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Senior Software Engineer, AI/ML Recommendations, Rankings, Predictions, YouTube

Google

Mountain View, CAJob$174–252K/yrSeen todaySeen in employer's feed today

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At a glance

Compensation
$174–252K/yr
Location
Mountain View, CA
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

Google’s YouTube team is hiring a Senior Software Engineer to develop recommendation systems for retrieval, prediction, ranking, personalization, and search quality. The role involves designing and implementing models across domains, using machine-learning infrastructure, and contributing to architecture. Engineers also write and test code, collaborate on reviews, address product issues, and contribute to documentation.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

PythonC++Software TestingSoftware DesignSoftware ArchitectureRecommendation SystemsMachine LearningData StructuresAlgorithmsTechnical LeadershipAccessible Technology Development

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent Practical Experience5 Years Python and C++ Experience3 Years Software Product Experience1 Year Software Design and Architecture Experience3 Years Production Recommendation Systems Experience3 Years End-to-End Machine Learning ExperienceMaster's or PhD in Computer Science or Related Field5 Years Data Structures and Algorithms Experience1 Year Technical Leadership ExperienceEnglish Proficiency

Full job description

Senior Software Engineer, AI/ML Recommendations, Rankings, Predictions, YouTube

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Mid

Experience driving progress, solving problems, and mentoring more junior team members; deeper expertise and applied knowledge within relevant area.

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XIn most instances, this position requires in-person interviews as part of the hiring process.

Minimum qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.

  • 5 years of experience programming in Python and C++.

  • 3 years of experience testing, maintaining, or launching software products, and 1 year of experience with software design and architecture.

  • 3 years of experience building and deploying recommendation systems models (retrieval, prediction, ranking, personalization, search quality, embedding) in production; and experience building architecture.

  • 3 years of experiencewith end-to-end Machine Learning (e.g., model deployment, model evaluation, data processing, debugging).

Preferred qualifications:

  • Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science or related technical field.

  • 5 years of experience with data structures/algorithms.

  • 1 year of experience in a technical leadership role.

  • Experience developing accessible technologies.

About the job

Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.

At YouTube, we believe that everyone deserves to have a voice, and that the world is a better place when we listen, share, and build community through our stories. We work together to give everyone the power to share their story, explore what they love, and connect with one another in the process. Working at the intersection of cutting-edge technology and boundless creativity, we move at the speed of culture with a shared goal to show people the world. We explore new ideas, solve real problems, and have fun — and we do it all together.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $174000 - $252000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits

Learn more aboutbenefits at Google (https://www.google.com/about/careers/applications/benefits/) .

Responsibilities

  • Write and test product or system development code.

  • Collaborate with peers and stakeholders through design and code reviews to ensure best practices amongst available technologies (e.g., style guidelines, checking code in, accuracy, testability, and efficiency,)

  • Contribute to existing documentation or educational content and adapt content based on product/program updates and user feedback.

  • Triage product or system issues and debug/track/resolve by analyzing the sources of issues and the impact on hardware, network, or service operations and quality.

  • Design and implement recommendation systems models across different domains, leverage ML infrastructure, and contribute to architecture design.

Information collected and processed as part of your Google Careers profile, and any job applications you choose to submit is subject to Google'sApplicant and Candidate Privacy Policy (./privacy-policy) .

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We are committed to building a workforce that is representative of the users we serve, creating a culture of belonging, and providing an equal employment opportunity regardless of race, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition (including breastfeeding), expecting or parents-to-be, criminal histories consistent with legal requirements, or any other basis protected by law. See alsoGoogle's EEO Policy (https://www.google.com/about/careers/applications/eeo/) ,Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal (https://careers.google.com/jobs/dist/legal/EEOC\_KnowYourRights\_10\_20.pdf) ,Belonging at Google (https://about.google/belonging/) , andHow we hire (https://careers.google.com/how-we-hire/) .

If you have a need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing ourAccommodations for Applicants form (https://goo.gl/forms/aBt6Pu71i1kzpLHe2) .

Google is a global company and, in order to facilitate efficient collaboration and communication globally, English proficiency is a requirement for all roles unless stated otherwise in the job posting.

To all recruitment agencies: Google does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Google employees, or any other organization location. Google is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

Equity is granted exclusively and discretionarily by Alphabet Inc. on the basis of an agreement concluded between you and Alphabet Inc. Alphabet Inc. is your sole contractual partner with respect to equity grants. GSU grants are not guaranteed, are discretionary, are subject to approval by the Alphabet Inc. board of directors or its delegate, the terms of the relevant Alphabet Inc. stock plan, and your grant agreement. They have no impact on statutory payments. Current or past grants do not confer an acquired right.

Google is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. See also https://careers.google.com/eeo/ and https://careers.google.com/jobs/dist/legal/OFCCP_EEO_Post.pdf If you have a need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing our Accommodations for Applicants form: https://goo.gl/forms/aBt6Pu71i1kzpLHe2.

How this job compares

Set against the 40,832 open Software Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 5, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$174–252K/yr
  • California median$165–246K/yr7,688 salary ranges
  • US median$135–218K/yr32,472 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $213K, is 4% above the California median midpoint ($205K) — in the middle half of Software Engineer salary ranges in California.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 9,560 open Software Engineer jobs in California and 40,832 across the US. 7% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
This posting asks for at least 5 years of experience; Software Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years at the median (33,318 postings).
Education
14,022 of the 40,832 open Software Engineer jobs (34%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 5, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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