---
title: 'Machine Learning Infrastructure Engineer at Character.AI'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/machine-learning-infrastructure-engineer-character-ai-redwood-city-pxeg13vjqs56'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-05'
---

# Machine Learning Infrastructure Engineer at Character.AI

- **Company:** Character.AI
- **Location:** Redwood City, CA
- **Compensation:** $150k–$350k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2025-04-24
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-05
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/character/13006848-6a69-4467-9274-5d54e80b965d/application

**Skills:** Cloud platforms, Compute Engine, Kubernetes, Cloud Storage, GPU, Machine Learning Infrastructure, Large GPU clusters, High-performance computing, Networking, Large language model training, PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX, GPU kernel development

> Design, build, and maintain training and serving infrastructure for ML research. The role involves providing infrastructure support, building diagnostic tooling, monitoring deployments, and maximizing GPU utilization across cloud platforms.

## Job description

## About the role

We’re looking for seasoned ML Infrastructure engineers with experience designing, building and maintaining training and serving infrastructure for ML research.

Responsibilities:

- Provide infrastructure support to our ML research and product
- Build tooling to diagnose cluster issues and hardware failures
- Monitor deployments, manage experiments, and generally support our research
- Maximize GPU allocation and utilization for both serving and training

Requirements:

- 4+ years of experience supporting the infrastructure within an ML environment
- Experience in developing tools used to diagnose ML infrastructure problems and failures
- Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., Compute Engine, Kubernetes, Cloud Storage)
- Experience working with GPUs

## Nice to have

- Experience with large GPU clusters and high-performance computing/networking
- Experience with supporting large language model training
- Experience with ML frameworks like Pytorch/TensorFlow/JAX
- Experience with GPU kernel development

## About Character.AI

[Character.AI](http://Character.AI) empowers people to connect, learn and tell stories through interactive entertainment. Over 20 million people visit [Character.AI](http://Character.AI) every month, using our technology to supercharge their creativity and imagination. Our platform lets users engage with tens of millions of characters, enjoy unlimited conversations, and embark on infinite adventures.

In just two years, we achieved unicorn status and were honored as Google Play's AI App of the Year—a testament to our innovative technology and visionary approach.

Join us and be a part of establishing this new entertainment paradigm while shaping the future of Consumer AI!

At Character, we value diversity and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. As an equal opportunity employer, we firmly uphold a non-discrimination policy based on race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, or disability. Your unique perspectives are vital to our success.

## About Character.AI

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Character.AI builds a full-stack, direct-to-consumer platform where users interact with AI-powered "Characters" for open-ended conversation, storytelling, and entertainment.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Venture Capital-Backed)
- **Headquarters**: Menlo Park, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2021
- **Founders**: Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Entertainment Software, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning, SaaS (B2C)
- **Target customers**: B2C — millions of monthly active users seeking virtual companions, creative storytelling, and interactive entertainment.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "Empower people to connect, learn, and tell stories through interactive entertainment."

## Products & Services
- **Character.AI Platform**: A web and mobile application that allows users to create, discover, and converse with AI Characters. The platform supports user-generated content, enabling users to build heroes, settings, stories, and challenges. It sits at the intersection of storytelling, gaming, social connection, and creative expression.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (latest known round: Secondary Transaction - Private, completed at "Generating Revenue" stage per PitchBook).
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding raised — **$193M** (Series A: $43.1M in 2022; Series A extension/round: $150M in March 2023).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Andreessen Horowitz, Google, Greycroft, SV Angel, Elad Gil, and 8 total investors. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/characterai)
- **Growth Signals**: 
    - Millions of monthly active users.
    - Headcount of ~130 employees as of 2026.
    - Offices in Silicon Valley (HQ), Seattle, and New York.
    - The company completed a "Reverse Acqui-Hire" transaction, signaling strong talent acquisition interest from larger players.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Deep Technical Talent**: Founded by AI pioneers Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, who bring deep expertise in machine learning and natural language processing.
- **Full-Stack AI Platform**: Unlike many chatbot APIs, Character.AI owns the entire stack from model inference to consumer interface, giving them control over user experience and data.
- **Strong User Engagement & Community**: The platform has built a passionate community of creators and users who generate and share content, creating a network effect moat.
- **Brand Recognition**: One of the leading independent consumer AI platforms globally, with a clear identity as an entertainment-first product.

## Strategic Focus
- **AI-driven Entertainment**: The company is focused on redefining entertainment through generative AI, moving beyond simple chatbots into immersive, interactive experiences.
- **User-Generated Content (UGC)**: Empowering users to create their own characters and worlds is a core strategic priority, differentiating them from single-purpose AI tools.
- **Monetization & Scale**: Moving from a free product toward a sustainable business model (subscription tiers like c.ai+) while scaling the platform to serve a global user base.
- **Talent Acquisition**: Actively hiring across ML research, engineering, and safety to build out the next generation of their product.

## Why Work Here
- **Mission-Driven Work**: Opportunity to work on cutting-edge generative AI and shape the future of entertainment for millions of users.
- **High-Impact Environment**: Described as a "small, passionate team" where individuals can have significant ownership and influence.
- **Strong Compensation**: Competitive salaries (e.g., Research Engineer, AI Safety & Alignment: $225K–$400K + equity). [jobs.ashbyhq.com](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/character/)
- **Comprehensive Benefits**:
    - **Parental Leave**: 20 weeks paid for birthing parents, 12 weeks for non-birthing parents.
    - **Retirement**: 401(k) match up to $5,875/year (25% of contributions up to IRS cap).
    - **Time Off**: 20 days accrued PTO, 12 company-paid holidays, plus accrued sick time.
    - **Health**: 100% premium coverage for medical (PPO or HSA), dental, and vision for employees; 80% for dependents. Life, AD&D, and LTD insurance fully covered.
    - **Perks**: Daily lunch in all offices, monthly DoorDash credit, monthly commuter allowance ($50), and a quarterly wellness stipend.
- **Work Policy**: Hybrid (offices in Menlo Park, Seattle, New York).
- **Culture Values**: "Users First" (users > company > team), "Think Transformational," and a focus on collaboration and high performance.

## Sources
1. [character.ai/about](https://character.ai/about)
2. [character.ai/careers](https://character.ai/careers)
3. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/character/](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/character/)
4. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/characterai)
5. [pitchbook.com](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/512290-54)

## Other roles at Character.AI

- [Technical Program Manager, Product Experience](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-program-manager-product-experience-character-ai-redwood-city-m9zmhkmgt1qy) — Redwood City, CA
- [Principal Research Engineer, Post-Training](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-research-engineer-post-training-character-ai-redwood-city-92f6f7sk06h1) — Redwood City, CA
- [Technical Program Manager, Model Alignment and Deployment](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-program-manager-model-alignment-and-deployment-character-ai-redwood-brmkpc2gvra0) — Redwood City, CA
- [Staff Data Scientist, Monetization](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-data-scientist-monetization-character-ai-redwood-city-51hmwhgh6e2k) — Redwood City, CA
- [Technical Program Manager, AI Infrastructure](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-program-manager-ai-infrastructure-character-ai-redwood-city-3ty4trwmewr9) — Redwood City, CA
- [Software Engineer, Backend/Applied ML (Safety & Integrity)](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-backend-applied-ml-safety-integrity-character-ai-redwood-city-4q5mdjeptsz5) — Redwood City, CA
- [Software Engineer, Applied ML (Discovery, Recommendation & Search)](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-applied-ml-discovery-recommendation-search-character-ai-5r4a2m0v7fzq) — Redwood City, CA
- [Software Engineer, Backend](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-backend-character-ai-redwood-city-kx5x7rxznvz7) — Redwood City, CA
- [Software Engineer, Monetization](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-monetization-character-ai-redwood-city-4wjqzcp5e490) — Redwood City, CA
- [Software Engineer, Core Product](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-core-product-character-ai-redwood-city-h676pc9pz8k1) — Redwood City, CA