ML Software Engineer Jobs in California
ML Software Engineer jobs in California represent one of the most active and competitive markets in the country, concentrated in tech product development, AI research, autonomous systems, and enterprise software across seniority levels from entry-level to principal and staff engineer. The heaviest hiring is in the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego, where companies like Google, Apple, and Qualcomm maintain large engineering organizations with dedicated machine learning teams. The most in-demand specialties are large language model fine-tuning, computer vision, and MLOps infrastructure. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
Find ML Software Engineer JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 146+ ML Software Engineer jobs
At Affirm, we exist for the moments that matter—giving people a clear, predictable way to pay over time, with no hidden fees, no surprises, and no tradeoffs on what matters most.
About the team
Machine Learning is central to how Affirm delivers on its mission, powering decisions across underwriting, fraud, servicing, and personalization. We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join our ML Training & Serving engineering team, the team that builds and operates the critical infrastructure that enables models to be trained and served across Affirm.
What You'll Do
- You will be responsible for owning and delivering quarterly goals for your team, leading engineers on your team through ambiguity to solve open-ended problems, and ensuring that everyone is supported throughout delivery.
- You will support your peers and stakeholders in the product development lifecycle by collaborating with product management, design & analytics by participating in ideation, articulating technical constraints, and partnering on decisions that properly consider risks and trade-offs.
- You will proactively identify project, process, technology or business issues, advocate for them, and lead in solving them.
- You will support the operations and availability of your team's artifacts by creating and monitoring metrics, escalating when needed, and supporting "keep the lights on" & on-call efforts.
- You will foster a culture of quality and ownership on your team by setting or improving code review and design standards for your team, and advocating for them beyond your team through your writing and tech talks.
- You will help develop talent on your team by providing feedback and guidance, and leading by example.
What We Look For
- You have 4+ years of experience designing, developing and launching backend systems at scale using languages like Python or Kotlin.
- You have a track record of developing highly available distributed systems using technologies like AWS, MySQL and Kubernetes.
- You have experience defining a technical plan for the delivery of a significant feature or system component with an elegant, simple and extensible design. You write high quality code that is easily understood and used by others.
- You are proficient at making significant changes in a large code base, and have developed a suite of tools and practices that enable you and your team to do so safely.
- Your experience demonstrates that you take ownership of your growth, proactively seeking feedback from your team, your manager, and your stakeholders.
- You have strong verbal and written communication skills that support effective collaboration with our global engineering team.
- This position requires either equivalent practical experience or a Bachelor's degree in a related field.
- Experience training and deploying models for production is a nice to have.
Base Pay Grade - N
Equity Grade - 9
Employees new to Affirm typically come in at the start of the pay range. Affirm focuses on providing a simple and transparent pay structure which is based on a variety of factors, including location, experience and job-related skills.
Base pay is part of a total compensation package that may include equity rewards, monthly stipends for health, wellness and tech spending, and benefits (including 100% subsidized medical coverage, dental and vision for you and your dependents.)
USA base pay range (CA, WA, NY, NJ, CT) per year: $195,000 - $225,000
USA base pay range (all other U.S. states) per year: $173,000 - $233,000
#LI-Remote
Remote-first with flexibility built in
Affirm is proud to be a remote-first company. Most roles can be done from almost anywhere within the country of employment. Some positions may occasionally require in-person work at an Affirm office, and a few are office-based due to the nature of the work. All new hires will be invited to attend an in-person onboarding experience.
Benefits designed for you
Our benefits reflect our commitment to care, transparency, and flexibility. Here are a few highlights:
- Health coverage at no cost: We cover 100% of premiums for employees and their dependents.
- Spending stipends: Monthly stipends support your tech setup, and the ability to choose health and wellness options that are right for you.
- Time off to recharge: Flexible time off and generous holiday calendars help you rest when you need to.
- Own a piece of what you build: Our employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) lets you buy Affirm stock at a discount.
We're committed to providing an inclusive interview process, including accommodations for candidates with disabilities. If you need support, we're happy to help.
For positions based in San Francisco or Los Angeles: Affirm considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, as required by law.
By clicking "Submit Application," you acknowledge that you have read Affirm's Global Candidate Privacy Notice and consent to the use of your personal information as described.
At Affirm, we exist for the moments that matter—giving people a clear, predictable way to pay over time, with no hidden fees, no surprises, and no tradeoffs on what matters most.
About the team
Machine Learning is central to how Affirm delivers on its mission, powering decisions across underwriting, fraud, servicing, and personalization. We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join our ML Training & Serving engineering team, the team that builds and operates the critical infrastructure that enables models to be trained and served across Affirm.
What You'll Do
- You will be responsible for owning and delivering quarterly goals for your team, leading engineers on your team through ambiguity to solve open-ended problems, and ensuring that everyone is supported throughout delivery.
- You will support your peers and stakeholders in the product development lifecycle by collaborating with product management, design & analytics by participating in ideation, articulating technical constraints, and partnering on decisions that properly consider risks and trade-offs.
- You will proactively identify project, process, technology or business issues, advocate for them, and lead in solving them.
- You will support the operations and availability of your team's artifacts by creating and monitoring metrics, escalating when needed, and supporting "keep the lights on" & on-call efforts.
- You will foster a culture of quality and ownership on your team by setting or improving code review and design standards for your team, and advocating for them beyond your team through your writing and tech talks.
- You will help develop talent on your team by providing feedback and guidance, and leading by example.
What We Look For
- You have 4+ years of experience designing, developing and launching backend systems at scale using languages like Python or Kotlin.
- You have a track record of developing highly available distributed systems using technologies like AWS, MySQL and Kubernetes.
- You have experience defining a technical plan for the delivery of a significant feature or system component with an elegant, simple and extensible design. You write high quality code that is easily understood and used by others.
- You are proficient at making significant changes in a large code base, and have developed a suite of tools and practices that enable you and your team to do so safely.
- Your experience demonstrates that you take ownership of your growth, proactively seeking feedback from your team, your manager, and your stakeholders.
- You have strong verbal and written communication skills that support effective collaboration with our global engineering team.
- This position requires either equivalent practical experience or a Bachelor's degree in a related field.
- Experience training and deploying models for production is a nice to have.
Base Pay Grade - N
Equity Grade - 9
Employees new to Affirm typically come in at the start of the pay range. Affirm focuses on providing a simple and transparent pay structure which is based on a variety of factors, including location, experience and job-related skills.
Base pay is part of a total compensation package that may include equity rewards, monthly stipends for health, wellness and tech spending, and benefits (including 100% subsidized medical coverage, dental and vision for you and your dependents.)
USA base pay range (CA, WA, NY, NJ, CT) per year: $195,000 - $225,000
USA base pay range (all other U.S. states) per year: $173,000 - $233,000
#LI-Remote
Remote-first with flexibility built in
Affirm is proud to be a remote-first company. Most roles can be done from almost anywhere within the country of employment. Some positions may occasionally require in-person work at an Affirm office, and a few are office-based due to the nature of the work. All new hires will be invited to attend an in-person onboarding experience.
Benefits designed for you
Our benefits reflect our commitment to care, transparency, and flexibility. Here are a few highlights:
- Health coverage at no cost: We cover 100% of premiums for employees and their dependents.
- Spending stipends: Monthly stipends support your tech setup, and the ability to choose health and wellness options that are right for you.
- Time off to recharge: Flexible time off and generous holiday calendars help you rest when you need to.
- Own a piece of what you build: Our employee stock purchase plan (ESPP) lets you buy Affirm stock at a discount.
We're committed to providing an inclusive interview process, including accommodations for candidates with disabilities. If you need support, we're happy to help.
For positions based in San Francisco or Los Angeles: Affirm considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, as required by law.
By clicking "Submit Application," you acknowledge that you have read Affirm's Global Candidate Privacy Notice and consent to the use of your personal information as described.
See All 146+ ML Software Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find ML Software Engineer JobsML Software Engineer Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
ML Software Engineer Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Meta23
- Google20
- Apple8
- Nuro6
- Uber6
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software17
- Automotive5
- Electronics & Hardware3
- Banking & Financial Services3
- Science & Research1
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in ML software engineer jobs across California.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a related technical field
- Proficiency in Python and machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow
- Experience designing and deploying production ML models at scale
- Familiarity with cloud platforms such as Google Cloud, AWS, or Azure for model training and serving
- Strong foundation in statistics, linear algebra, and algorithm design
- Experience with MLOps tooling including experiment tracking, model versioning, and CI/CD pipelines
ML Software Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a ml software engineer in California?
There is no state-issued license or board registration required to work as a ml software engineer in California. The typical path is a bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, statistics, or a related field, followed by building a portfolio of end-to-end ML projects. California employers, particularly in the Bay Area and Los Angeles, strongly favor candidates who can demonstrate deployed model experience, contributions to open-source ML projects, or completion of research published alongside coursework.
How much do ML software engineers make in California?
ML software 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 ml software engineers in California?
Employers hiring ml software engineers in California right now include Meta, Google, and Apple, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. California's concentration of AI-focused product companies, semiconductor firms, and large-scale consumer platforms makes it one of the deepest hiring pools for this role anywhere in the country.
Which California cities have the most ml software engineer jobs?
San Francisco, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale have the most ml software engineer openings in California. The Bay Area dominates because of its density of AI-native companies, research labs, and major tech headquarters, while Los Angeles is driven by entertainment technology, autonomous vehicle programs, and a growing startup ecosystem, and San Diego sees consistent demand from defense contractors and Qualcomm's semiconductor and wireless AI division.
Are there remote ml software engineer jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 58% of ml software engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting how well this work translates to distributed teams. Model research, experimentation, and data pipeline development are the most frequently offered in fully remote arrangements, while roles tied to on-site hardware, robotics, or lab infrastructure tend to require in-person presence.
How can I get hired as a ml software engineer in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is securing an associate or junior ML engineer role, often titled ML engineer I or research engineer, at a mid-size California tech company after completing a master's program with a thesis or project involving real data and model deployment. Large California employers like Google and Meta run structured new-grad programs that recruit directly from university research labs. Candidates transitioning from adjacent roles such as data analyst, data scientist, or software engineer strengthen their candidacy with a public portfolio of trained models, an ML specialization certificate, or a research paper co-authored with a university supervisor.
Where can I find and apply to ml software engineer jobs in California?
You can find and apply to ml software engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings from employers actively hiring for this role. Find roles that fit your experience level and location preference and apply directly.
See All 146+ ML Software Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find ML Software Engineer Jobs