Principal Machine Learning Engineer, Presentation & Visual Optimization

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Principal Machine Learning Engineer, Presentation & Visual Optimization

Role Overview:

We are seeking a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to lead our Presentation pod. While other teams within AMLG focus on the "recommender" (the selection of content), your pod owns the "visual gateway." Your mission is to optimize how content is displayed to capture user attention and communicate value instantly. You will own the machine learning strategy for artwork selection, marquee personalization, carousel design, and title optimization across our global streaming platforms.

This role is at the intersection of Machine Learning, Product Design, and Visual Psychology. You will lead a high-velocity pod that specializes in Multi-Armed Bandits (MAB)and computer vision to identify which image, headline, or layout style resonates most with a specific user in a specific context. This is not about recommending a movie; it is about ensuring that once a movie is recommended, it is presented in the most compelling way possible to drive a click.

The Presentation pod has one of the highest "surface-to-impact" ratios in the company. In this role, you will directly shape:

• The First Impression: Owning the "Artwork Personalization" engine that determines the visual identity of our catalog for every user.
• Attention Optimization: Transitioning beyond standard recommendation to solve for "visual fatigue" and "discovery friction" through dynamic layout and title changes.
• Experimentation at Scale: Leading a pod built for swiftness, running hundreds of concurrent bandit-based experiments to find the winning visual combination in real-time.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the Presentation Pod: Define the technical roadmap for visual personalization, bridging the gap between ML science and UI/UX design.
• Artwork & Marquee Personalization: Architect and deploy multi-armed bandit (MAB) systems to dynamically select the best creative assets for show tiles and hero marquees.
• Layout & Style Optimization: Develop models to personalize carousel design types (e.g., square vs. poster), presentation styles, and even the ordering of attributes shown to the user.
• Title & Copy Optimization: Utilize NLP and LLMs to experiment with and optimize carousel titles and content descriptions based on user preferences and trending topics.
• Fast Experimentation Frameworks: Design "always-on" experimentation pipelines that can shift traffic based on model confidence and reward signals (CTR, Playback Start).
• Visual Understanding: Partner with Content Engineering to leverage visual embeddings and computer vision signals to understand why certain artwork performs better than others.

Basic Qualifications:

• 6-8+ years of experience in machine learning engineering or applied science.
• Bandit Expertise: Deep hands-on experience with Multi-Armed Bandits, Contextual Bandits, Thompson Sampling, or Upper Confidence Bound (UCB) algorithms.
• Rapid Experimentation: Proven track record of designing high-velocity A/B testing or online learning systems.
• Technical Stack: Proficiency in Python, PyTorch/TensorFlow, and big-data processing (Spark/Databricks).
• Leadership: Experience leading a technical pod or team, with a focus on translating product/design needs into engineering requirements.

Additional Qualifications:

• Experience in Visual Personalization (artwork, thumbnails, or creative optimization).
• Background in Computer Vision (OCR, aesthetic scoring, or image feature extraction).
• Knowledge of Reinforcement Learning (RL) for sequential layout optimization.
• Familiarity with LLMs/Generative AI for automated copy generation and title testing.

Paramount Streaming, a division within Paramount Global, is the home to the company's direct-to-consumer services spanning free and paid in the form of Pluto TV and Paramount+. Pluto TV is the global leader in free ad-supported TV, delivering more than 1,400 global channels and an extensive library of streaming content, including live and original channels. Paramount+, digital subscription video-on-demand and live streaming service, combines live sports, breaking news, and A Mountain of Entertainment™. Paramount+ features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including SHOWTIME®.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Hiring Salary Range: $139,000.00 - 180,000.00. 

The hiring salary range for this position applies to New York, California, Colorado, Washington state, and most other geographies. Starting pay for the successful applicant depends on a variety of job-related factors, including but not limited to geographic location, market demands, experience, training, and education.  The benefits available for this position include medical, dental, vision, 401(k) plan, life insurance coverage, disability benefits, tuition assistance program and PTO or, if applicable,  as otherwise dictated by the appropriate Collective Bargaining Agreement. This position is bonus eligible.  

• Attractive compensation and comprehensive benefits packages. Check out our full list of benefits here: https://www.paramount.com/careers/benefits
• Generous paid time off.
• An exciting and fulfilling opportunity to be part of one of Paramount’s most dynamic teams.
• Opportunities for both on-site and virtual engagement events.
• Unique opportunities to make meaningful connections and build a vibrant community, both inside and outside the workplace.
• Explore life at Paramount: https://www.paramount.com/careers/life-at-paramount

Paramount is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) including disability/vet.

At Paramount, the spirit of inclusion feeds into everything that we do, on-screen and off. From the programming and movies we create to employee benefits/programs and social impact outreach initiatives, we believe that opportunity, access, resources and rewards should be available to and for the benefit of all. Paramount is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, religion, creed, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship status, marital status, disability, gender identity, gender expression, and Veteran status.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access https://www.paramount.com/careers as a result of your disability. You can request reasonable accommodations by calling 212.846.5500 or by sending an email to paramountaccommodations@paramount.com. Only messages left for this purpose will be returned.