Staff Data Scientist I

Etsy is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods. We build, power, and evolve the tools and technologies that connect millions of entrepreneurs with millions of buyers around the world. As an Etsy Inc. employee, whether a team member of Etsy, Reverb, or Depop, you will tackle unique, meaningful, and large-scale problems alongside passionate coworkers, all the while making a rewarding impact and Keeping Commerce Human.

Salary Range

$218,000.00 – $257,000.00

What’s the role?

We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer to join the Features & Embeddings Infra team for building and scaling the machine learning platform at Etsy.

As a Staff Engineer on the Features and Embeddings Infrastructure team, you will own the technical direction for building robust, scalable systems for feature engineering and embeddings storage and retrieval, enabling ML engineers and data scientists to deliver impactful, data-driven experiences to our customers. This role demands a strategic problem solver with deep technical expertise, outstanding problem-solving skills, and a strong passion for building systems that empower others to succeed.

Do you find joy in sophisticated architectures that involve distributed systems, machine learning and multiple collaborators? If so, this could be the perfect match.

This is a full-time position reporting to the Engineering Manager. In addition to salary, you will also be eligible for an equity package, an annual performance bonus, and our competitive benefits that support you and your family as part of your total rewards package at Etsy.

For this role, we are considering candidates based in the United States. Candidates living within commutable distance of Etsy’s Brooklyn Office Hub or in the San Francisco Bay Area may be the first to be considered. For candidates within commutable distance, Etsy requires in-office attendance once or twice per week depending on your proximity to the office. Etsy offers different work modes to meet the variety of needs and preferences of our team. Learn more details about our work modes and workplace safety policies here.

What’s this team like at Etsy?

We design and maintain systems that enable feature creation, storage, retrieval, as well as embeddings workflows that power personalized search, recommendations, and more. Our work drives innovation and enhances the experience for millions of Etsy buyers and sellers.

As a platform team with a customer focussed perspective, we tackle meaningful, complex challenges and build scalable solutions, enabling impactful contributions.

What does the day-to-day look like?

• Play a pivotal role in developing feature systems that power multiple business-critical machine learning use cases at Etsy.
• Design, build, and support core services and infrastructure for the entire feature lifecycle, including discovery, ingestion, retrieval, and training, while participating in on-call production support rotations.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with platform teams, machine learning teams, and product partners to create the next-generation high-availability feature platform in the cloud.
• Partner closely with product teams to run user-facing experiments, aligning our platform KPIs with measurable business outcomes like revenue.
• Embrace a culture of continuous learning and an agile delivery approach to stay focused and aligned with evolving goals.
• Of course, this is just a sample of the kinds of work this role will require! You should assume that your role will encompass other tasks, too, and that your job duties and responsibilities may change from time to time at Etsy’s discretion, or otherwise applicable with local law.

Qualities that will help you thrive in this role are:

• Experience designing and building low-latency, high-scale distributed systems.
• Hands-on experience with cloud platforms like Google Cloud or AWS.
• Solid foundation in platform engineering with strong troubleshooting abilities.
• A collaborative attitude and excellent communication skills, with a track record of mentoring and enabling the growth of fellow engineers.
• Preferred: Prior experience with feature systems and machine learning platforms.
• Preferred: Advanced proficiency in Scala.

Additional Information

What’s Next

If you’re interested in joining the team at Etsy, please share your resume with us and feel free to include a cover letter if you’d like. As we hope you’ve seen already, Etsy is a place that values individuality and variety. We don’t want you to be like everyone else — we want you to be like you! So tell us what you’re all about.

Our Promise

At Etsy, we believe that a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace furthers relevance, resilience, and longevity. We encourage people from all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and experiences to apply. Etsy is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If, due to a disability, you need an accommodation during any part of the interview process, please let your recruiter know. While Etsy supports visa sponsorship, sponsorship opportunities may be limited to certain roles and skills.