apply reinforcement learning methods (e.g., PPO, DPO, GRPO) to optimize and improve model performance.
- Implement evaluation frameworks and define metrics for model quality, efficiency, and reliability.
- Deploy models into production environments, ensuring scalability, low latency, and robustness.
- Collaborate with product managers and engineers to integrate ML components into real-world fintech applications.
What You’ll Bring:
- 6+ years of experience in applied ML/AI engineering (post BS/MS).
- Experience delivering generative AI products with LLMs at their core.
- Hands-on expertise in LLM fine-tuning (e.g., LoRA), inference frameworks (e.g., vLLM), and RAG architectures.
- Strong foundation in reinforcement learning and experience applying RLHF or similar methods.
- Proficiency in Python and ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
- Familiarity with modern data and ML infrastructure, including cloud-based deployment.
- Ability to adapt quickly in dynamic environments and deliver high-quality solutions.
Why This Role:
- Work on high-impact projects that shape the future of financial services through AI.
- Contribute to cutting-edge ML applications in a fast-paced, innovative fintech environment.
- Collaborate with experienced engineers and data scientists on applied generative AI.
- Be part of a culture that values experimentation, technical depth, and continuous growth

To Apply for this Job Click Here
Senior Machine Learning Engineer
London
£110000 - £130000
+ Data Engineering
PermanentLondon
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Senior Machine Learning Engineer
London – Hybrid
£110,000-£130,000
I’m partnering with a dynamic AI consultancy that embeds itself within client businesses, listening closely, then building bespoke agentic AI solutions that automate processes, improve speed, and enhance decision-making.
Role Responsibilities
As a Senior AI / ML Engineer, you will:
- Build & Deploy AI-Driven Software Solutions
- You’ll blend software engineering and AI expertise to develop scalable, production-grade systems leveraging generative AI and agentic automation.
- Own Project-Based Work Across Diverse Domains
- You’ll tackle varied engagements, ranging in length and complexity, and support multiple clients.
- Ensure Scalable and Reliable Deployment
- Your role includes end-to-end responsibility for deploying AI solutions that are robust, maintainable, and optimized for performance at scale.
- Act as a Strong Team Contributor and Communicator
- While you won’t lead client engagements, you’ll work closely with clients and internal teams, translating client needs into technical solutions, requiring strong communication and stakeholder-facing capabilities.
- Leverage Generative AI Expertise
- Utilise your hands-on experience with generative AI tools or workflows, prompt engineering, LLM integration, or similar, but the emphasis is on engineering implementation and delivery.
Who We’re Looking For
Essential Qualifications & Experience
- Strong software engineering background with deep experience deploying scalable systems
- At least some commercial experience using Generative AI exposure (e.g., LLMs, agentic interfaces, prompt engineering) but primarily strong engineering fluency
- Comfortable with project-based, delivery-focused work, even if no prior consultancy experience
- Confident in client-facing situations and able to collaborate effectively with non-technical stakeholders
- Reliable, consistent work history; this is a long-term growth-focused opportunity within an expanding team of 5 for this role
Ready to Apply?
If this resonates with your background and career path, let’s talk. Please share your CV highlighting your engineering experience and where generative AI has featured, especially in deployment or integration roles.

To Apply for this Job Click Here
Machine Learning Engineer – LLM
$180000 - $220000
+ Data Science & AI
PermanentNew York
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Machine Learning Engineer
Location: New York (Hybrid)
Compensation: $180,000 – $220,000 base salary + Equity
About the Company
We’re partnered with a cutting-edge software company that’s redefining how development teams build, maintain, and scale modern applications. As engineering workflows grow increasingly complex, their intelligent platform empowers teams by deploying AI agents that automate repetitive development tasks, streamline workflows, and enhance productivity. These AI-driven systems are already transforming the software development lifecycle in dynamic environments-and the company is now scaling rapidly to meet market demand.
The Role
As an Applied AI/NLP Scientist, you’ll play a key role in designing and deploying advanced NLP and LLM-based solutions that accelerate and enhance software engineering workflows. Working directly with senior technical leadership, you’ll drive projects from early-stage research to production-ready implementations, with real impact on the development process.
Key Responsibilities
- AI Model Innovation: Architect and implement domain-specific LLM/NLP models tailored to the needs of software engineering use cases-code generation, documentation automation, code review assistance, and more.
- Research to Production: Lead end-to-end development of NLP/LLM solutions, from proof-of-concept to scalable production systems.
- Model Optimization: Improve model efficiency and output through fine-tuning, prompt engineering, RAG (retrieval-augmented generation), and inference techniques.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work alongside product managers, developers, and leadership to ensure AI capabilities align with platform strategy and user needs.
- Thought Leadership: Help shape best practices around applied NLP/LLM development, contribute to internal innovation, and author papers or patents where applicable.
- Mentorship: Provide guidance and mentorship to junior ML researchers and engineers.
Your Skills and Experience
We’re looking for a hands-on NLP expert with a passion for building tools that empower developers:
- 2-8 years of experience in applied NLP or LLM-focused system development.
- Proven track record building and deploying NLP/LLM solutions in production.
- Proficiency in Python and modern ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, HuggingFace, spaCy).
- Experience working with large, unstructured code and text datasets.
- Background in applied research with an ability to bring experimental models into real-world systems.
- Deep understanding of transformer-based architectures, prompt tuning, fine-tuning, and retrieval-augmented methods.
- Strong communication skills and comfort working in fast-paced, ownership-driven environments.
- Advanced degree (PhD or Master’s) in Computer Science, AI, NLP, or a related field (PhD preferred).
- Bonus: Publications in top-tier AI/ML/NLP venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ACL, ICLR, EMNLP).
The Benefits
- Competitive Pay: $180,000 – $220,000 base + performance bonus + equity
- Innovation Ownership: Contribute directly to product innovation and IP
- Comprehensive Benefits: Health, dental, vision, 401(k), generous PTO, and more
How to Apply
To explore this opportunity, please submit your resume to Luc Simpson-Kent using the Apply link on this page.

To Apply for this Job Click Here
Staff Machine Learning Engineer
$190000 - $225000
+ Data Science & AI
PermanentUSA
To Apply for this Job Click Here
Staff Machine Learning Engineer
Full Remote – US Based
$190,000 – $225,000 Base + Equity
Fin-Tech Industry
About the Role
Join a growing fintech platform powering the next generation of financial products. This role is ideal for hands-on, end-to-end MLE’s who thrive at the intersection of R&D and production. The team values ownership, autonomy, and a pragmatic, research-driven approach.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, build, and deploy end-to-end machine learning systems from research through to production at scale.
- Take a lead role pushing state-of-the-art research and models into robust production pipelines.
- Drive and own fine-tuning of large models, especially LLMs, and develop solid inference frameworks (such as vLLM).
- Architect and optimize Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) workflows, including reranking, hybrid search, and knowledge graph integration.
- Create and iterate on agentic workflows to make ML products more adaptive and autonomous.
- Apply strong Reinforcement Learning (e.g., PPO, DPO, GRPO) to real-world fintech use cases.
- Write and maintain high-quality, production-ready Python code (no specific libraries required, flexibility valued).
Requirements
- Proven track record with end-to-end ML systems in production settings.
- Expert-level experience conducting and operationalizing advanced model fine-tuning and LLMs.
- Deep expertise in RAG systems design, search/retrieval, and graph-based architectures.
- Applied knowledge of Reinforcement Learning techniques (PPO, DPO, GRPO).
- Hands-on experience building agentic or workflow-based ML platforms.
- Strong proficiency in Python
- Experience with LLMs, neural networks, and inference frameworks; vLLM desirable.
- Background in startups or fintech preferred.
- Excellent communication, low-ego, and proactive ownership in team settings.

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Senior Machine Learning Engineer – Search & Recommendations
San Francisco
$160000 - $190000
+ Data Science & AI
PermanentSan Francisco, California
To Apply for this Job Click Here
SENIOR MACHINE LEARNING ENGINEER – SEARCH & RECOMMENDATIONS
Hybrid – Bay Area (3 Days/Week Onsite)
$160,000 – $190,000 Base + Equity
About the Company
We’re a fast-growing online marketplace backed by a major global tech player. Our platform helps millions of people buy and sell items in a way that feels social, personalized, and community-driven.
With a strong base of engaged users on both the buying and selling side, we’re investing heavily in AI and machine learning to improve product discovery, build smarter seller tools, and make the platform safer and more enjoyable for everyone. We’re now growing our ML Engineering team to help make these experiences smarter, faster, and more scalable.
About the Role
We’re looking for a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to lead some of the most critical AI/ML initiatives across our platform. You’ll be responsible for designing and building machine learning systems that impact millions of users – from personalized recommendations and smarter search to seller tools and fraud detection.
This is a high-impact, hands-on role best suited for someone with deep experience in ML systems who wants to own projects end-to-end and help shape the future of a fast-moving, high-scale marketplace.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Lead development of core ML systems that power recommendations, personalization, and trust & safety
- Design both batch and real-time pipelines that take models from experimentation to full production
- Collaborate with data scientists to turn prototypes into scalable, production-ready models
- Improve and maintain our MLOps systems (serving, monitoring, retraining, etc.)
- Help set technical direction across multiple teams and mentor other engineers
- Partner with product and infrastructure teams to drive big-picture decisions
Our Tech Stack
- Languages & Frameworks: Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow
- Tools: Airflow, Spark, MLFlow, Databricks, Feature Store
- Infrastructure: AWS + GCP, supporting real-time and batch workflows
- Model Serving: Vector databases, scalable inference pipelines, model monitoring tools
What We’re Looking For
- 2+ years of engineering experience, including 1+ years working on ML systems in production
- Experience building and scaling recommendation, search, or personalization systems
- Strong understanding of distributed systems, model performance, and production deployment
- Able to design systems that balance speed, reliability, and cost
- Experience working on large-scale marketplaces, e-commerce, or other consumer platforms
Why You’ll Love It Here
You’ll join a small but mighty team making a real difference in how people shop, discover, and sell online. You’ll have the freedom to lead major projects, contribute to technical strategy, and see your work drive real business results – all within a supportive, fast-paced environment.

To Apply for this Job Click Here
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By Luc Simpson-Kent, Managing Consultant – Harnham US Candidates want growth. Employers want retention. And in today’s…
What’s Driving Northern UK’s Data & AI Hiring in 2025?
by Jamie Smith, Senior Manager at Harnham, UK. At a glance The Northern data and tech market…
The Key to a Strong AI Team: Diversity
by Tom Brammer, Senior Manager – AI and Machine Learning US Team Every company wants to build…
Why US Companies Are Scaling AI with Contractors in 2025
Artificial intelligence has arrived in the workplace and it’s changing how companies are structured, resourced, and scaled. …
How Sacher.AI Strengthened Its GenAI Delivery in Just 12 Days
by Thomas Savidge, Principal Consultant – AI, Machine Learning and Data Science Sacher.AI, a UK-based innovation lab…
From Zero to AI: How One Investment Firm Built a World-Class Team in 18 Days
A global investment advisor managing over $268 billion across real estate, equity, and credit needed to build…
How to Maximise Your Data’s Value: The Use of AI in Advanced Analytics
By Roshni Baillie, Recruitment Consultant – Marketing & Insight, Harnham One thing I’m hearing again and again…
AI Governance Starts with People
By Kiran Ramasamy, Managing Consultant, Harnham When it comes to AI it is no longer a question…
15,000 Placements Later: What We’ve Learned About the Global Data & AI Talent Market
 By David Farmer, CEO, Harnham Global We haven’t just hit 15,000 placements, we’ve launched 15,000 careers,…
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