ML Engineer Jobs in California

Position Summary

We are building an advanced AI platform that powers next-generation creative workflows for flagship products like Photoshop and Lightroom. As a Senior Machine Learning Engineer (or Applied Scientist), you will combine deep technical expertise with architectural leadership to design and implement reasoning systems, tool orchestration, and multimodal integrations using cutting-edge large language models (LLMs) and vision-language models (VLLMs).

The Opportunity

- (M)LLM post-training and evaluation, including fine-tuning, alignment, and domain adaptation
- Agent system architecture design and implementation at scale
- Practical agent development using frameworks such as LangChain, LangGraph, MCP, and A2A
- Image generation and editing with multimodal AI
- Building and owning rigorous evaluation frameworks for LLM and agent performance

- Lead the development of next-generation AI agents that improve and extend Adobe's product ecosystem
- Drive the architecture and implementation of robust agentic systems that combine reasoning, retrieval, tool use, and multimodal capabilities
- Own end-to-end LLM fine-tuning pipelines — data curation, training, RLHF/DPO alignment, and evaluation
- Design and maintain comprehensive evaluation frameworks to measure agent quality, reliability, and safety
- Implement state-of-the-art LLM techniques for specialized creative applications
- Mentor and grow engineers and scientists across the team; establish technical best practices
- Move fast in an environment where priorities evolve and problems are sometimes loosely defined

What You Need To Succeed

- Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, or a related field
- 8+ years of industry ML experience
- Demonstrated expertise in LLMs, fine-tuning (SFT, RLHF, DPO, PEFT/LoRA), and agentic system development in production
- Deep experience building evaluation frameworks for LLM and multi-agent systems (LLM-as-judge, automated benchmarks, red-teaming)
- Proficiency in PyTorch and agentic frameworks: LangChain, LangGraph, MCP, Agent Development Kit (ADK)
- Fluency with AI-assisted development tools (e.g. Claude Code, Codex, Cursor) while maintaining independent engineering judgment and critical ownership of technical decisions
- Strong foundation in data structures, algorithms, and software engineering principles
- Excellent problem-solving and communication skills; comfortable operating in fast-moving, ambiguous environments
- Experience with multimodal models (vision-language, image generation/editing) is a strong plus

About Adobe

Adobe empowers everyone to create through innovative platforms and tools that unleash creativity, productivity and personalized customer experiences. Adobe’s industry-leading offerings including Adobe Acrobat Studio, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Creative Cloud, Adobe Experience Platform, Adobe Experience Manager, and GenStudio enable people and businesses to turn ideas into impact, powered by AI and driven by human ingenuity. Our 30,000+ employees worldwide are creating the future and raising the bar as we drive the next decade of growth. We’re on a mission to hire the very best and believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. At Adobe, we believe that great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. The next big idea could be yours.

Let’s Adobe together

At Adobe, we believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. Learn more about Adobe life, including our values and culture, focus on people, purpose and community, Adobe for All, comprehensive benefits programs, the stories we tell, the customers we serve, and how you can help us advance our mission of empowering everyone to create.

Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Learn more. Adobe aims to make our Careers website and recruiting process accessible to any and all users. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation to navigate our website or complete the application process, email accommodations@adobe.com or call +1 408-536-3015.

AI Use Guidelines for Interviews:

Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording tools during live interviews is not permitted unless explicitly invited by the interviewer or approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation. If these tools are used inappropriately or in a way that misrepresents your work, your application may not move forward in the process. At Adobe, we empower employees to innovate with AI — and we look for candidates eager to do the same. As part of the hiring experience, we provide clear guidance on where AI is encouraged during the process and where it’s restricted during live interviews. See how we think about AI in the hiring experience.

Expected Pay Range:

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $190,200 -- $345,650 annually. Pay within this range varies by work location and may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process.

In California, the pay range for this position is $238,700 - $345,650
In New York, the pay range for this position is $238,700 - $345,650
In Massachusetts, the pay range for this position is $207,900 - $301,100
In Washington, the pay range for this position is $223,500 - $323,700

At Adobe, for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC = base + commission), and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans. Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP). In addition, certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.

State-Specific Notices:

California: Fair Chance Ordinances Adobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.

Colorado: Application Window Notice If this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting), the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time, in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location, no specific application window applies, and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.

Massachusetts: Massachusetts Legal Notice It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.