Principal AI/ML Engineer - VC Backed Startups

Reposted 17 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
7 Locations
In-Office
170K-270K Annually
Expert/Leader
Angel or VC Firm • Artificial Intelligence • Information Technology • Software
The Role
Drive AI strategy and lead research for high-growth startups by developing scalable machine learning and deep learning models, optimizing AI systems, and collaborating with engineering and product teams.
Summary Generated by Built In
Join SignalFire’s Talent Network for Principal AI/ML Engineer Roles at VC-Backed Startups

At SignalFire, we partner with top early-stage startups that are shaping the future of technology. Our portfolio spans 200+ innovative companies across AI, cybersecurity, healthtech, fintech, developer tools, and enterprise SaaS.

We’re looking to connect with exceptional Principal AI/ML Engineers who are excited about driving AI strategy, advancing machine learning research, and scaling AI-powered systems at high-growth startups. By joining SignalFire’s Talent Network, your profile will be shared with our portfolio companies, giving you visibility into exclusive early-stage opportunities that may not be publicly listed.

💡 This is not an application for a specific job. Instead, this is a way to get on the radar of VC-backed startups that are actively hiring AI/ML talent. If you have any questions, please direct inquiries to [email protected].

Who Should Join?

We’re looking for AI/ML experts who are:
✔ Passionate about developing and deploying cutting-edge machine learning and deep learning models
✔ Experienced in architecting scalable AI systems and leading technical teams
✔ Excited to push the boundaries of AI research and apply it to real-world business challenges

Typical Roles & Responsibilities
  • Architect, develop, and optimize machine learning and deep learning models for production systems

  • Research and apply state-of-the-art AI methodologies, including LLMs, transformers, and reinforcement learning

  • Lead AI strategy, identifying opportunities for innovation and model optimization

  • Develop scalable training and inference pipelines for AI-powered applications

  • Work closely with engineering, data, and product teams to integrate AI/ML into business solutions

  • Optimize ML models for efficiency, accuracy, and scalability in real-world deployments

  • Ensure robust MLOps practices, including model monitoring, retraining, and deployment automation

  • Collaborate on AI/ML research publications, patents, and open-source contributions

Common Qualifications

While each startup has its own hiring criteria, many Principal AI/ML Engineer roles in our network look for:

  • 8+ years of experience in AI/ML, deep learning, or applied AI

  • Expertise in Python and ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, JAX, Hugging Face Transformers)

  • Strong background in computer vision, NLP, generative AI, or reinforcement learning

  • Experience developing scalable AI pipelines, data processing workflows, and distributed training systems

  • Familiarity with big data tools (Apache Spark, Kafka, Hadoop) and MLOps platforms (MLflow, TFX, SageMaker)

  • Deep understanding of LLMs, transformer architectures, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines

  • Experience with model quantization, fine-tuning, and optimization for performance

  • Strong knowledge of cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containerization tools (Docker, Kubernetes)

  • A track record of technical leadership, mentoring, and driving AI innovation

💡 Technologies You Might Work With:
  • Languages & Frameworks: Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, JAX, Hugging Face Transformers

  • MLOps & Data Pipelines: MLflow, Kubeflow, TFX, Apache Spark, Airflow, Ray

  • Cloud & Deployment: AWS SageMaker, GCP Vertex AI, Azure ML, Kubernetes, Docker

  • Big Data & Storage: Apache Kafka, Hadoop, BigQuery, Snowflake, Redis, NoSQL databases

  • Model Optimization: ONNX, TensorRT, pruning, quantization, distillation

What Happens Next?
  1. Submit your application to join SignalFire’s Talent Ecosystem.

  2. We review applications on an ongoing basis to identify strong candidates.

  3. If there’s a match, a SignalFire talent partner or a leader from one of our startups may reach out directly.

  4. No match yet? We’ll keep your profile on file for future AI/ML roles in our portfolio.

Top Skills

Airflow
Apache Kafka
Spark
Aws Sagemaker
Azure Ml
BigQuery
Docker
Gcp Vertex Ai
Hadoop
Hugging Face Transformers
Jax
Kubeflow
Kubernetes
Mlflow
Nosql Databases
Onnx
Python
PyTorch
Ray
Redis
Snowflake
TensorFlow
Tensorrt
Tfx
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The Company
HQ: San Francisco, CA
97 Employees
Year Founded: 2012

What We Do

SignalFire is the first venture capital firm built like a technology company to better solve for the needs of founders. The core of its value-add is Beacon, the AI engine SignalFire has been refining since the firm's launch in 2013. Beacon tracks more than 600 million employees and 80 million companies to guide the fund’s investing and assist portfolio companies with scaling their teams and revenue. SignalFire also helps early-stage founders navigate the toughest parts of building a company at every stage, with expert advisors, 100 skill-building workshops a year, and an in-house team of recruiters, data scientists, PR experts, and go-to-market leaders. With over $2.1 billion in assets under management, SignalFire focuses on investing from seed to scale. The firm’s key sectors include AI/ML, developer tools, B2B SaaS, healthcare, cybersecurity, and consumer. https://www.signalfire.com/disclosures

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