Senior Machine Learning Engineer for Search

Join bol.com as a Senior Machine Learning Engineer for Search

Improve Search and help our customers find the right products.

With 13 million customers, 129 million monthly visits and about 41 million products on display, bol.com is the most successful online retail platform in The Netherlands and Belgium. Well over 49,000 external partners enrich the product base. Data-driven and adventurous, we intend to deliver on our promise to make life easier and more fun for customers. Our IT team of 750+ professionals (25% internationals) is dedicated to this mission. Making mistakes is no biggie, as long as learnings are shared.

What you do as Machine Learning Engineer

As a Machine Learning Engineer, you’ll play a key role in designing, building, and deploying machine learning solutions that power bol.com’s data-driven innovations. Working in cross-functional teams alongside data scientists, software engineers, and business stakeholders, you’ll transform tested models into scalable, real-time production systems that directly enhance customer experiences.

We’re looking for an engineer who can bridge the gap between data science and software engineering—someone who can take ML concepts from idea to production using modern frameworks, MLOps best practices, and cloud technologies. You’ll tackle challenges like integrating low-latency models into high-traffic services, improving real-time feedback loops, and exploring LLM applications for search. Flexibility, curiosity, and a “get things done” mindset are essential as you balance rapid iteration with long-term scalability.

Key requirements:

• 5+ years’ experience as an ML Engineer, ideally in Search or Recommendations
• Strong Python, SQL, and data engineering skills (Airflow, DBT, Kubernetes, CI/CD)
• Experience deploying ML in production on cloud platforms (GCP preferred)
• Comfortable with agile workflows, A/B testing, and MLOps best practices

3 reasons why this is (not) for you

• - if you do not believe in an agile/iterative approach. You only want to build models from data and are not interested in doing the work involved in taking these models into production.
• - if you are not flexible and can’t shift smoothly between different topics. You are just fine with spaghetti code or do not understand what that is.
• - if you are not comfortable if the design of the end-state is not known yet. You do not like coding, scripting, templating.

• + if you are open to brainstorm and discuss potential solutions together. You like working on the overlap between AI, software and data engineering.
• + if you have an A/B test mindset. You like real-time visible solutions in a high impact area of the company.
• + if you have an A/B test mindset. You like to communicate and take your team and stakeholders along in moving solutions to production.

Where you’ll work

As a Machine Learning Engineer, you’ll be at the centre of our data intensive landscape. Our business model is focused on technology and data-driven improvements that drive innovation for our customers. The data science community in bol.com is a growing team of unique data savvy professionals consisting of Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, Data Engineers and Software Engineers. Next to that there is also a specific MLE-community. The cross-functional teams, with ample representation from the business units, also give you a complete picture of the organization. Professional success in data science requires more than any university can teach you, and bol.com is the perfect place to learn the rest. The setting is informal, pragmatic and innovative. Our success is based on collaborating as equals and continuously learning from each other.

We take pride in our B Corp certification and strive for continuous improvement every day. Our annual bonus is tied to sustainability goals.

Perks of having a blue heart

The culture and the office

Our colleagues work hard to make the daily lives of our customers easier and more fun. But of course, we do this in an inspiring and creative environment!

Flexible working

We bring the best of both worlds together by working 50% at the office and 50% at home. This way, we find a balance between organisational and individual needs.

The extras

To start your bol journey off right, you’ll receive a welcome package, a laptop, and even a noise-cancelling headset.