Sr Manager, Machine Learning Engineering

The Personalization Platform team at PayPal is seeking a Senior Manager of Machine Learning to lead a cross-disciplinary team of ML Engineers, Data Scientists, and ML Ops Engineers. This role involves defining strategy, roadmap, and execution for end-to-end personalization systems, from model research and feature engineering to real-time inference, experimentation, and production deployment. The manager will oversee advanced ML model development, drive engineering excellence, mentor the team, and partner with other teams to influence PayPal’s personalization strategy and evolve critical platform components, ensuring robust, high-availability ML systems that elevate the customer experience at global scale.

Must Have

• Define and drive the strategic vision for machine learning initiatives.
• Lead the development and optimization of machine learning models.
• Oversee the preprocessing and analysis of large datasets.
• Deploy and maintain ML solutions in production environments.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate ML models into products and services.
• Monitor and evaluate the performance of deployed models.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers and data scientists.
• Ensure adherence to best practices and industry standards in ML development.
• 8+ years relevant experience in machine learning, data science, or ML engineering.
• 4+ years leading technical teams.
• Strong track record delivering large-scale ML systems, especially in personalization, ranking, recommendations, or NBA decisioning.
• Deep understanding of ML algorithms (LTR, embeddings, collaborative filtering, uplift modeling, RL concepts) and real-time inference architectures.
• Hands-on experience with distributed systems (Kafka, Flink, Spark), cloud environments, and modern MLOps frameworks.
• Experience managing teams spanning multiple competencies (ML Engineering, DS, MLOps).
• Strong foundation in experimentation, causal inference, and statistical model validation.
• Expertise with Python, SQL, and standard ML/statistical tooling.

Good to Have

• Experience with large-scale personalization platforms or recommendation systems in consumer-facing apps.
• Background working with GCP, Vertex AI, or other cloud ML platforms.
• Familiarity with monitoring tools (e.g., Datadog) and model observability frameworks.
• Experience with LLM-based personalization, vector search, or reinforcement learning for decisioning.
• Published research in ML, RecSys, IR, or related areas.

Perks & Benefits

• Flexible work environment
• Employee shares options
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Medical benefits
• Dental benefits
• Vision benefits

The Company

PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy.

We operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers.

We offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards. Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade.

Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day. We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do – and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities.

Job Summary:

The Personalization Platform team powers scalable, real-time intelligence behind PayPal’s next-generation customer experiences. As the Senior Manager of Machine Learning, you will lead a cross-disciplinary team of ML Engineers, Data Scientists, and ML Ops Engineers to design, build, and operationalize the models and infrastructure that drive intelligent recommendations, Next Best Action, and hyper-personalized experiences globally.

In this role, you will define the strategy, roadmap, and execution for end-to-end personalization systems—from model research and feature engineering to real-time inference, experimentation, and production deployment. You will translate complex, ambiguous business needs into actionable ML initiatives, ensuring solutions are reliable, scalable, ethical, and customer-centric.

You will oversee the development of advanced ML models and distributed real-time decisioning systems, while driving engineering excellence through rigorous reviews, performance evaluations, and best practices in MLOps and responsible AI. As a people leader, you will mentor and grow a high-performing team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and measurable impact.

Partnering closely with product, engineering, data, and platform teams, you will influence PayPal’s personalization strategy, represent the ML function in cross-organizational architecture discussions, and guide the evolution of critical platform components such as the feature store, serving layers, automated pipelines, and monitoring frameworks. Your leadership will ensure the delivery of robust, high-availability ML systems that elevate the customer experience at global scale.

Job Description:

Essential Responsibilities:

• Define and drive the strategic vision for machine learning initiatives within the team.
• Lead the development and optimization of machine learning models.
• Oversee the preprocessing and analysis of large datasets.
• Deploy and maintain ML solutions in production environments.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate ML models into products and services.
• Monitor and evaluate the performance of deployed models, making necessary adjustments.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers and data scientists.
• Ensure adherence to best practices and industry standards in ML development.

Expected Qualifications:

• 8+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor’s degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience leading others

Additional Responsibilities & Preferred Qualifications:

Additional Responsibilities

• 8+ years of experience in machine learning, data science, or ML engineering, with 4+ years leading technical teams.
• Strong track record delivering large-scale ML systems, especially in personalization, ranking, recommendations, or NBA decisioning.
• Deep understanding of ML algorithms (LTR, embeddings, collaborative filtering, uplift modeling, RL concepts) and real-time inference architectures.
• Hands-on experience with distributed systems (Kafka, Flink, Spark), cloud environments, and modern MLOps frameworks.
• Experience managing teams spanning multiple competencies (ML Engineering, DS, MLOps).
• Strong foundation in experimentation, causal inference, and statistical model validation.
• Expertise with Python, SQL, and standard ML/statistical tooling.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with large-scale personalization platforms or recommendation systems in consumer-facing apps.
• Background working with GCP, Vertex AI, or other cloud ML platforms.
• Familiarity with monitoring tools (e.g., Datadog) and model observability frameworks.
• Experience with LLM-based personalization, vector search, or reinforcement learning for decisioning.
• Published research in ML, RecSys, IR, or related areas.

Our Benefits:

At PayPal, we’re committed to building an equitable and inclusive global economy. And we can’t do this without our most important asset—you. That’s why we offer benefits to help you thrive in every stage of life. We champion your financial, physical, and mental health by offering valuable benefits and resources to help you care for the whole you.

We have great benefits including a flexible work environment, employee shares options, health and life insurance and more. To learn more about our benefits please visit https://www.paypalbenefits.com.

Who We Are:

Click Here to learn more about our culture and community.

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

PayPal provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. In addition, PayPal will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. If you are unable to submit an application because of incompatible assistive technology or a disability, please contact us at paypalglobaltalentacquisition@paypal.com.

Belonging at PayPal:

Our employees are central to advancing our mission, and we strive to create an environment where everyone can do their best work with a sense of purpose and belonging. Belonging at PayPal means creating a workplace with a sense of acceptance and security where all employees feel included and valued. We are proud to have a diverse workforce reflective of the merchants, consumers, and communities that we serve, and we continue to take tangible actions to cultivate inclusivity and belonging at PayPal.

Any general requests for consideration of your skills, please Join our Talent Community.

We know the confidence gap and imposter syndrome can get in the way of meeting spectacular candidates. Please don’t hesitate to apply.