Software Engineer, Search Quality and Ranking

About Us:

We're on a mission to make it possible for every person, team, and company to be able to tailor their software to solve any problem and take on any challenge. Computers may be our most powerful tools, but most of us can't build or modify the software we use on them every day. At Notion, we want to change this with focus, design, and craft.

We've been working on this together since 2016, and have customers like OpenAI, Toyota, Figma, Ramp, and thousands more on this journey with us. Today, we're growing fast and excited for new teammates to join us who are the best at what they do. We're passionate about building a company as diverse and creative as the millions of people Notion reaches worldwide.

Notion is an in person company, and currently requires its employees to come to the office for two Anchor Days (Mondays & Thursdays) and requests that employees spend the majority of their week in the office (including a third day).

About The Role:

We are looking for an ML Engineer to join our small but nimble AI team whose mission is to make Notion an ML-powered product. As an ML Engineer, you will work on incorporating large language models (LLMs), embeddings, and other AI technologies into Notion’s product in a high quality way. You’ll be exploring the boundaries of what’s possible with ML technology and finding innovative ways to apply new industry learnings to Notion’s offering.

What You'll Achieve:

• Work with the team to prototype and experiment with AI model quality improvements, either by fine tuning, prompt engineering, or building new models when needed
• Productionize and launch new AI technology integrations into Notion’s core product
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver product features on time
• Stay up-to-date with the latest AI technologies and trends

Skills You'll Need to Bring:

• Domain Expert, Teacher and Learner: You have experience building AI products using LLMs, embeddings or other ML natural language technologies. 3+ years of experience in one or more of the following areas: machine learning, recommendation or ranking systems, natural language understanding/generation or artificial intelligence. You’re excited about bringing your pre-existing knowledge to the team, but you balance that with perpetual curiosity and understanding that there is always more to learn.
• Holistic Problem Solver: You approach problems holistically, starting with a clear and accurate understanding of the context. You think critically about the implications of what you're building and how it will impact real people's lives. You can navigate ambiguity flawlessly, decompose complex problems into clean solutions, while also balancing the business impact of what you’re building.
• Communicate with Care: You communicate nuanced ideas clearly, whether you're explaining technical decisions in writing or brainstorming in real time. In disagreements, you engage thoughtfully with other perspectives and compromise when needed. You enjoy collaborating with both fellow engineers and cross-functional partners. You are a lifelong learner and invest in both your own growth and the growth, learning, and development of your teammates.
• Impact Driven: You care about business impact and prioritize projects accordingly. You understand the balance between craft, speed, and the bottom line. You think critically about the implications of what you're building, and how it shapes real people's lives. You understand that reach comes with responsibility for our impact—good and bad. Work isn't a solo endeavor for you, and you enjoy collaborating cross-functionally to accomplish shared goals.

Nice to Haves:

• You understand how parts of a system fit together, from the user interface to the data model. You are familiar with relational database systems like Postgres or MySQL, and have experience building products from ground up.
• You’re proficient with data pipeline technologies: Spark, DBT, etc.
• You're proficient with any part of our technology stack: React, TypeScript, Node.js, and Postgres.
• You have experience driving teams toward shared goals and can balance business priorities with individuals’ strengths, areas of interest, and career development goals.
• Experience in ranking algorithms, search quality, or related domains is a plus.
• You've heard of computing pioneers like Ada Lovelace, Douglas Engelbart, Alan Kay, and others—and understand why we're big fans of their work.
• You have interests outside of technology, such as in art, history, or literature.

We hire talented and passionate people from a variety of backgrounds because we want our global employee base to represent the wide diversity of our customers. If you’re excited about a role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every bullet point listed in the job description, we still encourage you to apply. If you’re a builder at heart, share our company values, and enthusiastic about making software toolmaking ubiquitous, we want to hear from you.

Notion is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. Notion considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Notion is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation made due to a disability, please let your recruiter know.

Notion is committed to providing highly competitive cash compensation, equity, and benefits. The compensation offered for this role will be based on multiple factors such as location, the role’s scope and complexity, and the candidate’s experience and expertise, and may vary from the range provided below. For roles based in San Francisco and New York, the estimated base salary range for this role is $160,000-$220,000 per year.

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