Spotify

Machine Learning Engineering Manager II

Reads like a Data Leadership role: running a data team.

New York, NY

Actively hiring, first seen by us 5 days ago

Pay: $227,495–262,928/yearAnnual period assumed. Plus equity — pay source
This team operates within the Eastern Standard time zone for collaboration. The United States base range for this position is $227,495- $262,928 plus equity. The benefits available for this position include health insurance, six month paid parental leave, 401(k) retirement plan, monthly meal allowance, 23 paid days off, 13 paid flexible holidays, paid sick leave. These ranges may be modified in the future. Spotify is an equal opportunity employer. You are welcome at Spotify for who you are, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or what’s playing in your headphones. Our platform is for everyone, and so is our workplace. The more voices we have represented and amplified in our business, the more we will all thrive, contribute, and be forward-thinking! So bring us your personal experience, your perspectives, and your background. It’s in our differences that we will find the power to keep revolutionizing the way the world listens.
Read the full posting
Work setting: Remote — work setting source
Work setup in the employer’s posting: remote
From the employer’s posting
Employment: Permanent — employment source
Employment type Permanent
Employment type in the employer’s posting: Permanent
From the employer’s posting

What you’ll work on

Full posting

Lead and grow a team of ML, backend, and data engineers
Shape the team's technical strategy and execution
Guide development of multi-objective recommendation systems
Partner with Product and engineering to set priorities and plans
Coach engineers and build an inclusive, empowered team culture

From the employer’s posting

Lead and grow a team of machine learning, backend, and data engineers

Shape the team's technical strategy and execution

Guide the development of machine learning and recommendation systems that balance multiple objectives

Collaborate with Product and engineering partners to define priorities, align on outcomes, and translate complex challenges into clear plans

Foster an inclusive, supportive team environment through coaching, feedback, and thoughtful people leadership

What you’ll bring

All qualifications

Core experience

Experience managing and developing engineering teams
Strong technical background in machine learning or software engineering
Understanding of running machine learning systems in production
Experience working with cross-functional partners on trade-offs

Qualification wording

You have experience managing and developing engineering teams

You bring a strong technical background in machine learning, software engineering, or related areas

You understand the opportunities and challenges of developing and operating machine learning systems in production

You have experience working with cross-functional partners to define priorities, navigate trade-offs, and deliver against shared goals

Apply at Spotify

Posting record

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Actively hiringFirst seen by us 5 days ago, still listed, and not a repost of an earlier posting.

Status in our records: Live
First seen by us: Nov 9, 20265 days ago
Recorded sightings: 6
Last seen by us: Nov 14, 2026

These dates show when we found the posting. Check the employer’s website to confirm it is still accepting applications.

How this job compares

Pay

Higher than most similar jobs

$227K–$263K against $154K–$226K, the middle half of what similar US postings state.

From 3,103 postings in the last year. Stated ranges, not salaries paid.

Time since we first saw it

Day 5

Early. Similar jobs usually come down between day 8 and day 57.

At Spotify, jobs usually come down by about day 41.

From 9,519 similar postings that came down, and 44 of Spotify’s. Coming down is not always a hire.

Spotify is hiring

17 open jobs

Open jobs by the week we first saw them, last 12 weeks.

Hiring at a steady pace
Takes jobs down at a usual pace
6% of open jobs were reposted

Hiring record

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Has Spotify posted this job before?

Yes. We’ve followed one other Machine Learning Engineering Manager II job there since November 2026. It is still up.

This jobUp 5 days so far, first seen Nov 9
StockholmStill up after 2 days, first seen Nov 13

Demand for Data Leadership roles

New Data Leadership postings at the employers we follow are about the same over the last 6 weeks compared with the 6 before.

August 17Last week

Each bar is one week of new postings. The darkest bars are the last 6 weeks.

Counted from the hiring pages we’ve followed for at least five weeks, so employers we add don’t look like growth. Updated weekly.

About the role

We file this job under Data Leadership, by the work the posting describes.

Data leaders run data teams or design how a company's data fits together. Managers hire, set priorities and answer for whether the data work pays off; architects choose the systems and the shape of the data.

Expect years of hands-on data work, experience leading people or projects, and the ability to explain tradeoffs to executives.

Unlike a senior engineer or analyst, most of a data leader's week goes to people, planning and decisions rather than building.

US government figures for computer and information systems managers

Median yearly pay, May 2025: $175,140
Expected change, 2025 to 2035: 15.8% more jobsagainst 3.5% for all jobs

The government has no code for data leaders, so these figures are for the closest group, computer and information systems managers, which includes data processing and data operations managers.

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) and Employment Projections (2025 to 2035). Occupation code 11-3021.

Job description

View original posting ↗

The Personalization team makes deciding what to play next easier and more enjoyable for every listener. From Blend to Discover Weekly, we’re behind some of Spotify’s most-loved features. We built them by understanding the world of music and podcasts better than anyone else. Join us and you’ll keep millions of users listening by making great recommendations to each and every one of them.

At Spotify, great personalization is about more than recommending the right song. It's about creating listening experiences that feel effortless and meaningful while balancing the needs of listeners, creators, and our business.The Samba team, part of Spotify's Personalization Mission, works on multi-objective balancing and sequencing for personalized listening experiences like Autoplay, Radio, and Mixes. Our engineers bring together machine learning, backend engineering, and data engineering to build systems that support Spotify's financial objectives while keeping listeners at the center of what we do.

We're looking for an Engineering Manager to lead this team, develop our engineers, and help shape the technical direction of systems that influence how millions of people experience Spotify.

What You'll Do

Lead and grow a team of machine learning, backend, and data engineers, supporting their development and helping them deliver their best work.Shape the team's technical strategy and execution, ensuring engineering efforts align with listener needs and Spotify's broader business goals.
Guide the development of machine learning and recommendation systems that balance multiple objectives across personalized listening experiences.
Collaborate with Product and engineering partners to define priorities, align on outcomes, and translate complex challenges into clear plans.
Support the team in making thoughtful technical decisions across experimentation, scalability, system reliability, and model performance.
Create a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement, where engineers feel empowered to experiment and learn.
Drive effective planning and delivery while balancing immediate priorities with long-term technical health.
Foster an inclusive, supportive team environment through coaching, feedback, and thoughtful people leadership.

Who You Are

You have experience managing and developing engineering teams, with a track record of helping people grow and delivering impactful results.

You bring a strong technical background in machine learning, software engineering, or related areas, and can confidently guide technical conversations.

You understand the opportunities and challenges of developing and operating machine learning systems in production.

You have experience working with cross-functional partners to define priorities, navigate trade-offs, and deliver against shared goals.

You are comfortable leading teams through ambiguity and helping engineers make informed technical decisions.

You care about building inclusive, collaborative environments where people feel supported and empowered.

You communicate with clarity, lead with empathy, and know how to balance people, technology, and business needs

Where You'll Be

We offer you the flexibility to work where you work best! For this role, you can be within the North Americas region as long as we have a work location.
This team operates within the Eastern Standard time zone for collaboration.

The United States base range for this position is $227,495- $262,928 plus equity. The benefits available for this position include health insurance, six month paid parental leave, 401(k) retirement plan, monthly meal allowance, 23 paid days off, 13 paid flexible holidays, paid sick leave. These ranges may be modified in the future.

Spotify is an equal opportunity employer. You are welcome at Spotify for who you are, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or what’s playing in your headphones. Our platform is for everyone, and so is our workplace. The more voices we have represented and amplified in our business, the more we will all thrive, contribute, and be forward-thinking! So bring us your personal experience, your perspectives, and your background. It’s in our differences that we will find the power to keep revolutionizing the way the world listens.

At Spotify, we are passionate about inclusivity and making sure our entire recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We have ways to request reasonable accommodations during the interview process and help assist in what you need. If you need accommodations at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know - we’re here to support you in any way we can.

Employment type

Permanent

Source details