Machine Learning Engineer Jobs in California

Machine Learning Engineer jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in technology, healthcare AI, autonomous systems, and financial services, with openings from entry-level ML engineer through principal and staff-level roles. The heaviest hiring is in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego, where companies like Google, Meta, and Qualcomm maintain major engineering operations. Computer vision, natural language processing, and large language model fine-tuning are the sub-areas drawing the most consistent demand across California employers. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.

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Overview

Open roles866+
Top employerTikTok
Top citySan Francisco, CA
Cities hiring54
Work type48% On-site
Top industryTechnology

Showing 5 of 866+ Machine Learning Engineer jobs

Staff / Sr. ML Engineer, Indexing Infrastructure
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Staff / Sr. ML Engineer, Indexing Infrastructure
Apple
Santa Clara, California
Data Engineering
Data Science
ML (Machine Learning)
Software Engineering
$216k - $325k/yr
Doctoral degree in Computer Science
10,000+

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Machine Learning Systems Engineer - Video Computer Vision
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Machine Learning Systems Engineer - Video Computer Vision
Apple
Sunnyvale, California
Data Science
Data Science & Analytics
ML (Machine Learning)
$150k - $278k/yr
Bachelor's degree
10,000+

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Principal Machine Learning Engineer
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Principal Machine Learning Engineer
Atlassian
San Francisco, California
Electrical Engineering
Engineering (Non-Software)
Quality Assurance & Testing (QA Testing)
$196k - $309k/yr
Remote (US)
10,000+

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Senior Inference Optimization ML Engineer
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Senior Inference Optimization ML Engineer
Rhoda AI
Mountain View, California
Data Science
Data Science & Analytics
ML (Machine Learning)

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Machine Learning Engineer, Computer Vision
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Added 2d ago
Machine Learning Engineer, Computer Vision
Apple
Cupertino, California
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Data Science
ML (Machine Learning)
Software Engineering
$150k - $278k/yr
Master's degree
10,000+

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See All 866+ Machine Learning Engineer Jobs in California

Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.

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Machine Learning Engineer Jobs by City in California

Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.

Machine Learning Engineer Job Market in California

A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.

Who's Hiring

  • TikTok105
  • Meta27
  • Uber27
  • Amazon Web Services23
  • Google22

Top Industries Hiring

  • Technology & Software145
  • Electronics & Hardware26
  • Science & Research17
  • Artificial Intelligence17
  • Automotive14

What California Employers Look For

The qualifications that appear most often in machine learning engineer jobs across California.

  • Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, statistics, or a related quantitative field
  • Proficiency in Python and core ML frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or scikit-learn
  • Experience designing, training, and deploying machine learning models in production environments
  • Familiarity with cloud ML infrastructure on AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure
  • Strong foundation in linear algebra, probability, statistics, and optimization techniques
  • Experience with data pipelines, feature engineering, and large-scale distributed computing tools

Machine Learning Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions

How do you become a machine learning engineer in California?

Machine learning engineering has no state-issued license in California, so the path runs through education and demonstrated technical skills. Most California employers expect at least a bachelor's degree in computer science, mathematics, or a related field, with a master's degree preferred at many Bay Area and Los Angeles tech companies. Building a portfolio of deployed projects, contributing to open-source ML work, and completing graduate coursework at UC Berkeley, Stanford, or UCLA strengthens a candidate's profile considerably.

How much do machine learning engineers make in California?

Machine learning engineers in California earn a median of about $174,410 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $105,060 for the lowest 10% to over $272,670 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.

Which companies hire machine learning engineers in California?

Employers hiring machine learning engineers in California right now include TikTok, Meta, and Uber, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. California's concentration of technology headquarters, AI research labs, and defense contractors means consistent openings across a wide range of industries and seniority levels.

Which California cities have the most machine learning engineer jobs?

San Francisco, San Jose, and Mountain View have the most machine learning engineer openings in California. The Bay Area's density of technology headquarters and AI research organizations drives the largest share of listings, while Los Angeles draws demand from entertainment technology, aerospace, and a fast-growing startup ecosystem, and San Diego's strength in wireless technology and biotech creates a reliable secondary market.

Are there remote machine learning engineer jobs in California?

Yes, and more than most fields. About 52% of machine learning engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting how well the core work, model development, experimentation, and code review, translates to distributed teams. Roles involving on-site GPU infrastructure management or close collaboration with hardware teams tend to require in-person presence more often than pure research or modeling positions.

How can I get hired as a machine learning engineer in California with little or no experience?

The most realistic entry path is through a machine learning or data science internship at a California technology company, many of which, including major Bay Area firms, run structured university recruiting programs targeting new graduates from UC campuses, Cal Poly, and California State University programs. Transitioning from a data analyst, software engineer, or research assistant role is a common lateral move. Building a GitHub portfolio with end-to-end ML projects and completing a relevant graduate certificate from a California institution significantly improves early-career competitiveness.

Where can I find and apply to machine learning engineer jobs in California?

You can find and apply to machine learning engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings across industries and seniority levels. Find roles that fit your background and apply directly.

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