Clera is a talent-matching platform that replaces traditional job applications by connecting candidates and hiring teams through curated introductions.
ABOUT THE ROLE A well-funded AI/ML platform startup (Series A) based in Mountain View, CA is looking for a Founding Engineer – Machine Learning to build and scale core ML systems from the ground up. You'll join a small, high-velocity team working closely with the founders to establish technical culture, reliable ML pipelines, and measurable product impact. This is a rare opportunity to shape the architecture and direction of ML infrastructure at an early stage. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Build and optimize end-to-end ML pipelines from data ingestion through deployment. - Implement and fine-tune LLMs, embeddings, and generative models for real-world use cases. - Develop efficient training and inference systems leveraging distributed compute. - Partner with data and product teams to translate ideas into measurable ML outcomes. - Contribute to model monitoring, evaluation, and continual learning frameworks. - Establish best practices for model versioning, reproducibility, and scalability. - Move quickly between experimentation and production deployments, balancing research and engineering rigor. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR Required: - 3–10 years of experience as an ML Engineer, Applied Scientist, or Research Engineer. - Strong ML fundamentals: data preprocessing, feature engineering, model training, and optimization. - Proficiency in Python and at least one deep learning framework: PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX. - Experience with distributed training/inference and cloud ML infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure). - Hands-on experience building end-to-end ML pipelines from data ingestion to production deployment. - Familiarity with MLOps tooling (e.g., Weights & Biases, MLflow) and model monitoring approaches. - Comfortable working with large datasets and high-throughput systems. - Bias for action, ability to work autonomously, and eagerness to build systems from scratch. - Willingness to work onsite in Mountain View, CA. Nice to Have: - Experience with vector databases and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) workflows. - Experience with continual learning, model monitoring, and evaluation frameworks. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS - Salary: $220,000 – $300,000 USD annually - Early-stage equity commensurate with a founding engineer role - Note: Visa sponsorship is not available for this position LOCATION Onsite in Mountain View, CA. This is not a remote role.