ML Engineer Jobs at Whatnot with Visa Sponsorship
ML Engineer jobs at Whatnot involve building recommendation and trust systems on machine learning, working on real-time marketplace problems at the intersection of live commerce and retail. Whatnot has a consistent record of sponsoring international talent across multiple visa categories for technical roles like this one.
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Get Access To All JobsJoin the Future of Commerce with Whatnot!
Whatnot is the largest livestream shopping platform in North America and Europe to buy, sell, and discover the things you love. Whether it's trading cards, fashion, electronics, or live plants, our sellers are building real businesses across hundreds of categories. We're building live commerce at a scale that's never been done in the West, and there's no playbook to copy. The people here are shaping how an entirely new industry develops.
As a remote co-located team, we're inspired by our values and anchored in hubs across the US, UK, Ireland, Poland, Germany, and Australia. We move fast, stay close to our users, and focus on the work that drives the most impact.
We're one of the fastest growing marketplaces and were recently named the #1 Best Startup Employer in America by Forbes. Check out the latest Whatnot updates on our news and engineering blogs and join us as we enable anyone to turn their passion into a business and bring people together through commerce.
Role
The Buyer Growth team is responsible for driving Whatnot’s top-of-funnel growth and first-time buyer success. We're looking for a Machine Learning Engineer to accelerate buyer growth at Whatnot through intelligent, data-driven experiences. As the first ML engineer, you’ll build and own ML models personalization in onboarding and user targeting in our acquisition and engagement channels. This is a high-impact role on a team directly responsible for growing Whatnot’s buyer base and improving first-time user conversion.
What you'll do:
- Lead the design, development, and productionization of ML models that power user acquisition, activation, and retention (e.g., ranking models, targeting systems, uplift modeling).
- Own the full model lifecycle: from data collection and feature engineering to model training, evaluation, deployment, and online experimentation.
- Identify and prioritize high-impact opportunities where machine learning can unlock growth, collaborating with product, engineering, data, and marketing stakeholders.
- Drive technical excellence and establish ML best practices across the Buyer Growth team.
You
Curious about who thrives at Whatnot? We’ve found that low ego, a growth mindset, and leaning into action and high impact goes a long way here.
- 5+ years of industry experience building and deploying ML systems at scale.
- Demonstrated success in leading end-to-end ML projects that drove measurable business outcomes.
- Deep expertise in personalization, ranking, or user modeling; strong intuition around user behavior in consumer products.
- Advanced proficiency in Python, SQL, and common ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, XGBoost).
- Strong communication and leadership skills; ability to influence roadmap and align cross-functional teams.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience building ML applications in E-commerce or Social products.
- Prior experience in growth domains: user segmentation, retention modeling, large scale recommendation systems, notification ranking, etc.
Benefits
- Flexible Time off Policy and Company-wide Holidays (including a spring and winter break).
- Health Insurance options including Medical, Dental, Vision.
- Work From Home Support
- Home office setup allowance.
- Monthly allowance for cell phone and internet.
- Care benefits
- Monthly allowance for wellness.
- Annual allowance towards Childcare.
- Lifetime benefit for family planning, such as adoption or fertility expenses.
- Retirement; 401k offering for Traditional and Roth accounts in the US (employer match up to 4% of base salary) and Pension plans internationally.
- Monthly allowance to dogfood the app
- All Whatnauts are expected to develop a deep understanding of our product. We're passionate about building the best user experience, and all employees are expected to use Whatnot as both a buyer and a seller as part of their job (our dogfooding budget makes this fun and easy!).
- Parental Leave
- 16 weeks of paid parental leave + one month gradual return to work *company leave allowances run concurrently with country leave requirements which take precedence.
EOE
Whatnot is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, parental status, disability status, or any other status protected by local law. We believe that our work is better and our company culture is improved when we encourage, support, and respect the different skills and experiences represented within our workforce.
Compensation Range: $190 - $280
Join the Future of Commerce with Whatnot!
Whatnot is the largest livestream shopping platform in North America and Europe to buy, sell, and discover the things you love. Whether it's trading cards, fashion, electronics, or live plants, our sellers are building real businesses across hundreds of categories. We're building live commerce at a scale that's never been done in the West, and there's no playbook to copy. The people here are shaping how an entirely new industry develops.
As a remote co-located team, we're inspired by our values and anchored in hubs across the US, UK, Ireland, Poland, Germany, and Australia. We move fast, stay close to our users, and focus on the work that drives the most impact.
We're one of the fastest growing marketplaces and were recently named the #1 Best Startup Employer in America by Forbes. Check out the latest Whatnot updates on our news and engineering blogs and join us as we enable anyone to turn their passion into a business and bring people together through commerce.
Role
The Buyer Growth team is responsible for driving Whatnot’s top-of-funnel growth and first-time buyer success. We're looking for a Machine Learning Engineer to accelerate buyer growth at Whatnot through intelligent, data-driven experiences. As the first ML engineer, you’ll build and own ML models personalization in onboarding and user targeting in our acquisition and engagement channels. This is a high-impact role on a team directly responsible for growing Whatnot’s buyer base and improving first-time user conversion.
What you'll do:
- Lead the design, development, and productionization of ML models that power user acquisition, activation, and retention (e.g., ranking models, targeting systems, uplift modeling).
- Own the full model lifecycle: from data collection and feature engineering to model training, evaluation, deployment, and online experimentation.
- Identify and prioritize high-impact opportunities where machine learning can unlock growth, collaborating with product, engineering, data, and marketing stakeholders.
- Drive technical excellence and establish ML best practices across the Buyer Growth team.
You
Curious about who thrives at Whatnot? We’ve found that low ego, a growth mindset, and leaning into action and high impact goes a long way here.
- 5+ years of industry experience building and deploying ML systems at scale.
- Demonstrated success in leading end-to-end ML projects that drove measurable business outcomes.
- Deep expertise in personalization, ranking, or user modeling; strong intuition around user behavior in consumer products.
- Advanced proficiency in Python, SQL, and common ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, XGBoost).
- Strong communication and leadership skills; ability to influence roadmap and align cross-functional teams.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience building ML applications in E-commerce or Social products.
- Prior experience in growth domains: user segmentation, retention modeling, large scale recommendation systems, notification ranking, etc.
Benefits
- Flexible Time off Policy and Company-wide Holidays (including a spring and winter break).
- Health Insurance options including Medical, Dental, Vision.
- Work From Home Support
- Home office setup allowance.
- Monthly allowance for cell phone and internet.
- Care benefits
- Monthly allowance for wellness.
- Annual allowance towards Childcare.
- Lifetime benefit for family planning, such as adoption or fertility expenses.
- Retirement; 401k offering for Traditional and Roth accounts in the US (employer match up to 4% of base salary) and Pension plans internationally.
- Monthly allowance to dogfood the app
- All Whatnauts are expected to develop a deep understanding of our product. We're passionate about building the best user experience, and all employees are expected to use Whatnot as both a buyer and a seller as part of their job (our dogfooding budget makes this fun and easy!).
- Parental Leave
- 16 weeks of paid parental leave + one month gradual return to work *company leave allowances run concurrently with country leave requirements which take precedence.
EOE
Whatnot is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, parental status, disability status, or any other status protected by local law. We believe that our work is better and our company culture is improved when we encourage, support, and respect the different skills and experiences represented within our workforce.
Compensation Range: $190 - $280
Tips for Finding ML Engineer Jobs at Whatnot
Frame your ML work around commerce problems
Whatnot's ML teams focus on live auction dynamics, fraud detection, and personalized recommendations. Tailor your resume to show experience with ranking systems, real-time inference, or trust and safety models rather than generic ML project descriptions.
Confirm your visa type before applying
Whatnot sponsors H-1B, E-3, TN, F-1 OPT, and Green Card pathways. Knowing which category fits your situation lets you ask targeted questions during recruiter calls instead of discovering a mismatch after an offer is extended.
Time your OPT application to match Whatnot's hiring cycles
F-1 OPT authorization takes USCIS up to 90 days to process. File early enough that your Employment Authorization Document arrives before your target start date, so there's no gap between offer acceptance and day one.
Surface your sponsorship need early in the process
Disclose your visa requirement to the recruiter at the screening stage, not after a technical loop. Whatnot's recruiting team handles sponsorship regularly for ML roles, and early disclosure prevents timeline surprises when an offer is ready.
Use Migrate Mate to find open ML Engineer roles at Whatnot
Browsing general job boards makes it hard to filter for sponsors. Migrate Mate surfaces ML Engineer openings at Whatnot and other verified sponsors by visa type, so you can focus your applications where sponsorship is confirmed.
Understand what PERM means for your long-term path
If you're targeting a Green Card through Whatnot's EB-2 or EB-3 sponsorship, the PERM labor certification process requires DOL approval before USCIS filing. That sequence adds months to the timeline, so clarify employer intent before relying on it in your planning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Whatnot sponsor H-1B visas for ML Engineers?
Yes, Whatnot sponsors H-1B visas for ML Engineer roles. The company has an active track record of filing petitions for technical positions. If you're currently on OPT or another status, confirm the timeline with your recruiter early, since H-1B cap-subject petitions require filing in April for an October 1 start date.
Which visa types does Whatnot commonly sponsor for ML Engineer roles?
Whatnot sponsors a range of visa categories for ML Engineers, including H-1B, E-3 visa (for Australian citizens), TN visa (for Canadian and Mexican nationals), F-1 OPT and CPT, J-1 visa, and immigrant pathways including EB-2 and EB-3. The right category depends on your nationality and career stage. Confirm which types Whatnot will support for your specific situation during the recruiting process.
What qualifications and experience does Whatnot expect for ML Engineer roles?
Whatnot's ML Engineer roles typically require strong fundamentals in machine learning alongside practical experience deploying models in production. Given the company's live commerce focus, experience with ranking systems, recommendation engines, real-time inference, or fraud and trust models is directly relevant. A graduate degree in computer science, statistics, or a related field strengthens applications, though demonstrated industry experience in similar systems carries significant weight.
How do I apply for ML Engineer jobs at Whatnot?
You can find and apply for ML Engineer roles at Whatnot through Migrate Mate, which lists open positions at verified visa sponsors filtered by role and visa type. When you apply, be ready to complete a technical screen focused on ML system design and coding, followed by a loop covering modeling, infrastructure, and domain knowledge relevant to Whatnot's marketplace. Disclose your visa status at the first recruiter touchpoint.
How long does the visa sponsorship process take for an ML Engineer starting at Whatnot?
Timeline depends on your visa category. H-1B cap-subject cases follow a fixed annual cycle with an October 1 start date. E-3 and TN petitions can move faster, often within weeks of an approved offer. F-1 OPT requires up to 90 days of USCIS processing. For Green Card sponsorship through PERM, DOL and USCIS processing together typically spans one to two years or more.