Staff Applied Research Engineer

What you'll do

• Design and evaluate information access + reasoning strategies across RAG, agents, and classic ML: chunking, embedding models, hybrid search, metadata filtering, structured retrieval, tool use, and multi-step workflows
• Prototype GenAI workflows (including agentic systems) that map and reason over compliance objects (controls ↔ risks ↔ requirements)
• Explore ML + probabilistic approaches where GenAI is not the best fit: classifiers, ranking models, graph/link prediction, calibration, and weak supervision
• Build and maintain evaluation frameworks: golden datasets, automated quality metrics, regression detection
• Implement and tune ranking/reranking systems: cross-encoders, LLM-based rerankers, learning-to-rank, custom scoring functions
• Run experiments to validate hypotheses and quantify improvements before production rollout
• Debug failure modes and build error taxonomies across retrieval, reasoning, and generation
• Collaborate with AI and Software Engineers to hand off validated approaches for productionization
• Stay current on applied research in RAG, agents, LLM evaluation, and relevance modeling; bring innovations into the product

What you'll bring

• 10+ years of experience in applied research, data science, or ML with a focus on NLP, information retrieval, or knowledge systems
• 2+ years of hands-on experience building or contributing to production AI/ML systems
• Strong foundation in information retrieval: dense and sparse retrieval, embedding models, search relevance
• Experience with RAG systems: chunking strategies, vector databases, retrieval optimization
• Proficiency in evaluation methodology: metrics design, golden dataset creation, A/B testing, statistical analysis
• Strong Python skills and comfort with notebook-driven research workflows
• Experience communicating research findings to engineering teams and translating insights into actionable recommendations
• Bonus: Experience with compliance, legal, or document-heavy domains
• Bonus: Publications or contributions in IR, NLP, or RAG evaluation

How we support you

• Shared Success: Stock equity / RSUs
• Health & Wellness: Up to 100% employer-paid medical, dental, vision premiums; wellness benefits; healthcare concierge
• Financial Well-being: 401(k), company-paid life/disability insurance, tax-advantaged spending accounts
• Family Support: Paid parental leave after 6 months; Kindbody fertility/family-building benefits
• Growth & Development: Annual professional/personal development stipends; internal learning opportunities
• Time Off & Flexibility: Flexible vacation policy, paid holidays