Staff Machine Learning Engineer

PayPal

Confirmed live today High trust
Hybrid

Quick summary

Work type
Hybrid
Location
San Jose, CA
Salary
$227,639–$300,500 / yr
Posted
3 days ago
Freshness
Confirmed live today
Closes
Sep 25, 2026

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $227k
This role $264k
$171k most similar roles pay here $314k

This role pays more than 80% of similar roles. Most pay $197,981–$256,950 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $264k versus about $227k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About PayPal

PayPal is a leading global digital wallet and online payment system, founded in 1998, that allows individuals and businesses to send, receive, and manage funds securely in over 200 markets.

PayPal currently has 71 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $160,500–$235,826 across 71 roles with salary data.

Most-posted roles

View all roles at PayPal

At a glance

TL;DR · Staff Machine Learning Engineer

Staff Machine Learning Engineer The Staff Machine Learning Engineer joins a cross-functional team to design, deploy, and productize scalable risk analytical solutions and generative AI models that enhance the customer experience. This role involves leading architecture design, defining technical standards, and mentoring team members while collaborating with data scientists and system engineers to solve complex problems. The candidate will build AI agents for workflow automation and issue detection using Python, Java, and frameworks like LangChain or LlamaIndex. Key technologies include Spark, Hadoop, Flink, Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure. Additionally, the role requires expertise in MLOps tools like Airflow and MLflow to manage data pipelines. The work focuses on critical domain areas including risk analytics, fraud detection, anomaly detection, payment risk, and transaction monitoring to ensure secure and seamless commerce operations.

What does a Machine Learning Engineer earn in California?

Median $246150 from 178 postings across 30 companies.

See salary data

What you'll do

  • Design and deploy scalable risk analytical solutions and generative AI models to enhance customer experience.
  • Productize machine learning models and develop various AI agents to automate workflows and detect live issues.
  • Lead architecture design and technical decision-making across cross-functional teams in a matrix organization.
  • Research and integrate state-of-the-art machine learning techniques, tools, and frameworks into the platform.
  • Establish technical standards for high code quality, performance, and reliability through rigorous testing and reviews.
  • Manage large-scale data processing using distributed computing frameworks like Spark, Hadoop, or Flink.
  • Build and maintain MLOps pipelines and feature engineering systems using tools like Airflow or MLflow.
  • Mentor team members and provide technical guidance to foster a culture of innovation and learning.

What we're looking for

  • A Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field and relevant experience are required.
  • A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field and progressively responsible experience are accepted.
  • At least 4 years of experience designing and deploying scalable machine learning models and pipelines using Python and Java.
  • At least 2 years of experience developing Generative AI solutions, including LLMs, RAG pipelines, or AI agents.
  • At least 3 years of experience with big data technologies and distributed computing frameworks like Spark, Hadoop, or Flink.
  • At least 4 years of experience developing large-scale software applications using Object-Oriented Design in Java or Python.
  • At least 2 years of experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) including containerization with Docker and Kubernetes.

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