(Senior) Machine Learning Engineer, Content Understanding Algorithm

About SmartNews

SmartNews is a global leader in redefining information and news discovery, committed to providing users with accurate, timely information and supporting quality journalism. We combine the power of our unique machine-learning technology with the expertise of our first-rate editorial team to bring news that matters to millions of users from our over 3,000 global publishing partners.

Founded in 2012 in Tokyo, Japan, SmartNews has offices in Tokyo, San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York, and Singapore.

The Team

Content understanding team is to advance the capabilities of content analysis through innovative and cutting-edge technologies. We strive to transform how content is understood, categorized, and utilized across various platforms, ensuring accuracy, relevance, and quality. By leveraging advanced machine learning, NLP, and data analytics, we aim to support and enhance downstream applications such as search, recommendations, and ads. Our goal is to deliver meaningful insights and improve user engagement by providing precise and contextually aware content analysis solutions. Through continuous research, development, and collaboration, aiming to make a significant impact on the content ecosystem for SmartNews.

The Role

In this role, you will leverage advanced content analysis and machine learning techniques to enhance the understanding and classification of diverse content types. Your mission is to drive innovation in content categorization, fake news detection, and bias analysis, ultimately supporting downstream applications such as personalized product recommendations. 

By contributing to continuous research, development, and collaboration efforts, you will significantly impact the content ecosystem and align with the overarching goals of SmartNews. Your expertise will help shape the future of content understanding and ensure the delivery of accurate, relevant, and engaging content to our users.

Responsibilities

This is a hybrid of system engineering and machine learning role:

• Improve and maintain ML algorithm for content understanding.(Including Image / text / video / audio).
• Research and develop cutting-edge algorithms.
• Work end-to-end, from data and model to service.
• Manage expectations between product side and ML limitation.
• Develop ML pipeline to make engineers more productive.
• Lead medium/large sized projects to improve Content Understanding.
• Propose new ideas for ML-Product and conduct proof of concept (POC).

Requirements

Minimum requirements

• 3+ years of experience in designing and implementing machine learning algorithms, and applying them to real world problems.
• 1+ years of experience focused on NLP related problems.
• Solid Machine Learning background and deep understanding of certain domains of machine learning techniques, especially in recommendation systems, natural language processing.
• Strong software development skills with a proven record of shipping changes to production that improved product metrics with machine learning technologies.
• Good ML product sense. Able to propose improvement suggestions not only for model performance but also for product requirements.
• Good written and spoken communication skills, can work across functional teams.
• Expert coding abilities in multiple programming languages (e.g. Java, C++, Python, Scala).
• MS or BS in computer science, mathematics, physics or other quantitative fields.
• Fluent in Japanese

Nice to have 

• Native in Japanese
• Experience relevant to search, recommendation, and Ads technologies.
• Experience with cloud-based architecture, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS).
• Strong interest in news and ads content understanding, aligned with our mission.
• In-depth knowledge of Generative AI (GAI) and expertise in leveraging it effectively.

Working Condition

• Office Location: Tokyo

Benefits

• Annual health check covered by the company
• Visa sponsorship and overseas relocation support available for eligible candidates