Senior Staff Machine Learning Platform Engineer - Faire, Kitchener-Waterloo

The Opportunity

Faire is a leading technology wholesale platform built on the belief that the future is local. We are dedicated to empowering independent retailers globally, connecting a fragmented, multi-hundred-billion-dollar wholesale market that has historically operated offline. At Faire, we leverage the power of tech, data, and machine learning to unite this thriving community of entrepreneurs. Our mission is to provide the right tools and insights, levelling the playing field so local businesses can discover the best products and grow. If you are passionate about community and want to contribute to the shop local movement, explore our Faire jobs and Faire careers in Kitchener-Waterloo.

Your Impact

As a Senior Staff Machine Learning Platform Engineer at Faire, you will be instrumental in shaping the technical direction of the company's ML platform. This critical role involves owning the technical vision and evolution of Faire’s machine learning platform, setting standards, and influencing organisation-wide architecture. You will lead complex, cross-functional initiatives that unlock data science velocity at scale, adapting ML workflows to modern AI productivity tools. You won’t just build models; you will architect the robust systems that enable those models to help tens of thousands of small retailers compete and grow their local businesses. This is a prime opportunity for experienced engineering professionals looking for impactful engineering jobs in Kitchener-Waterloo.

• Define and drive the long-term architecture of Faire’s ML platform including training, inference, feature management, governance.
• Establish company-wide standards for code quality, testing, MLOps (CI/CD), experimentation, model lifecycle management, and observability.
• Lead adoption and advanced use of Unity Catalog, multi-workspace strategies, and data/ML mesh patterns.
• Architect highly scalable ML workflows using Spark, Delta Lake, and MLflow.
• Optimise performance, reliability, and cost of the ML platform.
• Evaluate and integrate emerging Databricks features.
• Stay ahead of the curve by engaging with the latest developments in machine learning and AI.
• Serve as senior ML technical advisor to Faire’s data science and production engineering teams.
• Represent Faire at ML conferences and meetups.
• Mentor ML engineers and raise the overall bar for Machine Learning at Faire.

Skills and Experience

To excel in this Senior Staff Machine Learning Platform Engineer role at Faire, applicants should bring a robust background in large-scale data and machine learning platform development. We are seeking a leader with deep technical expertise and a proven ability to drive architectural vision across multiple teams and organisations. Your proficiency with our modern cloud-based tech stack will be key to your success.

• 10-12 years of experience building and improving large-scale ML or data platforms.
• A degree (preferably graduate level) in Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, or a related technical field.
• Deep expertise in Databricks lakehouse architecture, including governance via Unity Catalog, orchestration via Workflows, and cost optimisation.
• Proven ability to design systems that support multiple data science teams and production workloads.
• Strong background in distributed systems, ML infrastructure, and cloud architecture.
• Demonstrated technical leadership across teams and orgs; ability to influence without authority.
• Experience integrating LLM workflows into enterprise platforms is a plus.
• Previous contributions to open source ML Infrastructure projects or research publications is a very strong plus.

Faire uses a modern cloud-based tech stack, and for this role, proficiency with the following technologies is desired:

• Languages: Python, SQL, Kotlin
• ML Frameworks: PyTorch, PySpark, MLFlow
• Big Data & Processing: Spark, Kafka, Databricks, Snowflake, Fivetran, Iceberg, Unity Catalog, Datadog, Airflow, Cockroach DB, MySQL
• Cloud & Infrastructure: AWS, S3, SageMaker, Kubernetes, Docker, GitHub Actions, Terraform
• Generative AI: Claude Sonnet 4.5, ChatGPT 5.2

Compensation and Perks

This Senior Staff Machine Learning Platform Engineer position at Faire offers a competitive salary range for jobs in Kitchener-Waterloo, reflecting the high level of expertise required. The pay range for this role in Canada is $248,000 to $341,000 per year. In addition to base pay, this role is eligible for equity and comprehensive benefits. Faire is committed to providing real rewards, competitive pay, equity, and comprehensive benefits designed to support your life inside and outside of work. We believe in investing in our team and fostering an environment where every employee has equal access to opportunities, growth, and success.

• Move fast: You'll own meaningful problems that serve customers around the globe with the agency to move fast and see your results clearly.
• Equipped to scale: We invest in what matters, including the latest enterprise AI tools, to help you work smarter and get more out of every day.
• Best in class: Our team is full of sharp, kind, and generous colleagues who care about their craft and about helping you grow in yours.
• Real rewards: Competitive pay, equity, and comprehensive benefits designed to support your life inside and outside of work.
• Belonging: We're intentional about building an environment where every Faire employee has equal access to opportunities, growth, and success.