AI Researcher - LLMs [32814]

Stealth Startup • Full-time • Remote (California, United States, US) • $400k / year • 2w ago

About the Role

We are seeking an exceptional Lead Researcher to lead and scale a world-class AI research organization focused on advancing the state of the art in machine learning, large language models, and applied AI systems. This role is both strategic and hands-on, responsible for defining long-term research vision while actively contributing to breakthrough innovations that directly impact product and business outcomes.

As Head of Research, you will build, mentor, and manage a high-caliber team of researchers and research engineers, partner closely with executive leadership, and translate cutting-edge research into scalable, real-world systems.

Key Responsibilities

Define and own the research vision and roadmap, aligned with company strategy and long-term goals
Lead and grow a team of AI Researchers, Applied Scientists, and Research Engineers
Drive innovation across areas such as:
Large Language Models (LLMs)
Reasoning and planning systems
Representation learning
Robustness, safety, and evaluation
Multimodal and agent-based systems
Balance long-horizon exploratory research with near-term applied research that powers products
Ensure research excellence through strong scientific rigor, reproducibility, and evaluation standards
Collaborate with Product, Engineering, and Leadership to transition research into production
Represent the company externally through publications, conferences, and industry engagement
Establish best practices for research processes, tooling, and infrastructure
Mentor senior researchers and develop future research leaders

Required Qualifications

PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI, or a closely related field (or equivalent research experience)
0-7 years of experience in AI/ML research, with at least several years in a research role
Proven track record of high-impact research contributions (top-tier conferences, journals, or widely adopted systems)
Deep expertise in modern ML techniques, especially LLMs, deep learning, and foundation models
Experience leading and scaling research teams in industry or advanced research labs
Strong understanding of the tradeoffs between research innovation and production constraints
Ability to communicate complex technical ideas clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

Experience leading research at a top AI lab, FAANG company, or well-known AI startup
Publications at leading venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, EMNLP)
Experience with model training at scale, including distributed systems and ML infrastructure
Background in deploying research models into real-world products
Prior experience influencing company-level technical strategy

What We Offer