Senior Director of Machine Learning Engineering
Estimated salary
€4,959 – €7,785per month
Auto-estimated from similar roles, location, experience & market data. Actual pay may vary.
Description
HelloFresh is seeking a Senior Director of Machine Learning Engineering to lead the CVO Tribe, which owns benefit optimization and pricing. The role involves setting technical strategy across ML, backend, and data disciplines for a globally distributed team. You will lead 25-30 engineers and data scientists across Berlin, Warsaw, NYC, Boulder, and Toronto, driving AI-native practices and operational excellence. This is a senior leadership position based in Berlin, requiring deep expertise in both ML and backend engineering.
Requirements
- Range across ML and backend engineering: enough ML depth to set direction on production ML systems and partner effectively with Data Science, enough distributed-systems depth to be a trusted partner on pricing infrastructure and subscription products.
- Proven leadership of globally distributed teams across multiple countries and time zones, without daily co-location. Comfortable with regular travel and bridging US and European hours.
- Deep ML engineering expertise, including feature engineering, training/serving infrastructure, experimentation, and MLOps.
- Distributed systems and backend depth, including scaling backend services and data pipelines in revenue-sensitive, high-throughput environments.
- AI-native leadership, with a track record of building or scaling AI-native engineering practices, not just adopting AI tools.
- Commercial and pricing domain fluency, or strong aptitude to build it quickly, including benefit optimization, lifetime-value forecasting, and pricing elasticity.
- Proven leadership at scale: 12+ years in software/ML engineering, with 5+ years managing Engineering Managers across more than one technical discipline and geography.
- Operational excellence mindset, with strong grounding in SRE and MLOps practices for systems with direct financial impact.
- Strong cross-functional communication, translating ML, data, and backend concepts into business terms and vice versa.
- Low ego, high ownership, and a bias toward clarity over complexity.
Experience Level
InternEntry LevelMid-levelSeniorLeadExecutive
Benefits
Global collaboration across HelloTech's hubs in Berlin, Warsaw, NYC, Boulder, and Toronto.
High-leverage, technically diverse work spanning ML, backend, data, and product engineering, with a direct line to business outcomes.
A genuinely AI-native environment with a mandate to scale that approach further.
Technical and engineering leadership in an autonomous, product-led setup, with end-to-end ownership from problem definition to production.
Enjoy a discount on HelloFresh meal kits, delivered straight to your door.
Build for the long-term with our company pension scheme (not available for interns/working students).
Benefit from discounted memberships with Urban Sports Club and John Reed, yoga classes, and access to Headspace and Spill.
Balance your work and life with flexible hours, Work From Home/Abroad options, and a home office setup budget.
Receive childcare support (not available for interns/working students).
Get a monthly allowance for the Deutschlandticket to support sustainable commuting.
Embrace 'Learning Never Stops' with access to internal trainings and a central L&D budget (remove for interns).
Work from a modern, comfortable office in Berlin-Kreuzberg and enjoy social events like team outings, Friday beers, and company runs.
💰 Net Salary Calculator
Tax class 1, no church tax
Gross Salary
€76,464/year
€6,372/month
Total Deductions
€30,316
40% effective rate
Net Salary (Take Home)
€3,845/mo
€46,148/year
Deduction Breakdown
🏛️ Income Tax€14,434
🏦 Pension Insurance€7,111
🏥 Health Insurance€6,103
🫶 Care Insurance€1,674
📋 Unemployment Insurance€994
🏠 Cost of Living in Berlin
Monthly Essentials
Rent (1BR)
€1231
Groceries
€280
Transport
€75
Utilities
€220
Internet
€40
Lifestyle & Entertainment
Eating Out
€13
Gym/Month
€45
Coffee
€4
Beer (0.5L)
€4
Cinema
€12
Monthly Net Salary:€3,845
Comfortable Living:€1,897
Monthly Savings:€1,948 (51%)
💰
Strong savings potential: You could save €1,948 monthly, which is €23,376 per year.
💡 These estimates are based on average costs in Berlin. Actual expenses vary based on lifestyle, neighborhood, and personal choices. "Comfortable living" includes rent, utilities, groceries, transport, and reasonable dining/entertainment.
Eligible for the EU Blue Card
A salary of €76,464 meets the EU Blue Card minimum of €45,300 (2026).
The EU Blue Card is a residence permit for highly qualified non-EU workers. It offers a fast track to permanent residency and allows family reunification.
Processing
4-12 weeks
Visa fee
€100
Requirements
University degree + Job offer
Also eligible: EU Blue Card (Shortage Occupation) (€41,042+)
Documents needed
Valid passport
Recognised university degree
Employment contract or binding job offer
Proof of salary meeting threshold
Health insurance coverage
Biometric passport photo
📍 Life in Berlin
👥
Population
3.6M
⭐
Quality of Life
8.0
🇬🇧
English Friendly
9.0
💻
Tech Scene
9.0
🌍
International
10.0
🚇
Public Transport
9.0
🚴
Bikeability
9.0
🌬️
Air Quality
6.0
🌳
Green Spaces
7.0
🚗
Car Free
8.0
ℹ️
About Berlin
- •Creative and tech hub
- •Diverse neighborhoods
- •Excellent public transport
🌤️
Climate
- •Continental climate
- •Cold winters
- •Mild summers
- •Four distinct seasons
❄️Jan: 0°C☀️Jul: 19°C📅Avg: 10°C
☀️1625 sunshine hours/year
🛡️
Safety
- •Generally safe
- •Higher petty crime than Munich
- •Some areas less safe at night
Overall:7.0
🏥
Healthcare
- •Good hospital network
- •Charité is world-renowned
- •Wait times can vary
Quality: 9.0Access: 8.0
🎭
Culture
- •World-class museums
- •Vibrant art scene
- •Rich history
🎉
Nightlife
- •Famous club scene
- •Diverse nightlife
- •24/7 culture
🏞️
Recreation
- •Many parks
- •Lakes
- •Tiergarten
- •Active outdoor scene
💰
Cost of Living
- •More affordable than Munich
- •Prices rising rapidly
- •Still cheaper than many European capitals
🏠 Rent (1BR center):€1231
⚡ Utilities:€220
🛒 Groceries:€280
🍽️ Dining out:€16
Part of Collections
HelloFresh SE is the world's leading meal kit company, delivering pre-portioned ingredients and recipes to customers in 18 countries. Founded in Berlin in 2011, it is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
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€per month
€2kthis job posts €5k – €8k€20k
Your situation in Germany
The default for anyone single, divorced or widowed.
Only changes the church tax rate — 8% in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, 9% everywhere else.
Childless employees over 23 pay a higher Pflegeversicherung (care insurance) rate.