Principal, Machine Learning Engineer

Summary

Join Twilio's Emerging Technology & Innovation organization as a Principal Machine Learning Researcher to lead horizon 3 research projects focused on understanding and predicting the future based on technological advancements in AI/ML, AGI, quantum computing, and blockchain. You will conduct original research, solve complex business challenges, and discover new opportunities. The role involves leading research projects, experimenting with proof of concepts, and staying at the forefront of emerging technologies. Success requires a proven track record of delivering results and experience with AI, LLMs, and a passion for keeping up with the latest developments. You will also mentor junior researchers and foster a culture of technical excellence. The position is remote, with occasional travel required.

Requirements

• Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related technical field
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in applied machine learning, deep learning, or artificial intelligence research
• Strong publication record or evidence of thought leadership in AI/ML (conferences, journals, patents, open-source contributions)
• Proven experience with major ML frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn) and programming languages such as Python, Java, or C++
• Deep understanding of AI/ML theory, model evaluation, RAG, and best practices for scalable implementations
• Exceptional conceptual and analytical problem solving skills
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to synthesize complex findings for diverse stakeholders

Responsibilities

• Help define what the future looks like based on technological trends, draw implications for opportunities and challenges for Twilio based on that future
• Analyze the latest AI/ML trends, techniques, and literature; summarize and translate findings into actionable recommendations for stakeholders across engineering, product, and business teams
• Where relevant, evaluate, design, and prototype novel algorithms, models, and architectures for real-world applications (e.g., NLP, computer vision, recommender systems, generative models, etc.)
• Where relevant, deconstruct existing software/ tools, to better understand source of distinction from a technical standpoint
• Benchmark solutions against state-of-the-art approaches, leveraging appropriate datasets, metrics, and evaluation methodologies
• Author and present clear, comprehensive technical reports, publications, and presentations for both technical and business audiences
• Mentor and guide junior researchers and data scientists; foster a culture of technical excellence, curiosity, and rapid learning

Preferred Qualifications

• Expertise in one or more specialization areas: natural language processing, computer vision, reinforcement learning, generative AI, scalable distributed systems, or related fields
• Experience deploying machine learning models into production at scale
• Demonstrated leadership on cross-functional research projects across product, engineering, design
• Familiarity with cloud-based ML infrastructure (e.g., AWS SageMaker, Google Cloud AI, Azure ML)
• Strong business acumen; ability to align research initiatives with larger business goals and identify the business case behind technology investments
• Experience or expertise in communications platforms (CPaaS), real-time messaging, identity protocols, authentication, or security frameworks
• Prior work on secure, scalable, or privacy-preserving AI systems is a strong plus
• Demonstrated ability to understand customer needs either e.g., successful product adoption

Benefits

• Health care insurance
• 401(k) retirement account
• Paid sick time
• Paid personal time off
• Paid parental leave