Lead Machine Learning Engineer

At DraftKings, AI is becoming an integral part of both our present and future, powering how work gets done today, guiding smarter decisions, and sparking bold ideas. It's transforming how we enhance customer experiences, streamline operations, and unlock new possibilities. Our teams are energized by innovation and readily embrace emerging technology. We're not waiting for the future to arrive. We're shaping it, one bold step at a time. To those who see AI as a driver of progress, come build the future together.
The Crown Is Yours
As a Lead Machine Learning Engineer, you'll shape the future of AI and machine learning at DraftKings by designing scalable infrastructure and tooling that empowers teams to deliver production-grade AI systems. You'll be a hands-on technical leader, collaborating across engineering, data science, and product to set best practices, standardize workflows, and ensure reliability from model training to real-time inference. If you're excited by cutting-edge AI and want to drive platform innovation at scale, this is your opportunity to make a meaningful impact.
What you'll do as a Lead Machine Learning Engineer

• Design and scale core ML platform components that support efficient model development, deployment, and monitoring across the company.
• Define and evangelize best practices, frameworks, and standards for building and operating AI systems at scale.
• Partner with engineering, product, and data science teams to convert experimental ideas into reliable, high-impact production systems.
• Prototype emerging technologies in LLMs, agents, and orchestration frameworks; evaluate fit and drive successful proof-of-concepts into production.
• Build and operationalize robust evaluation frameworks that quantify model and agent performance, reliability, and cost efficiency.
• Lead technical initiatives that evolve DraftKings' AI/ML infrastructure, with a focus on automation, observability, and lifecycle management.
• Mentor engineers and foster a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous learning.

What you'll bring

• At least 5 years of experience building production ML or AI systems, including 1-2 years focused on generative AI, LLMs, or agent-based workflows.
• Deep expertise with modern ML/AI tools and frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face, LangChain, and LlamaIndex.
• Proficiency with cloud-based platforms like AWS, Databricks, or Vertex AI.
• Strong understanding of LLM and RAG architectures, embeddings, and vector databases such as Pinecone, FAISS, or Weaviate.
• Experience with real-time data pipelines, MLOps, and feature engineering in large-scale environments.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and collaboration skills to align cross-functional teams and drive initiatives forward.
• Passion for mentoring, innovating, and staying current with advancements in AI/ML.
• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.

Join Our Team
We're a publicly traded (NASDAQ: DKNG) technology company headquartered in Boston. As a regulated gaming company, you may be required to obtain a gaming license issued by the appropriate state agency as a condition of employment. Don't worry, we'll guide you through the process if this is relevant to your role.
The US base salary range for this full-time position is 152,000.00 USD - 190,000.00 USD, plus bonus, equity, and benefits as applicable. Our ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The compensation information displayed on each job posting reflects the range for new hire pay rates for the position across all US locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range and how that was determined during the hiring process. It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.