Senior Applied ML/AI Scientist - Search

About Faire

Faire is a technology-driven wholesale platform dedicated to empowering local businesses. Serving a vast and historically fragmented wholesale market, Faire connects independent retailers worldwide through innovative technology, data, and machine learning. We help boutiques and shops find the best products globally to foster business growth and strengthen local communities.

Role Overview

The Search team at Faire is central to the retailer experience, managing everything from search bar interactions to final product rankings. This includes typeahead and empty-state suggestions, query interpretation, retrieval from multiple sources, relevance evaluations, and enriching result pages with features like carousels. Scientists on the team take full ownership of components such as query understanding, managing their models, defining development roadmaps, and setting performance metrics.

You'll engage with cutting-edge technologies including transformer-based embeddings, large language models for query enhancement, fine-tuned vision-language models, and graph-based retrieval methods. Future plans include generative retrieval and semantic ID integrations.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and enhance the next-generation search engine by integrating advanced techniques such as LLMs, dense vector retrieval, personalized embeddings, multi-stage ranking, and reinforcement learning optimized to deliver responses in under 100 milliseconds.
• Take full ownership of one or more search components, managing all stages from problem definition and modeling to production deployment and experimental validation.
• Deploy solutions to live traffic and rely on empirical A/B testing outcomes to guide product decisions.
• Enhance team excellence through participation in design reviews, collaborative coding sessions, and thorough retrospectives.

Candidate Profile

• Minimum of three years’ experience developing production machine learning systems, preferably within search, recommendation, or related retrieval-focused areas.
• Demonstrated ability to deploy models to live environments and manage experiments to evaluate their effectiveness.
• Expertise in at least one area of the modern retrieval technology stack including dual encoders, approximate nearest neighbor serving, LLM-based query understanding, and learning-to-rank techniques, with a willingness to learn additional components.
• Proficient in Python programming with solid engineering skills to transition models from development to production.
• Strong communication ability to effectively collaborate with scientists, engineers, and product managers, clearly presenting ideas and integrating feedback promptly.
• Sound product intuition to align customer needs and business objectives with technical solutions.

Desirable Qualifications

• Prior experience in marketplace or e-commerce environments.
• Contributions to public research, open source projects, or publications related to search or recommendation systems.
• Advanced academic degrees (MS or PhD) in Computer Science, Statistics, or relevant fields.

Compensation and Benefits

The annual salary range for this role in Canada is between 180,000 and 247,500 CAD. Additional compensation includes equity and benefits, with specific base pay depending on factors like skills, experience, market trends, and work location. This range may be updated periodically.

Work Arrangement

This position is fully remote, offering flexibility around the traditional office setting. Hybrid employees typically attend the office three days per week but have up to four weeks per year of remote work flexibility.

Company Culture and Values

• Ownership of meaningful problems impacting customers globally with opportunities for swift iteration and visible impact.
• Access to latest AI enterprise tools and resources fostering efficient and smarter work.
• A supportive, highly skilled team that values craftsmanship and professional growth.
• Competitive salary, equity, and comprehensive benefits supporting your overall well-being.
• An inclusive environment ensuring equitable access to opportunities and success for every employee.

Diversity and Equal Opportunity

Faire is committed to providing an inclusive workplace free from discrimination based on race, gender, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics. Reasonable accommodations during recruitment and employment are readily available upon request.