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 Jobs

Overview

Open roles114+
Top employerMeta
Top citySan Francisco, CA
Cities hiring21
Work type49% Hybrid
Top industryTechnology

Showing 5 of 114+ ML Software Engineer jobs

CURSOR
Software Engineer, ML Research Tools
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CURSOR
Added 1d ago
Software Engineer, ML Research Tools
CURSOR
San Francisco, California
Frontend Engineering
Software Engineering
Technical Program Management
201-500

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Apple
Senior Software ML Engineer
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Apple
Added 2d ago
Senior Software ML Engineer
Apple
Cupertino, California
Software Engineering
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
ML (Machine Learning)
$142k - $263k/yr
Hybrid
Master's
10,000+

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Apple
Senior Software ML Engineer - Watch Software
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Apple
Added 2d ago
Senior Software ML Engineer - Watch Software
Apple
Cupertino, California
Data Engineering
Data Science
ML (Machine Learning)
Software Engineering
$142k - $263k/yr
Hybrid
Doctoral degree in Computer Science
10,000+

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Meta
Software Engineer, Systems ML - Compilers
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Meta
Added 2d ago
Software Engineer, Systems ML - Compilers
Meta
Sunnyvale, California
Cloud Architecture
Solutions Architecture
Specialized Engineering
Systems Administration
$184k - $257k/yr
Bachelor's degree
10,000+

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Tesla
Sr. Software Backend Engineer, Machine Learning Data Pipelines
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Tesla
Added 2d ago
Sr. Software Backend Engineer, Machine Learning Data Pipelines
Tesla
Fremont, California
Engineering (Non-Software)
Mechanical Engineering
Product Management
$140k - $252k/yr
Master's degree
10,000+

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See All 114+ ML Software Engineer Jobs in California

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

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ML Software Engineer Jobs by City in California

Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.

Cupertino
9 jobs
Menlo Park
9 jobs
Palo Alto
7 jobs
San Jose
6 jobs
Foster City
5 jobs
Santa Clara
5 jobs

ML Software Engineer Job Market in California

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

Who's Hiring

  • Meta
    Meta13
  • Google
    Google11
  • Apple
    Apple8
  • Nuro
    Nuro6
  • Zoox
    Zoox5

Top Industries Hiring

  • Technology & Software23
  • Automotive6
  • Electronics & Hardware4
  • Banking & Financial Services3
  • Science & Research2

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 September 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 56% of ml software engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of September 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 114+ 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