ML Software Engineer Jobs in San Francisco, CA
ML Software Engineer jobs in San Francisco are concentrated in SoMa, Mission Bay, and the Financial District, driven by demand across AI infrastructure, autonomous systems, and enterprise software. Employers actively hiring include DoorDash, Anthropic, and Lyft. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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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 San Francisco
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Find ML Software Engineer JobsML Software Engineer Job Market in San Francisco
Who's Hiring
- DoorDash22
- Anthropic16
- Lyft11
- Uber11
- Affirm11
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software16
- Banking & Financial Services11
- Automotive5
- Science & Research5
- Electronics & Hardware5
ML Software Engineer Jobs in San Francisco: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a ml software engineer job in San Francisco?
The strongest path into a ml software engineer role in San Francisco is targeting the city's AI-native startups in SoMa and Mission Bay, as well as the larger tech firms headquartered in the Financial District and South of Market. Candidates who can demonstrate experience with production ML systems, model deployment, and MLOps tooling stand out in this market. Contributing to open-source ML projects and engaging with San Francisco's dense AI research community also give applicants a concrete edge.
Which companies hire ml software engineers in San Francisco?
Companies currently hiring ml software engineers in San Francisco include DoorDash, Anthropic, and Lyft, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Francisco's hiring base ranges from well-funded AI startups and autonomous vehicle companies to large-scale cloud and enterprise software firms with dedicated machine learning divisions.
Are there remote ml software engineer jobs in San Francisco?
Yes, though many ml software engineer roles require on-site access to GPU clusters, proprietary datasets, or cross-functional research teams. About 93% of ml software engineer openings tied to San Francisco are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with the fully remote share concentrated in inference engineering, ML platform development, and applied research roles that rely primarily on code and experimentation rather than hardware access.
How can I get a ml software engineer job in San Francisco with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in San Francisco is securing a junior ML engineer or ML platform associate role at a mid-stage startup in SoMa or Mission Bay, where smaller teams give early-career engineers broader exposure than large firms. San Francisco employers often value demonstrable project work, such as Kaggle competition results, published model benchmarks, or contributions to frameworks like Hugging Face, over formal credentials. Targeting AI infrastructure roles or data engineering positions at growth-stage companies is a practical way to build the production experience that senior ml software engineer openings require.
Which industries hire the most ml software engineers in San Francisco?
Most ml software engineer openings in San Francisco sit in Technology & Software, Banking & Financial Services, and Automotive, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Francisco's concentration of AI-first companies, autonomous systems developers, and enterprise software firms makes it one of the densest markets for applied machine learning work in the country.
Related Jobs in California
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