Principal Software Engineer - Machine Learning

What we’re building and why we’re building it.

Every month, millions of people use America’s Rewards App, earning rewards for buying brands they love – and a whole lot more. Whether shopping in the grocery aisle, grabbing a bite at the drive-through or playing a favorite mobile game, Fetch empowers consumers to live rewarded throughout their day. To date, we’ve delivered more than $1 billion in rewards and earned more than 5 million five-star reviews from happy users.

It’s not just our users who believe in Fetch: with investments from SoftBank, Univision, and Hamilton Lane, and partnerships ranging from challenger brands to Fortune 500 companies, Fetch is reshaping how brands and consumers connect in the marketplace. When you work at Fetch, you play a vital role in a platform that drives brand loyalty and creates lifelong consumers with the power of Fetch points. User and partner success are at the heart of everything we do, and we extend that same commitment to our employees.

At Fetch, we value curiosity, adaptability, and the confidence to explore new tools — especially AI — to drive smarter, faster work. You don’t need to be an expert, but you should be ready to learn quickly and think critically. We welcome learners who move fast, challenge the status quo, and shape what’s next — with us. Ranked as one of America’s Best Startup Employers by Forbes for two years in a row, Fetch fosters a people-first culture rooted in trust, accountability, and innovation. We encourage our employees to challenge ideas, think bigger, and always bring the fun to Fetch.

_Fetch is an equal employment opportunity employer.

_About The Role

Fetch is building the future of personalized consumer experiences. We’re looking for a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to design and scale systems that power personalization, relevance, and ranking across our platform. This is a high-impact role where you’ll drive new initiatives, mentor other engineers, and shape the technical direction of ML at Fetch.

Role Responsibilities

• Build and scale ML infrastructure for personalization, search, ranking, and ad tech at consumer scale.

• Design and implement zero-to-one systems, including real-time learning and data pipelines.

• Lead technical design, architecture, and cross-team alignment for major ML initiatives.

• Mentor engineers and help raise the bar on technical execution and design quality.

• Partner with product and engineering teams to create dynamic systems that adapt to evolving user preferences.

• Use AI tools to accelerate your work, including:

• Designing features and validating ideas with ChatGPT & Claude sandboxes.

• Leveraging AI for code generation and technical prototyping.

• Using AI assistants for systems architecture diagramming and design validation.

• Exploring LLMs to enhance personalization, conversational search, and feature creation.

Minimum Requirements

• Proven experience building and scaling ML infrastructure in support of personalization, relevance, search, or ad tech systems.
• Deep hands-on expertise in data infrastructure, distributed systems, and large-scale data pipelines.
• Experience working at a consumer product company with ML models operating at scale.
• Prior contributions to ranking, personalization, or ad tech systems with measurable business impact.
• Strong systems design skills, with a track record of leading architecture and communicating design tradeoffs.
• Experience mentoring and elevating other engineers.
• Success leading zero-to-one technical initiatives and delivering new infrastructure or ML systems from scratch.
• Ability to operate in high levels of ambiguity with minimal direction, prioritizing effectively and driving impact.

Preferred Requirements

• Familiarity with LLMs and their application in personalization, feature creation, and conversational search.
• Experience with streaming/real-time learning systems.
• Exposure to conversational search or large-scale information retrieval.
• Previous work bridging model development with real-time serving systems.

This is a full-time role that can be held from one of our US offices or remotely in the United States.

At Fetch, we'll give you the tools to feel healthy, happy and secure through:

• Equity: We offer employees equity in Fetch, so that everyone can benefit from Fetch’s growth.
• 401k Match: Dollar-for-dollar match up to 4%.
• Benefits for humans and pets: We offer comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans for everyone including your pets.
• Continuing Education: Fetch provides ten thousand per year in education reimbursement.
• Employee Resource Groups: Take part in employee-led groups that are centered around fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace through events, dialogue and advocacy. The ERGs participate in our Inclusion Council with members of executive leadership.
• Paid Time Off: On top of our flexible PTO, Fetch observes 9 paid holidays, including Juneteenth and Indigenous People’s Day, as well as our year-end week-long break.
• Robust Leave Policies: 20 weeks of paid parental leave for primary caregivers, 14 weeks for secondary caregivers, and a flexible return to work schedule.
• Calvin Care Cash: Employees who are welcoming new family members will also receive a one time $2,000 incentive to assist employees with covering the cost of childcare, clothing, diapers and much more!
• Flexible Work Environment: Collaborate with your team in one of our stunning offices in Madison, Birmingham, or Chicago. Or you can work fully remotely from anywhere in the US. We’ll ensure you are equally equipped with the hardware and software you need to get your job done in the comfort of your home.

Fetch is an equal opportunity employer that embraces diversity, inclusion, and respect for all individuals. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Our commitment to inclusivity ensures that everyone is treated with dignity and has the opportunity to succeed based on their talent, skills, and potential.

Fetch also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities or those with sincerely held religious beliefs, as required by law. If you need assistance with the application process or require an accommodation, please contact us at accommodations@fetch.com.

Learn more: Fetch Recruitment Scam Warning.