Build the future of product discovery with AI + wine (VinoVoss.com). Join a fast-growing startup as a Senior Machine Learning Engineer, where you'll work on production-grade AI pipelines behind a next-gen semantic wine search and recommendation system. This is a fully remote, contract-based role ideal for engineers who thrive in fast-paced environments and love building real, user-facing systems. Key Responsibilities: • Contribute to our AI-driven search and recommendation pipeline • Work with vector databases, Elasticsearch, and metadata-rich ranking systems • Build, evaluate, and fine-tune retrieval workflows using LangGraph and other LLM frameworks • Optimize and scale ML inference, feedback loops, and experiment tracking • Collaborate across engineering, AI, and domain expert teams to ship impactful features Job Requirements: • 4+ years of experience in machine learning, with a strong product engineering background • Experience with recommendation systems and semantic search (preferably in e-commerce or related domains) • Solid understanding of LLM workflows, prompt engineering, and tools like LangChain or LangGraph • Proficiency in Python, FastAPI, and MLOps practices • Familiarity with vector search, embedding-based retrieval, and Elasticsearch • Experience deploying in GCP, Docker, and production APIs • Strong communication and self-management in a fully remote team Perks & Benefits: • Work on a real product used by thousands of wine enthusiasts globally • Collaborate directly with founders and a focused, high-performing team • 100% remote – Working hours are PST • Fast feedback cycles, lean processes, and high ownership • Contribute to a meaningful AI product in a competitive global industry Engagement Details: • Commitment: ~20–40 hours/week • Type: Contractor (no medical/paid leave) • Duration: Long-term, starting immediately • Rates: competitive