Senior AI/ML Engineer

ABOUT US:

ChowNow is one of the leading players in off-premise restaurant technology. As takeout becomes a vital revenue stream for independent restaurants, our platform helps owners focus on what they do best—serving great food—by offering solutions across the entire digital dining experience. From building branded websites and mobile apps, to powering online orders, managing menus, consolidating delivery, and running targeted marketing, we give restaurants the tools to grow on their own terms.

We support over 20,000 restaurants across North America, helping process $1B+ in gross food sales while saving our partners over $700M in third-party commission fees. Through our white-label ordering solutions, a growing demand network (including Google, Yelp, Apple, and Snap), and a diner-friendly marketplace, we empower independent restaurants to own their customer relationships and avoid inflated pricing and fees charged by 3rd party delivery apps like Uber and Doordash. 

Founded in 2012, we’ve navigated rapid growth and transformation—from startup roots through the pandemic boom—and are now beginning an exciting new era under our CEO, Kanika Soni. As we evolve with new leadership and cutting-edge tools, we’re deepening our commitment to helping local restaurants thrive in the digital economy.

About the Position:

ChowNow’s Engineering Team has built a modern platform to enable restaurants to streamline their online ordering processes and create a strong digital brand. Our “quality product first” approach to engineering contributes to our success and brand recognition. We’ve reached the time when we need to grow and scale our engineering team to meet the demand of the many exciting new products and features on our roadmap.

As the Senior AI/ML Engineer, you'll lead the design, development, and deployment of cutting-edge ML and Generative AI solutions in our customer-facing products. In this role, you'll be instrumental in building recommendation systems, generating insights and creating agentic workflows

Reports to a Senior Engineering Manager; No Direct Reports 

This is a remote role based in the United States. Please note: ChowNow is not eligible to employ in every state and the recruiting team will confirm location and eligibility before moving past initial stages.

WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT YOU:

You put restaurants first. You deeply understand the importance of local restaurants and put them at the center of everything you do. You aim to help them not only survive but thrive.

You celebrate diversity. You recognize that diversity and inclusivity matter. You’re committed to progress, which means everyone gets the support and resources they need, no matter who they are.  You have an ability to listen to other team members' ideas and can thrive in an environment that embraces individuality. Everyone’s voice counts.

You raise your hand. You consistently go above and beyond what is asked of you. You help your peers accomplish their tasks while also excelling at accomplishing your own. When you have a smart idea, you raise your hand and share it.

You keep reaching. You set clear ambitious goals. You don’t allow yourself to become complacent with where you’re at and what you’ve done, so you seek out new opportunities and challenges.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE: 

• Progress through our Ramp Camp (ChowNow’s New Hire Onboarding Experience)
• Review product requirements, understand current data stack and weigh in on implementation choices.
• Identify the right technical architecture and software development processes for AI and ML products
• Understand how vision, business goals, compliance, and other aspects affect our internal processes.

• Collaborate with senior staff in other disciplines (e.g. back end, QA, DevOps, etc.) to build consensus toward proposed solutions
• Propose and advocate for best practices to help “level up” the team.
• Start the design and implementation of alpha products

• Work with infrastructure and release engineering teams to standardize MLOps practices
• Release alpha product for a recommendations and insights
• Collaborate with product and your manager in identifying and building a deep AI/ML roadmap

• You have at least 5  years of software engineering experience, including at least 2 years experience in building machine learning and AI applications
• Advanced proficiency in Python with deep knowledge of scikit-learn, pandas, numpy, TensorFlow, or PyTorch
• Proven experience with recommendation algorithms including collaborative filtering, content-based methods, and hybrid approaches
• Solid foundation in reinforcement learning principles and their application to agentic systems. Understanding of vector databases such as Pinecone, Weaviate or Chroma
• Knowledge of large language models, and prompt engineering techniques
• Expertise in feature engineering, data pipeline construction, and ensuring data quality for AI models
• Experience deploying and managing ML models in production environments with MLOps tools like MLflow, Kubeflow, or Airflow
• Cloud platform expertise with AWS SageMaker, Google AI Platform, or Azure Machine Learning
• Understanding of real-time data processing using messaging and streaming architectures
• You know how to partner with Product, Design, QA and other Engineering Leaders to build compelling AI product features in an Agile environment.
• You are a fan of rapid iteration and experimentation. You think about failures as a learning opportunity. 
• You know how to capitalize on the diverse strengths of the people around you.
• You are a thoughtful mentor and leader who loves supporting your team and collaborating with others to achieve great things.
• You have a point of view but encourage and welcome critiques.
• You thrive in environments supporting your growth, and where you can support others.
• You are passionate with a contagious energy, encouraging those around you to pursue their goals

• Expected Base Salary Range: $169,725 - $220,500 depending on candidate location
• Ongoing training and growth opportunities.
• A "Best Place to Work" winner multiple times where we focus on creating a great employee experience.
• Rock solid medical, dental, and vision plans.
• Mental Health Coverage - we offer several programs to support your mental health and wellness goals.
• Unlimited Paid Vacation. We expect you to work hard, but still enjoy your personal life
• 7 weeks of baby bonding time for all new parents (within the first year of birth or adoption), 8 Weeks of Paid Pregnancy Leave.
• 401(k) Matching
• Employer-contributing student loan assistance program or continuing education reimbursement program
• Commuter benefits (including Uber Pool).
• Employee Stock Incentive Plan.
• Pet insurance for your fur babies
• Consistent & fair leadership: we’ll share info, set clear goals, show you respect, and treat everyone fairly.
• Enough freedom to spread your wings while still holding you accountable.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required.

As one of ChowNow’s core values, “Celebrates Diversity”, we are committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment. ChowNow is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status or any legally protected status.  We are committed to developing a barrier-free recruitment process and work environment, if you require any accommodation, please let us know at your earliest convenience and we’ll work with you to meet your accessibility needs.

Information Regarding Recruiting Scams: ChowNow does not engage in outreach to prospective candidates by text message about employment opportunities, interviews, or employment offers, and we do not make job offers after only one interview. ChowNow does not ask candidates to submit sensitive personal information (Passport details, banking information, etc.) as part of the interview process. ChowNow employment offers are made by a ChowNow Talent Acquisition team member with a @chownow.com email address only. ChowNow does not ask candidates to provide funds to the company for onboarding, equipment, or supplies. If you receive an employment inquiry or employment offer from a non @chownow.com email address, consider it spam.  

Read here about your California privacy rights.

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