Principal Machine Learning Engineer

Toast is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to develop innovative backend and AI solutions that enhance sales operations and automate complex workflows, focusing on building from scratch with cutting-edge AI models.

Location: United States

Salary: $180k–$368k

Responsibilities

• Architecting and coding high-performance backend services and ML pipelines.
• Building and prototyping new internal products leveraging LLMs and Agentic AI.
• Designing and implementing ML models for real-time sales recommendations.
• Developing backend integrations between quoting engine, Salesforce, and data lakes.
• Solving complex synchronization and architectural challenges across the GTM stack.
• Driving engineering excellence through code reviews, testing, and mentorship.
• Delivering core capabilities that have broad impact and turning high-level goals into production-ready code.
• Building flexible, decoupled backend systems that evolve with AI strategy.
• Ensuring system reliability through deep observability.

Requirements

• Deep expertise in backend languages (Java, Go, Python) with experience in distributed systems.
• Hands-on experience deploying Machine Learning models and working with LLMs (e.g., LangChain, RAG, fine-tuning).
• Experience building or integrating with complex enterprise software, especially custom quoting engines or Salesforce (Apex/LWC).
• Ability to design event-driven architectures and manage data flow across systems.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or related field.

Benefits

• Competitive salary range ($230,000—$368,000 USD in Zone A, $200,000—$320,000 USD in Zone B, $180,000—$288,000 USD in Zone C).
• Total rewards including cash compensation, equity, and benefits.
• Support for learning and building with AI tools.
• Hybrid work model fostering in-person collaboration and flexibility.

Additional Information

• The role involves building from scratch, focusing on AI and backend engineering.
• The company values learning, innovation, diversity, and inclusion.
• AI tools are used throughout the hiring process to support decision-making.
• Reasonable accommodations are provided for applicants with disabilities.