Machine Learning Engineer, AI

Zillow is a leading real estate platform dedicated to transforming the way people buy, sell, finance, and rent homes. As the most-visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow leverages innovative technology and data-driven insights to empower consumers throughout their home journey.

About the role

We are seeking a highly skilled Principal Machine Learning Engineer to join the Agentic Artificial Intelligence team at Zillow. In this pivotal role, you will lead the development of large-scale, fault-tolerant multimodal AI experiences designed to reach and assist millions of customers. Your expertise will drive the creation of innovative agent interaction modes, including Voice AI and Deep Research, shaping the future of AI-driven home shopping and transaction processes. You will pioneer evaluation frameworks, safety guardrails, and tracing systems to ensure our AI agents are trustworthy, responsible, and aligned with industry best practices. Collaborating with cross-functional teams, you will translate complex research findings into scalable engineering solutions, bridging the gap between applied research and product deployment. This role offers the flexibility of remote work, allowing you to operate from a location of your choice within the United States.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain large-scale, fault-tolerant multimodal AI experiences that serve a broad customer base.
• Design and implement multiple agent interaction modes, including Voice AI and Deep Research, to enhance user engagement.
• Pioneer and refine evaluation frameworks, tracing systems, and safety guardrails to ensure AI trustworthiness and responsibility.
• Stay abreast of emerging agentic paradigms and convert innovative concepts into tangible product features.
• Lead complex, multi-team initiatives that bridge research and engineering, ensuring seamless integration and scalability.
• Translate complex research findings and AI system architectures into clear, actionable insights for diverse audiences, including executives.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align AI development with business goals and user needs.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to the technical growth of the team.

Qualifications

• A master's degree or higher in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Minimum of 5+ years of experience deploying large-scale machine learning models.
• Recent 2-3 years of experience building agent-based systems, multi-agent collaboration, or similar paradigms.
• Proven expertise in developing engaging dialogue systems capable of long conversations, context-aware interactions, and compliant response generation.
• Experience in designing AI services handling hundreds of millions of daily interactions with high availability, low latency, and fault tolerance.
• Familiarity with agentic AI frameworks such as LangGraph, Agents SDK, AutoGen, and production ML infrastructure.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence technical direction and present to executive leadership.
• Experience in publishing high-impact research, patents, or articles is a plus.

Benefits

• Flexible remote work arrangements.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
• Generous paid time off and holiday leave.
• Professional development opportunities and continuous learning resources.
• Inclusive and innovative company culture that values diversity and collaboration.

Pay

Competitive salary and eligibility for equity awards based on performance and experience.