Remote opportunity at
InstacartSenior Machine Learning Engineer, Economist
Instacart operates an essential multi-sided marketplace platform delivering groceries and household goods to customers while supporting personal shoppers. The company follows a Flex First model, allowing…
Career Tools
About This Role
Instacart operates an essential multi-sided marketplace platform delivering groceries and household goods to customers while supporting personal shoppers. The company follows a Flex First model, allowing personnel the freedom to work remotely from home, an office, or other locations, supplemented by regular in-person gatherings. The organization seeks a Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Economist to join its Economics team. This position is open at two levels: Machine Learning Engineer II for…
Job Description
Instacart operates an essential multi-sided marketplace platform delivering groceries and household goods to customers while supporting personal shoppers. The company follows a Flex First model, allowing personnel the freedom to work remotely from home, an office, or other locations, supplemented by regular in-person gatherings.
The organization seeks a Senior Machine Learning Engineer, Economist to join its Economics team. This position is open at two levels: Machine Learning Engineer II for recent PhD graduates, or Senior Machine Learning Engineer I requiring one to three years of relevant industry background. Selected candidates will design, build, and implement advanced machine learning applications that merge economic principles with algorithmic techniques. Responsibilities include resolving marketplace complexities regarding matching, logistics, online advertising, causal inference, and long-term value modeling.
This role suits professionals with a graduate degree in economics or a related discipline who possess strong programming capabilities in Python and SQL. Ideal candidates will enjoy collaborating cross-functionally with product managers, data scientists, and fellow engineers to enhance operational efficiency and marketplace alignment. Please note that Instacart is currently hiring for this remote position exclusively within the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia.
Responsibilities
- Design, develop, and deploy machine learning solutions to address economic challenges within the marketplace
- Collaborate closely with product managers, data scientists, and engineers to understand business requirements and build impactful applications
- Improve operational efficiency by continuously refining and advancing algorithms and models
- Share research, learnings, and best practices across domains as an active member of the Economics team
Requirements
- Graduate degree in Economics or a closely related field
- Proficiency in applying causal inference methodologies to experimental and observational datasets
- Comprehension of machine learning algorithms and techniques
- Strong programming skills in Python along with fluency in SQL, Pandas, and machine learning tools such as scikit-learn and XGBoost
- Strong written and verbal communication abilities
- Self-motivation and a high level of ownership
- For senior level applicants, 1-3 years of industry experience in a comparable position
- Experience deploying machine learning models into production environments
- Familiarity with cloud computing and associated machine learning infrastructure
Qualifications
- A PhD in Economics or a related discipline focusing on data-intensive problems
- Prior internship experience in relevant roles
- Experience working with large language models and generative AI for algorithms or daily tasks
- Experience with uplift modeling, contextual bandits, and heterogeneous treatment effect estimation
Core Skills
Benefits
- Market-competitive compensation with base pay ranging from CAN$180,000 to $190,000 CAD depending on candidate experience and permanent location
- New hire equity grants and annual equity refresh grants
- Flex First remote work policy allowing employees to choose their work location
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the employment type for this position?
The posting specifies full-time employment.
What is the remote work policy and where can candidates reside?
This role is remote under Instacart's Flex First policy, but hiring is currently restricted to candidates residing in the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia.
What is the salary range for this job?
For Canadian-based candidates, the base pay range is CAN$180,000 to $190,000 CAD, with exact offers varying based on factors such as candidate experience and skills. New hire and annual equity grants are also provided.
What experience levels are being considered?
Instacart is open to hiring either a Machine Learning Engineer II, Economist for fresh PhD graduates, or a Senior Machine Learning Engineer I, Economist requiring one to three years of post-PhD industry experience.
Sample Interview Questions
AI-generated questions tailored to this specific role — a preview of the full practice set.