Principal, Machine Learning Engineer (L5)

Who we are 

At Twilio, we’re shaping the future of communications, all from the comfort of our homes. We deliver innovative solutions to hundreds of thousands of businesses  and empower millions of developers worldwide to craft personalized customer experiences.

Our dedication to remote-first work , and strong culture of connection and global inclusion means that no matter your location, you’re part of a vibrant team with diverse experiences making a global impact each day. As we continue to revolutionize how the world interacts, we’re acquiring new skills and experiences that make work feel truly rewarding. Your career at Twilio is in your hands.
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Hiring and how we work

We use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help make our hiring process efficient. That said, every hiring decision is made by real Twilions! 

Also, while we are a remote-first company, you may be asked to report in person on an ad-hoc basis for team gatherings, functional off-sites or customer meetings. 
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See yourself at Twilio

Join the team as our next Principal Machine Learning Engineer in Twilio’s Customer Memory Team.

About the job

In this role, you will build the foundational AI/ML capabilities that power intelligent engagement experiences for Twilio customers - letting any application, human or AI agent, or channel know who a customer is, what they have done, and how best to reach them.

This role requires a builder and curious mindset, someone who can bridge the gap across theoretical research, production-grade experimentation and enterprise quality software. You will lead rapid research cycles to solve complex problems regarding contextual intelligence and large scale ML problems ensuring every interaction feels seamless and personalized.

Responsibilities

In this role, you’ll:

• Build out new functionality within a fast moving product seeing rapid adoption. 
• Take a nebulous idea, design a rigorous experiment, and execute it within weeks.
• Conduct deep-dive research into state-of-the-art LLM orchestration, retrieval strategies, and data-driven personalization.
• Build ML systems that hold up at Twilio scale. 
• Rapidly acquire new technical skills and knowledge in a fast-paced, high-delivery environment.
• Proactively leverage and integrate the latest AI development stacks to bypass boilerplate engineering and focus on core differentiation.

Qualifications 

Twilio values diverse experiences from all kinds of industries, and we encourage everyone who meets the required qualifications to apply. If your career is just starting or hasn't followed a traditional path, don't let that stop you from considering Twilio. We are always looking for people who will bring something new to the table!

*Required:

• 10+ years applied ML/AI experience with a track record of owning technically ambitious systems end to end rather than contributing to someone else's design.
• Comfort operating in a 0-to-1 setting with ambiguous requirements and a strong bias for action.
• Proficiency in Python programming language.
• Experience building cloud-based services on AWS, GCP, or Azure, with high-volume data, streaming or real-time inference paths, and a range of data stores.
• Deep expertise in the design, architecture, and deployment of production-grade ML/AI systems, including LLM orchestration, embedding models, and vector stores.
• Strong fundamentals of statistical machine learning algorithms, transformer models, LLMs
• Ability to raise the technical bar of a team through mentorship, design review, and standards, without formal management authority.
• Experience in building cloud-based services using AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Strong communication skills and highly effective collaborator who works well with teammates.

Desired:

• Prior experience building autonomous agents that handle multi-turn conversations and maintain long-term context/consistency.
• Strong background in predictive modeling on user behavior, including experiment design and the causal or counterfactual methods needed when randomization is partial.
• Prior experience working in a globally distributed team.

Location

This role will be remote, and based in India - Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana State, Maharashtra and New Delhi.

Travel 

We prioritize connection and opportunities to build relationships with our customers and each other. For this role, you may be required to travel occasionally to participate in project or team in-person meetings.

What We Offer

Working at Twilio offers many benefits, including competitive pay, generous time off, ample parental and wellness leave, healthcare, a retirement savings program, and much more. Offerings vary by location.

Twilio thinks big. Do you?

We like to solve problems, take initiative, pitch in when needed, and are always up for trying new things. That's why we seek out colleagues who embody our values — something we call Twilio Magic . Additionally, we empower employees to build positive change in their communities by supporting their volunteering and donation efforts.

So, if you're ready to unleash your full potential, do your best work, and be the best version of yourself, apply now! If this role isn't what you're looking for, please consider other open positions.

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Stay alert to recruitment fraud

We care about your safety. Scammers sometimes impersonate Twilio recruiters through fake job postings, emails, websites, or messages. Please ensure you are engaging with an official @ twilio.com email address. We will never ask for payment, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or banking information during the recruiting process. We do not make job offers without a formal interview process or conduct interviews exclusively through text-based messaging apps.
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Twilio is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Additionally, Twilio participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law.