Machine Learning Engineer (Chicago)

Machine Learning Engineer II

At Scribd (pronounced scribbed), our mission is to spark human curiosity. Join our team as we create a world of stories and knowledge, democratize the exchange of ideas and information, and empower collective expertise through our three products : Everand, Scribd, and Slideshare.

We support a culture where our employees can be real and be bold; where we debate and commit as we embrace plot twists; and where every employee is empowered to take action as we prioritize the customer.

When it comes to workplace structure, we believe in balancing individual flexibility and community connections. It's through our flexible work benefit, Scribd Flex, that employees in partnership with their manager can choose the daily work-style that best suits their individual needs. A key tenet of Scribd Flex is our prioritization of intentional in-person moments to build collaboration, culture, and connection. For this reason, occasional in-person attendance is required for all Scribd employees, regardless of their location.

So what are we looking for in new team members? Well, we hire for GRIT. The textbook definition of GRIT is demonstrating the intersection of passion and perseverance towards long term goals. At Scribd, we are inspired by the potential that this can unlock, and ask each of our employees to pursue a GRIT-ty approach to their work. In a tactical sense, GRIT is also a handy acronym that outlines the standards we hold ourselves and each other to. Here's what that means for you : we're looking for someone who showcases the ability to set and achieve Goals, achieve Results within their job responsibilities, contribute Innovative ideas and solutions, and positively influence the broader Team through collaboration and attitude.

About the Team

Our Machine Learning team builds both the platform and product applications that power personalized discovery, recommendations, and generative AI features across Scribd, Slideshare, and Everand. ML teams work on the Orion ML Platform providing core ML infrastructure, including a feature store, model registry, model inference systems, and embedding-based retrieval (EBR). MLE team also works closely with Product team delivering zero-to-one integrations of ML into user-facing features like recommendations, near real-time personalization, and AskAI LLM-powered experiences

Role Overview

We are seeking a Machine Learning Engineer II to help design, build, and optimize high-impact ML systems that serve millions of users in near real time. You will work on projects that span from improving our core ML platform to integrating models directly into the product experience.

Tech Stack

Our Machine Learning team uses a range of technologies to build and operate large-scale ML systems. Our regular toolkit includes :

• Languages : Python, Golang, Scala, Ruby on Rails
• Orchestration & Pipelines : Airflow, Databricks, Spark
• ML & AI : AWS Sagemaker, embedding-based retrieval (Weaviate), feature store, model registry, model serving platforms, LLM providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, etc.
• APIs & Integration : HTTP APIs, gRPC
• Infrastructure & Cloud : AWS (Lambda, ECS, EKS, SQS, ElastiCache, CloudWatch), Datadog, Terraform.

Key Responsibilities

Requirements

Must Have

Nice to Have

At Scribd, your base pay is one part of your total compensation package and is determined within a range. Our pay ranges are based on the local cost of labor benchmarks for each specific role, level, and geographic location. San Francisco is our highest geographic market in the United States. In the state of California, the reasonably expected salary range is between $126,000 [minimum salary in our lowest geographic market within California] to $196,000 [maximum salary in our highest geographic market within California].

In the United States, outside of California, the reasonably expected salary range is between $103,500 [minimum salary in our lowest US geographic market outside of California] to $186,500 [maximum salary in our highest US geographic market outside of California].

In Canada, the reasonably expected salary range is between $131,500 CAD[minimum salary in our lowest geographic market] to $174,500 CAD[maximum salary in our highest geographic market].

We carefully consider a wide range of factors when determining compensation, including but not limited to experience; job-related skill sets; relevant education or training; and other business and organizational needs. The salary range listed is for the level at which this job has been scoped. In the event that you are considered for a different level, a higher or lower pay range would apply. This position is also eligible for a competitive equity ownership, and a comprehensive and generous benefits package.

Working at Scribd, Inc.

Are you currently based in a location where Scribd is able to employ you? Employees must have their primary residence in or near one of the following cities. This includes surrounding metro areas or locations within a typical commuting distance :

United States :

Atlanta | Austin | Boston | Dallas | Denver | Chicago | Houston | Jacksonville | Los Angeles | Miami | New York City | Phoenix | Portland | Sacramento | Salt Lake City | San Diego | San Francisco | Seattle | Washington D.C.

Canada :

Ottawa | Toronto | Vancouver

Mexico : Mexico City

Benefits, Perks, and Wellbeing at Scribd