Senior Machine Learning Engineer

Job Description Zendesk’s people have one goal in mind: to make Customer Experience better. The Enterprise Machine Learning team drives organizational value through scalable ML solutions and data-driven insights, fundamentally changing how business decisions are made. We collaborate closely with stakeholders, applying the latest advances in machine learning, deep learning, and large language models (LLMs) to create highly impactful outcomes. Our commitment is to advance the state of AI, statistical modeling, and robust system design to enhance and expand our core business capabilities. Role Overview: As a Senior ML Engineer, you will serve as a technical and strategic member within the team, driving the development and deployment of advanced data science and machine learning solutions—particularly those harnessing LLMs and deep learning. You will architect and scale ML systems, foster effective cross-functional collaborations, and ensure that business value is embedded in every technical decision. Your business acumen allows you to translate complex analytical approaches into actionable insights and stakeholder-friendly narratives, strengthening partnership and adoption across the enterprise. Key Responsibilities: Design and develop robust data infrastructure using industry-standard tools like Snowflake, dbt, and Airflow, creating the foundation for our AI products Build scalable, reliable data systems—from data ingestion, data curation, data modeling to insight generation and visualization Develop Python backend services that connect our data infrastructure with modern web applications Collaborate with ML engineers, analysts, and business stakeholders to understand needs and deliver practical solutions with measurable business impact Effectively articulate complex data concepts to non-technical partners, bridging gaps between technical teams and business operations Drive adoption of best practices in data engineering and analytics, including testing, documentation, and observability Monitor and optimize data pipelines and analytics workflows in production, ensuring reliability and performance Stay abreast of the latest industry advancements in data engineering, analytics, LLMs, and web application development What We are Looking For: Education & Experience: 3 years’ experience in Data Science, Machine Learning, or a related field BA/BS in Computer Science, Data Science, or related discipline (advanced degree is highly preferred) Technical Expertise: Strong SQL skills and hands-on experience with Snowflake or similar cloud data warehouses Proficiency with dbt for data transformation and modeling Experience with Airflow or similar workflow orchestration tools Strong Python programming skills for both data analysis and backend development Experience building and optimizing data pipelines that feed analytics and ML applications Familiarity with web development concepts and backend API design Experience handling and analyzing large datasets in cloud environments Nice-to-have: Experience with frontend technologies, particularly React Business Acumen: Deep understanding of the data → insights → visualization → action workflow Demonstrated success in translating business needs into analytical solutions Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with a track record of building trusted business partnerships Communication & Collaboration: Exceptional ability to simplify and communicate complex data science concepts to technical and non-technical audiences alike Experience working cross-functionally with engineers, analysts, and product leaders Steadfast commitment to continuous learning, collaboration, and fostering an inclusive, innovative team environment Why You Will Thrive Here: Opportunity to work at the intersection of data analytics, AI, and software engineering A chance to evolve from traditional data analytics to building intelligent, LLM-powered applications An environment that values innovatio ... (truncated, view full listing at source)