Associate Manager Machine Learning

We are hiring a Manager, Machine Learning (MLE) to lead the development and operationalization of machine learning systems powering the Taco Bell Voice AI experience. This role is central to ensuring performance, scalability, and reliability across real-time models that support speech, natural language understanding, and agent behavior.

You will manage a team of MLEs and partner with AI Engineers, QA, and DevOps to deliver high-quality agent performance with a strong focus on latency, integration with restaurant systems (e.g., HME, POS), and production excellence.

Key Responsibilities:

• ML System Design & Architecture:
  • Lead the design of end-to-end ML pipelines for speech, ASR, and NLU modules.
  • Optimize model performance for real-time interaction, including latency, uptime, and inference cost.
  • Implement and evolve model evaluation, testing, and monitoring frameworks.
• Infrastructure & Integration:
  • Collaborate with engineering to integrate ML components with external systems (HME, menu boards, POS).
  • Support scalable deployment strategies across markets and environments.
  • Drive MLOps best practices in CI/CD, rollback, logging, and observability.
• Leadership & Collaboration:
  • Mentor and guide a team of MLEs and junior ML engineers.
  • Partner with product, AI engineering, and QA to define technical scope, delivery targets, and quality standards.
  • Support internal upskilling and technical review of AI-driven components.

Required Qualifications:

• 6+ years of experience in machine learning, including at least 2 years in technical leadership roles.
• Proven expertise in deploying NLP, ASR, or LLM-based systems in real-time applications.
• Strong programming skills in Python and ML tooling (e.g., PyTorch, HuggingFace, ONNX, MLflow).
• Experience optimizing model latency and integrating ML with backend infrastructure.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in QSR, retail, or voice-driven customer service environments.
• Background in integrating AI with physical systems (HME, POS, IoT).
• Familiarity with LoRA, quantization, distillation, and model compression techniques.

Location & Travel:

• This role is based in Irvine, CA at the Taco Bell offices.
• Hybrid work model: in-office 1–2 days per week required.
• Occasional travel to deployment sites or test locations may be needed.

Salary Range: $134,500 to $158,300 annually + bonus eligibility. This is the expected salary range for this position. Ultimately, in determining pay, we'll consider the successful candidate’s location, experience, and other job-related factors.

Yum! Brands, Inc., based in Louisville, Kentucky, and its subsidiaries franchise or operate a system of over 59,000 restaurants in more than 155 countries and territories under the company’s concepts – KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger & Grill. The Company's KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands are global leaders of the chicken, Mexican-style food, and pizza categories, respectively. Habit Burger & Grill is a fast casual restaurant concept specializing in made-to-order chargrilled burgers, sandwiches and more. In 2024, Yum! was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America, and the company was recognized among TIME Magazine’s list of Best Companies for Future Leaders, Newsweek’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies and USA Today’s America’s Climate Leaders. Yum! also received widespread recognition in 2023, including being listed on the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index; and Forbes’ list of America’s Best Employers for Diversity. In addition, KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut brands were ranked in the top five of Entrepreneur’s Top Global Franchises Ranking for 2023.