Joe Waugh
Sr. ML Engineer @ ThredUp.
Phoenix, AZ
About
My name is Joe Waugh, and I'm a Sr. Machine Learning Engineer at ThredUp in Scottsdale, AZ. I'm a Phoenix native focused on deploying production ML systems—from pose estimation models for garment automation to edge deployments for low-latency inference. I also lead ThredUp's ML intern program and volunteer as a career mentor for Arizona State University and Georgia Tech students.
I'm passionate about data-driven decision making and have served in multiple roles as a W2 employee and 1099 consultant, helping organizations uncover patterns and build scalable solutions. My work spans KPI optimization, retail forecasting, computer vision, fraud detection, and self-training multi-classification models—collectively driving $300M+ in revenue savings, labor reduction, and operational impact.
Experience
ThredUp
Senior Machine Learning Engineer (July 2024 – Present)
- Developing and deploying pose estimation models for garment measurement automation, reducing annual labor costs by $1M+ and supporting measurement-related product development
- Leading edge model deployments for low-latency, on-device inference across ThredUp's processing pipeline
- Managing the 2025 and 2026 ML intern program: interviewing, onboarding, project scoping, and mentoring interns on computer vision and production ML systems
- Python, SQL, Spark, AWS, Kubernetes, CI/CD (GitHub Actions)
FedEx
Data Scientist II (April 2022 – June 2024)
- Led development of an internal package fraud alerting system using multiple GCP microservices resulting in $300M+ in revenue savings from customer churn and 100+ internal employee terminations due to theft
- Developed a TensorFlow image classification model for package surcharges, yielding an estimated $3M in future revenue
- Deployed production changes to improve the FedEx.com estimated delivery date prediction model accuracy by 5%
- Built a TensorFlow image classification model to audit picture proof of delivery images, generating yearly savings of $2M
- Developed a computer vision learning curriculum and facilitated an internal workshop for 15+ data scientists
- Built 10+ data ingestion jobs with Cron and Cloud Composer for ingestion of IBM AS/400 and DB2 data into BigQuery
- Python, SQL, Spark, TensorFlow, BigQuery, Cloud Logging, Cron, Cloud Composer, Power BI
Operations Research, Planning & Analysis Engineer (January 2021 – April 2022)
- Built capex spend analysis regarding $300–700M facility upgrades and reviewed with executive stakeholders, resulting in a 100% approval rate for CapEx spend proposals
- Developed a Python library to handle company forecast data for a 1.2B+ capex budget optimization research initiative
- Python, SQL, Spark, Vertex AI, BigQuery, Pandas, NumPy
State Farm
Process Engineer (June 2019 – December 2020)
- Developed 7 different robotics process automation (RPA) use cases from ideation to deployment that resulted in $400k cost savings and 30 FTEs saved for the organization
- Collaborated with internal claims leadership to develop claim volume forecasts, resulting in improved operational efficiencies and business growth by accurately estimating FTE needs for upcoming fiscal year
- Performed A/B product tests to identify 5% lift in a potential new product to identify telematics-related information during crash events related to the State Farm Drive Safe and Save program
- Python, R, SQL, Power BI, Hadoop, Spark, Facebook Prophet
Education
Georgia Institute of Technology
Master of Science, Computer Science (January 2020 – December 2022)
Specialization: Machine Learning
Academic Research:
Arizona State University
Bachelor of Science, Business Data Analytics (August 2017 – July 2019)
Graduated from 4-year program in 2 years at 19 years old.
Published Work:
Mentorship
Outside of my professional roles, I volunteer as a career mentor for Arizona State University and Georgia Tech students. I focus on understanding each mentee's unique career objectives and crafting tailored plans to help achieve them. Whether you are looking to transition to a major tech firm, refine your resume, prepare for interviews, or advance in your current position, I am here to offer expert guidance and support.