Senior Applied Scientist II

Etsy

New York, NY

Full Time

Senior

205k-237k

15 days ago

Job Description

About the Role

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 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. The role of Senior Applied Scientist II is part of the Search Retrieval team, focusing on building efficient, scalable, and intelligent retrieval systems to surface the most relevant listings from a catalog of over a hundred million items. The position involves staying on top of cutting-edge research in information retrieval and machine learning, applying these ideas in production, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver and evaluate robust systems and models.

Key Responsibilities

Designing and improving retrieval systems that power Etsy Search, incorporating techniques like dual-encoder models, vector similarity search, and query expansion.
Building large-scale indexing and serving systems for lexical and semantic retrieval.
Collaborating with applied scientists and engineers to bring retrieval models to production, optimize latency and throughput, and scale up across Etsy's catalog.
Conducting offline and online experiments to evaluate model quality, latency, and buyer impact.
Working in a cross-functional team to prioritize projects that help achieve product targets.
Building and deploying scalable retrieval systems that balance relevance, recall, and performance.
Driving innovation by bringing in state-of-the-art retrieval algorithms.
Running various A/B experiments to improve search relevance.
Analyzing model performance, debugging issues in retrieval behavior, and leading efforts to improve candidate recall and diversity in search results.
Working closely with product managers to help build roadmaps ranging from a few weeks to 6-12 months.
Mentoring other engineers and helping shape the technical direction of retrieval at Etsy.

Requirements

Experience in designing and implementing retrieval systems or related machine learning models.
Knowledge of information retrieval techniques, including lexical and semantic retrieval methods.
Familiarity with large-scale indexing, vector similarity search, and query expansion.
Ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams including engineers, scientists, and product managers.
Experience conducting offline and online experiments to evaluate models.
Strong problem-solving skills and ability to debug retrieval behavior issues.
Experience with optimizing latency and throughput in production systems.

Nice to Have

Experience with dual-encoder models and vector similarity search techniques.
Knowledge of deep learning and advanced machine learning algorithms.
Experience working in e-commerce or search relevance domains.
Familiarity with scalable system design and deployment.

Qualifications

Relevant experience in information retrieval, machine learning, or related fields.
Educational background or certifications in computer science, data science, or similar areas (implied).

Benefits & Perks

Eligible for an equity package.
Annual performance bonus.
Competitive benefits supporting you and your family.

Working at Etsy

Etsy values individuality and variety, fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace that furthers relevance, resilience, and longevity. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds, ages, abilities, and experiences, and support visa sponsorship where applicable.

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