The role & impact
At staff level, this role is about more than building ; it's about raising the bar for how Xero's AI systems are designed and delivered. As a Staff ML Engineer within the AI Products group, you will set the technical direction for the infrastructure and services that underpin AI products used by millions of customers globally. You will work at the intersection of research and production, making principled decisions about architecture, tooling, and approach that ripple across the team and beyond.
This is a role for someone who finds just as much satisfaction in enabling others to do their best work as they do in solving hard technical problems themselves. You will shape how the team approaches scale, reliability, and technical debt and your influence will be felt in both the systems you help build and the people you help grow.
The team & how they connect
The AI Products group sits within Xero's Data & Science function and brings together ML Engineers and Applied Scientists focused on turning data into products that genuinely improve the day-to-day lives of small business owners. The team is globally distributed and works closely across disciplines - engineering, science, product, and analysis, so that AI capabilities move from research into the hands of customers effectively and responsibly. Collaboration and knowledge sharing are core to how this team operates.
The team is currently working on
A Python-based ML infrastructure built to support both research flexibility and production reliability, including tooling across MLFlow, TensorFlow, and PyTorch
Data orchestration pipelines using Airflow and Prefect, with distributed processing workloads running on AWS EMR
Scalable AI services that serve real-time product experiences for millions of Xero users
The next generation of LLM-powered features, exploring how large language models can reduce toil and surface better insights for small businesses
Where and how you can work
Solid foundations in Python and system design at scale, with SQL proficiency and a working understanding of distributed processing frameworks such as Spark or Dask
A track record of setting technical standards and influencing engineering practice across teams, not just within your own squad
Confidence communicating complex technical ideas to a range of audiences, from fellow engineers to business stakeholders
Hands-on familiarity with the ML tooling ecosystem frameworks like MLFlow, TensorFlow, or PyTorch, and orchestration tools like Airflow or Prefect
Curiosity about and practical interest in LLM technologies, and how they can be applied to real product problems
A genuine interest in mentoring and developing others, with the ability to bring people along on technical decisions rather than just making them
Apply even if your experience isn't a perfect match! At Xero, we hire based on your skills, passion, and the unique perspective you can bring to enhance our culture and team.
Skills Required
- Solid foundations in Python
- System design at scale
- SQL proficiency
- Working understanding of distributed processing frameworks (Spark or Dask)
- Hands-on familiarity with ML tooling (MLflow, TensorFlow, or PyTorch)
- Experience with orchestration tools (Airflow or Prefect)
- Experience with AWS EMR or equivalent distributed processing environments
- Track record of setting technical standards and influencing engineering practice across teams
- Ability to communicate complex technical ideas to engineers and business stakeholders
- Practical interest and curiosity in LLM technologies
- Genuine interest in mentoring and developing others
Xero Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid time off in the U.S. is extensive, including 21 days of annual leave, 10 days of wellbeing leave, five Xtra days, three year‑end company holidays, and one paid volunteer day. These layered leave types emphasize work–life balance beyond standard vacation alone.
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Parental & Family Support — Primary caregivers are offered 26 weeks at 100% pay and partners receive six weeks, with employer‑verified applicability for U.S. staff. Family‑forming support via Carrot complements these policies.
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Healthcare Strength — Coverage includes medical through Cigna/Kaiser, dental, vision, FSAs, and mental‑health support via Modern Health. The package reflects broad health support alongside time‑off and family programs.
Xero Insights
What We Do
Xero is small business accounting software that provides a platform on which businesses can build a fully integrated solution. It’s designed to make life better for people in small business, their advisors, and communities around the world. Xero minimises tedious admin by automating routine tasks, delivers valuable insights when needed, and brings together business data, trusted advisors, and powerful apps in one intuitive platform. By alleviating pain points, Xero empowers small business owners to supercharge their business, simplifying the complex and freeing up time from manual admin so they can focus on what really matters to build the business they’ve always envisaged.
Why Work With Us
Xero is a human-centric organization where you’ll have a tangible impact on the success of small businesses and their communities, globally. Our team of energised, forward-thinkers work to make life better for our customers and each other every day. We’re also always committed to supporting you with a flexible environment.
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Xero Teams
Xero Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
Join us from home or at one of our beautiful workspaces. Xero has offices in Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Singapore, and South Africa.
