Principal Machine learning Engineer - Recommendations & Search
THE ROLE & THE TEAM
We are looking for a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to drive the evolution of Zalando’s large-scale recommendation and search systems. In this strategic role you’ll collaborate with cross-functional partners to deliver cutting-edge, personalised experiences that serve millions of customers across Europe. You will play a key role in productionizing ML models, optimizing pipelines, and ensuring seamless deployment of high-performing recommendations and search systems.
You’ll join the Recommendations & Search department, shaping how customers discover products they love, and how ML engineering supports rapid iteration and experimentation while ensuring platform reliability.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
Architect, build, and scale end-to-end ML systems for retrieval, ranking, and recommendation models in both real-time and batch environments.
Lead the design of ML infrastructure, ensuring reliability, performance, and observability across training and inference workflows.
Partner with Data Scientists, Engineers, and Product Managers to turn ideas into production-grade solutions with measurable business impact.
Mentor and guide engineers, review designs, and set technical direction.
Evaluate and implement new technologies to expand our capabilities.
Champion reusability and scalability, enabling faster iteration cycles and reducing tech debt across recommendation/search pipelines.
8+ years of experience in ML Engineering, including deep expertise in building production-grade ML systems at scale.
Proven track record of shipping ML models to production, including complex pipelines with real-time serving and batch processing.
Expertise in cloud infrastructure (AWS), orchestration tools (Airflow), and feature stores.
Hands-on experience with Databricks, Spark, and distributed training and inference.
Strong knowledge of retrieval/ranking/recommendation systems.
Ability to lead through influence, drive alignment on architecture, and set engineering standards across multiple teams.
INCLUSIVE BY DESIGN
At Zalando, our vision is to be inclusive by design. And this vision starts with our hiring - we do not discriminate on the basis of gender identity, sexual orientation, personal expression, ethnicity, religious belief, or disability status. You are welcome to leave out your picture, age, or marital status from your application. We only assess candidates on their qualifications and merit.
We want to provide you with a great candidate experience. Feel free to inform us of any accommodations you may need, so we can best support you throughout the hiring process.
Zalando provides a range of benefits, here’s an overview of what you can expect. Ask your Talent Acquisition Partner to learn more about what we offer.
Employee shares program
40% off fashion and beauty products sold and shipped by Zalando, 30% off Zalando Lounge, discounts from external partners
2 paid volunteering days a year
Hybrid working model with 60% (or more) remote per week, actual practice is up to each team to best support their collaboration
Work from abroad for up to 30 working days a year
27 days of vacation a year (for Zalando SE)
Relocation assistance available (subject to prior agreement)
Family services, including counseling and support
Health and wellbeing options (including Gympass)
Mental health support and coaching available
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