Ai/ml Engineer

About the Company

Founded in 1997, Rakuten Group is headquartered in Tokyo, with over 14,000 employees worldwide. Rakuten started as the largest eCommerce company in Japan, but has now become one of the largest internet conglomerates in Japan offering more than 70 services worldwide including Fintech businesses (Card, Securities, Bank and insurance) as well as newly-entered mobile carrier business as 4th carrier in Japan. Rakuten’s vision is to become the worlds’ biggest membership company. Rakuten provides the opportunities where employees can grow in a large dynamic and innovative company, along with the entrepreneurial environment of a startup. Rakuten’s global footprint spans six continents and multiple industries

Rakuten India Development Centre is the second largest technology hub outside of Japan that enables & builds platforms for global E commerce, Payments, Digital, AI, Data Science services across the globe. The India arm serves as a research and development center with an employee strength of around 1500+ & growing.

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated engineer to join our team, focusing on developing and scaling a next-generation e-commerce catalog platform with integration of cutting-edge AI technologies, including Large Language Models (LLMs). This role combines expertise in Python and optimally Java backend development, production-scale architecture, and AI/ML applications to create data-intensive solutions for data pipelines, data gathering solutions, catalog optimization. and to power different business use cases. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in backend engineering, AI-driven solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Technical Excellence and Architecture

• Be part of the design, development, and deployment of scalable, production-grade platforms for e-commerce catalog operations.
• Build solutions using Python or Java backend systems, ensuring scalability, fault tolerance, and maintainability.
• Collaborate with the engineering team, fostering technical excellence and best practices.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration to align technical solutions with business goals.

2. Backend Development and Platform Scaling

• Build and maintain robust backend systems using Python or Java Spring Framework (Spring Boot, Spring Cloud).
• Develop APIs and microservices to handle high volumes of data in real-time with low latency.
• Optimize platform performance to support large-scale catalogs and global user traffic.
• Ensure high availability and fault tolerance for critical catalog operations.

3. AI and Machine Learning Integration

• Design and implement solutions leveraging Large Language Models (LLMs), such as OpenAI GPT APIs or similar frameworks.
• Fine-tune and optimize LLMs for performance, accuracy, and relevance in e-commerce applications.
• Build and maintain RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) systems and vectorized databases for enhanced AI capabilities.
• Collaborate with data science teams to deploy AI/ML models for catalog optimization, personalization, and predictive analytics.

4. Data Engineering and Pipelines

• Work with data engineers to design and optimize data pipelines, ensuring the availability and quality of training datasets.
• Develop scalable systems to process and store large volumes of catalog data.
• Leverage big data technologies like Hadoop, Spark, or Kafka for efficient data processing and real-time synchronization.

5. Cloud and DevOps

• Deploy and manage backend services and ML models on cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Set up and optimize CI/CD pipelines for seamless deployments and updates.
• Monitor system and model performance, ensuring smooth operations and rapid troubleshooting.

6. Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement

• Partner with product management, business development, and engineering teams to define platform requirements and AI/ML solutions.
• Communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders effectively.
• Stay updated on industry trends in AI, ML, and backend development to drive innovation.

Required Qualifications:

BE/B TECH in Computer Science or Equivalent

Technical Skills

Backend Development:

• 4+ years of experience in Python / Java development, including expertise in Spring Boot, microservices, and RESTful APIs.
• Experience in designing and scaling production-grade platforms for high-volume applications.

AI/ML Expertise:

• Proficiency in integrating LLMs like OpenAI GPT and frameworks such as Hugging Face Transformers.
• Hands-on experience with TensorFlow, PyTorch, or similar tools.

Data Engineering:

• Strong knowledge of big data technologies like Hadoop, Spark, or Kafka.
• Familiarity with RAG systems, vectorized databases, and retrieval-based AI.

Cloud and DevOps:

• Proven experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization tools like Docker and Kubernetes.
• Expertise in CI/CD pipelines and system monitoring.

Professional Experience

• 4+ years of experience in backend development, machine learning, and NLP applications.
• Proven track record of delivering scalable, fault-tolerant platforms and AI-powered solutions.

Soft Skills

• Strong leadership, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced certifications in machine learning, cloud computing, or AI technologies.
• Experience in e-commerce catalog systems, including product onboarding, search optimization, and personalization.
• Contributions to open-source projects or active participation in tech communities.

What We Offer:

• A collaborative environment to work on cutting-edge AI and backend technologies.
• Opportunities to lead and shape the future of e-commerce catalog platforms.
• Competitive compensation and benefits package.
• Access to advanced tools and frameworks in AI, cloud, and backend development.
• This is your opportunity to lead the development of a state-of-the-art, AI-integrated e-commerce catalog platform. If you're ready to combine your expertise in Python or java development, architecture, and AI, we want to hear from you!