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Founding Machine Learning Engineer

AdaptiveNYCEngineering
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Salary
Not listed
Job type
Full-time
Posted
2 Sept 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

Adaptive is hiring a full-time Founding Machine Learning Engineer to shape and build machine learning capabilities out of the New York office. This role is ideal for experienced machine learning professionals eager to establish infrastructure and tackle adversarial security challenges from day one.

Role Overview

Adaptive seeks its second machine learning engineer to define and build the machine learning foundation of the company. Products utilize machine learning and large language models to detect, classify, and respond to cyber threats in real time under strict latency constraints. Because the challenges are adversarial, models must adapt to evolving attacker tactics while operating with scarce labeled data for novel threats. This position requires establishing technical direction, setting up infrastructure from scratch, and executing hands-on implementation.

Key Responsibilities

Define the overall machine learning strategy, determining application areas, infrastructure needs, and build versus buy decisions.
Design and construct end-to-end production machine learning systems, encompassing data pipelines, model training, evaluation frameworks, and inference serving.
Establish evaluation methodologies to measure model quality, catch regressions, and drive data-backed improvements.
Own data acquisition strategy, determining labeling procedures, feedback loops, and continuous model enhancement processes.
Partner closely with product engineers to write production code and integrate models into the existing codebase.
Build and lead the machine learning team as organizational scope and product surface areas expand.

Requirements

Bring four or more years of professional experience building machine learning systems in production environments, ideally within early-stage startups.
Demonstrate strong software engineering fundamentals with the ability to write production-quality code in Python, Java, or TypeScript.
Possess practical familiarity with cloud machine learning infrastructure tools such as AWS SageMaker, Bedrock, Modal, or Baseten.
Show working knowledge of major data processing and machine learning frameworks including PyTorch, TensorFlow, and Spark.
Exhibit high autonomy, comfort working across infrastructure, backend services, and data systems, and the ability to drive projects forward independently.

Skills and Tools

Python
PyTorch
TensorFlow
AWS
TypeScript
Java
Spark

Salary and Benefits

Competitive cash compensation paired with meaningful stock options.
Choice of several medical insurance plans with most coverage fully paid by the company.
Access to a 401(k) retirement plan through Vestwell.
Unlimited paid time off policy, featuring a mandatory winter break from December 24 to January 1.
Office perks including daily coffee, espresso, lounge areas, snacks, whiteboards, and conference spaces.
Daily rotating selection of four complimentary lunch choices supplied by local restaurants.
Reimbursed dinner for working past 7 PM and covered Uber rides home when staying past 9 PM.

About the Company

Adaptive is a cybersecurity startup backed by prominent investors including NVIDIA, OpenAI, Bain Capital Ventures, and Andreessen Horowitz. Founded by experienced repeat entrepreneurs Brian Long and Andrew Jones, the company protects leading enterprises against advanced threats such as deepfakes, smishing, and AI-driven voice scams.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should visit the official Adaptive careers page to submit an application for this position.

Skills and tech stack

PythonPyTorchTensorFlowAWSTypeScriptJavaSpark

Questions candidates ask

Where is this job located?

This position is based in New York, New York (NYC).

How many years of experience are required?

Candidates must have 4+ years of experience building machine learning systems in production.

What frameworks and technologies will I use?

The role utilizes Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow, AWS, TypeScript, Java, and Spark, along with cloud ML platforms.

Is remote work permitted?

No, this is an on-site role located in the New York office.

What benefits are included?

Benefits include competitive cash and stock options, medical coverage, a 401(k), unlimited PTO with a winter break, daily free lunches, and expense-covered dinners and rides.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official Adaptive careers page.

Apply on company site