Director, Applied Machine Learning

Job Description About Us:Live experiences help people cross today's digital divide and focus on what truly connects us – the here, the now, this once-in-a-lifetime moment that's bringing us together. To fulfill Gametime's mission of uniting the world through shared experiences, we make it easy for people to discover and access the live experiences that matter most.With platforms on iOS, Android, mobile web and desktop supporting more than 60,000 events across the US and Canada, we are reimagining the event ticket industry in order to move at the speed of life.Position SummaryGametime is seeking a Director of Applied Machine Learning to lead the development and application of machine learning and LLM-powered models that drive meaningful business impact across product, marketing, operations, and other key functions. This role is ideal for a hands-on, applied ML leader who thrives at the intersection of modeling excellence and business understanding. You will work closely with Product, Data, Engineering, and business partners to identify high-value opportunities, translate them into well-defined modeling problems, and deliver production-ready solutions. A core focus of this role will be curation, including ranking, filtering, and personalization systems that directly shape the customer experience, alongside thoughtful application of modern LLM-based techniques.Who You AreAn experienced applied ML practitioner with a track record of delivering production models that move business metricsDeeply comfortable owning ranking, recommendation, and curation problems from framing through iteration in productionExperienced applying both classical ML techniques and LLM-based approaches with strong technical judgmentA player-coach who can review code, guide modeling decisions, and mentor ML practitionersBusiness-oriented, seeking context, tradeoffs, and outcomes rather than purely technical eleganceComfortable managing multiple initiatives across stakeholders and timelinesA clear communicator who can translate complex ML concepts into business-relevant insightsCurious and motivated to stay current with applied ML and LLM advancementsWhat You Will Work OnApplied ML and Business AlignmentPartner with Product, Marketing, Operations, and other teams to identify where ML can drive measurable valueTranslate business problems into clear modeling objectives, metrics, and experimentation plansEnsure ML efforts remain tightly aligned with business priorities and user impactRanking, Curation, and PersonalizationLead the design, development, and iteration of ranking, filtering, and personalization models across Gametime's product surfacesOwn modeling approaches, feature strategy, evaluation metrics, and offline and online experimentationBalance relevance, revenue, and user trust when evolving ranking solutionsLLM and Advanced Modeling ApplicationsApply LLMs and hybrid ML techniques to use cases such as semantic understanding, intent detection, content generation, and internal workflowsEvaluate emerging tools and techniques, recommending pragmatic adoption where they provide clear benefitEstablish best practices for testing, deploying, and monitoring LLM-powered models in productionTeam Leadership and Craft ExcellenceManage and mentor applied ML practitioners, supporting growth in technical depth and business impactSet high standards for modeling rigor, experimentation discipline, and production readinessCollaborate closely with ML engineering and platform teams to ensure scalable and reliable deploymentExperience You BringBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (advanced degree preferred)6+ years of experience building and deploying production machine learning modelsDemonstrated experience owning ranking, recommendation, or personalization systemsStrong foundation in applied ML techniques such as learning-to-rank, embeddings, gradient boosting, and neural networksHands-on experience working with LLMs, including prompt engineering, fine-tuning, retrieval-augmented generation, and evaluationSolid software engineering skills and experience working within modern data and ML stacksProven ability to work cross-functionally and influence without relying on hierarchyWhat Success Looks LikeApplied ML solutions that measurably improve customer experience and business outcomesHigh-quality, continuously improving ranking and curation systemsThoughtful, value-driven use of LLMs rather than novelty applicationsStrong partnership with product and business teams, with ML viewed as a strategic enablerA supported, high-performing applied ML team delivering consistent impactAt Gametime pay ranges are subject to change and assigned to a job based on specific market median of similar jobs according to 3rd party salary benchmark surveys. Individual pay within that range can vary for several reasons including skills/capabilities, experience, and available budget.United States - Pay Range$292,033—$343,568 USDGametime is committed to bringing together individuals from different backgrounds and perspectives. We strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, feel a sense of belonging, and do great work together. As an equal opportunity employer, we prohibit any unlawful discrimination against a job applicant on the basis of their race, color, religion, veteran status, sex, parental status, gender identity or expression, transgender status, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability or genetic information. We respect the laws enforced by the EEOC and are dedicated to going above and beyond in fostering diversity across our company.