# Applied Machine Learning Researcher

**Company:** [Phonely](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/phonely)
**Location:** Remote
**Role:** AI Research
**Skills:** Machine Learning, LLMs, Python, Fine-Tuning, Model Evaluation, NLP, Sft, Dpo, RLHF, Lora, Qlora, vLLM, Synthetic Data, Model Serving, Inference Optimization
**Posted:** 2026-07-15

> Conduct applied research and engineering to improve language-model behavior in real-time voice conversations. The role focuses on fine-tuning, rigorous evaluation, production failure analysis, data strategies, and safely deploying improvements.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Research and improve LLM behavior for real-time voice conversations.
- Design and run fine-tuning experiments across data, model, and evaluation strategies.
- Build evaluation frameworks for model quality, workflow-following, naturalness, reliability, task completion, and overall conversation quality.
- Analyze production conversations to identify failure modes and improvement opportunities.
- Develop data curation, labeling, and synthetic data strategies.
- Compare model architectures, training approaches, prompts, and datasets.
- Investigate regressions and clearly explain why model behavior improves or degrades.
- Work with engineering to deploy research improvements safely and efficiently.
- Help define model release criteria, evaluation gates, and quality benchmarks.

## Requirements
- Strong experience with machine learning and modern language models.
- Hands-on experience fine-tuning, evaluating, or adapting language models.
- Strong Python skills and comfort working with messy, real-world datasets.
- Ability to design rigorous experiments and interpret results clearly.
- Experience building or improving evaluation systems for AI models.
- Strong analytical skills and ability to debug model behavior.
- Clear written and spoken communication with technical and non-technical teammates.
- Practical focus on production impact, latency, reliability, and customer outcomes.

## Nice to Have
- PhD in machine learning, NLP, or a related field.
- Experience with conversational AI, voice AI, or customer-support automation.
- Experience with SFT, preference tuning, DPO, RFT, GRPO, RLHF, LoRA, or QLoRA.
- Familiarity with model serving, inference optimization, or vLLM.
- Experience with synthetic data generation and data quality pipelines.
- Experience in a startup or fast-moving product environment.

## Similar jobs

- [AI Researcher](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/077574a5-3c6d-4634-a23c-4a909ce8aa65) - Improbable - Remote
- [Research Scientist - Member of Technical Staff](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/9807d0a2-a252-48f0-81fa-2175608c94b8) - AI Digest - Remote - $150k – $350k/yr
- [Engineer - Member of Technical Staff](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/cba82dd2-84d4-48a7-8d75-58783156ab95) - AI Digest - Remote - $150k – $350k/yr
- [Senior Product Builder, Organizational Intelligence](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/055a44bc-2ab2-4d24-bc52-ab326cc477fb) - Vanta - Remote - $176k – $207k/yr

**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/8176d733-5d39-4850-8c40-9ee947afad04
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/8176d733-5d39-4850-8c40-9ee947afad04