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Hearst Magazines · 4 months ago

Principal Software Engineer, Personalization & Recommendation Systems

300 West 57th Street, New York, NY, 10019, US

Full-time

Hybrid

Lead/Staff

$190K/yr - $230K/yr

10+ years exp

Hearst Magazines is a global media company that publishes nearly 200 magazine editions and 175 websites around the world. They are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead the technical development of a next-generation personalization and recommendation platform, focusing on enhancing user engagement and loyalty through intelligent recommendation features.

Media and EntertainmentPublishing

H1B Sponsor Likely

Responsibilities

Architect and develop services for real-time personalization across content feeds, product recommendations, newsletters, and marketing technology funnels

Build robust APIs and infrastructure to support dynamic recommendation use cases on web, mobile, and email

Understand and architect end-to-end implementation of key recommendation features—from data ingestion to ranking logic and delivery

Ensure high standards of performance, security, and fault tolerance in production systems

Collaborate with ML and GenAI teams to evaluate the use of large language models for dynamic content ranking, summaries, or affinity prediction

Drive integration of semantic search and LLM-based personalization where appropriate, ensuring real-time responsiveness and system scalability

Lead experimentation on AI-powered recommendation enhancements (e.g., hybrid LLM and collaborative filtering approaches)

Provide hands-on mentorship and technical direction to a blended team of full-time and contract engineers

Lead planning, scoping, and prioritization of engineering tasks in alignment with cross-functional goals

Ensure code quality, velocity, and accountability across distributed development efforts

Drive build-vs-buy assessments for recommendation infrastructure, experimentation platforms, and personalization tooling

Evaluate and integrate third-party solutions as needed for features such as product recommendation engines and customer data platforms

Contribute to long-term architectural blueprints for personalization across Hearst’s brands

Partner with Product, Data, and UX to define technical requirements that balance personalization sophistication with performance and privacy

Work closely with ML engineers to integrate trained models into live production flows and iterate based on real-time feedback

Collaborate with analytics and experimentation teams to validate and optimize recommendation impact

Qualification

PythonRecommendation systemsMicroservicesReactLarge language modelsAI model ops platformsTeam leadershipCross-functional collaboration

Required

10+ years in software engineering, with a focus on backend systems, personalization, or e-commerce platforms

Hands-on development expertise in Python, React, and building microservices at scale

Deep knowledge of recommendation systems: collaborative filtering, ranking algorithms, content-based and hybrid models

Demonstrated ability to lead hybrid teams and manage contract/vendor developers toward shared goals

Preferred

Preferred experience delivering both content and product recommendation engines in production environments

Preferred experience deploying or integrating large language models (LLMs) into consumer-facing personalization or recommendation flows

Preferred experience working with AI model ops platforms (e.g., Vertex AI, AWS Bedrock)

Benefits

Work with the Best: Collaborate with top-tier professionals across media, advertising, tech, fashion, lifestyle, and publishing, shaping the future of these dynamic industries.

Grow Your Skills: Unlock your potential with access to innovative training programs, immersive workshops, and exclusive industry events.

Work-Life Harmony: Enjoy the flexibility of hybrid work, empowering you to balance professional success with personal priorities.

Foster Connection & Belonging: Join our Employee Resource Groups and help create a welcoming workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered.

Wellness First: Prioritize your well-being with a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision insurance from Day 1.

Plan for Your Financial Future: Enjoy competitive financial perks, including a 401(k) plan with a generous company match.

Company

Hearst Magazines

Glassdoor3.6

Hearst Magazines is a Media Production house.

Founded in 2006

West New York, New Jersey, USA

1001-5000 employees

http://www.hearst.com/magazines

H1B Sponsorship

Hearst Magazines has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)

Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship

Represents job field similar to this job

Trends of Total Sponsorships

2024 (1)

2023 (1)