Principal ML/AI Research Engineer

About Audiience

We're transforming how content is created and trusted in publishing. We deliver technology that is accurate, scalable, and creative - built to elevate both craft and integrity. We attract the best in the business not through traditional methods, but through the solutions we create and the culture we've built.

Our Culture:

• Low ego, high confidence – We sharpen each other through continuous improvement
• Open communication – Even when it creates necessary conflict
• Systems thinking – We solve complex problems through collaboration
• Human-centered – We work because we love what we do, but we are human first
• Integritycreativity – We win together or not at all

The Role

We're seeking a Principal AI/ML Research Engineer with savant-level abilities in solving exceptionally hard problems. This is not a role defined by years of experience, pedigrees, or degrees-though those matter. We want tenacious, self-taught learners who master the hardest assignments and continuously improve their craft. If you're young or old, traditionally educated or self-taught, but possess extraordinary ML/LLM/NLP/AI/Big Data capabilities and can articulate complex ideas through comprehensive white papers, we want to talk.

What You'll Do

• Design, implement, and improve reinforcement learning algorithms used in model training
• Work closely with the data team to define reward signals and training objectives
• Train and refine models using both proprietary and open-weight foundations (e.g. Llama, DeepSeek)
• Run experiments, analyze results, and iterate based on empirical outcomes
• Help turn research ideas into stable, repeatable training pipelines

What We're Looking For

Core Technical Expertise

• Strong experience with pytorch
• Solid understanding of reinforcement learning
• General machine learning experience with large neural networks
• Ability to debug training instability and performance issues
• Comfortable working with ambiguous problems and incomplete specs

Communication

• Communication excellence – Can clearly articulate complex technical concepts through comprehensive white papers and documentation of experiments and results
• Demonstrate ability to explain technical decisions and tradeoffs to other engineers

Background

• Degree not required
• Prior experience as an ml engineer or applied researcher
• Startup or fast-moving environment experience is a plus

Your Mindset

• Problem-solving prowess – You see problems others don't and solve them in ways others can't
• Tenacious learner – Self-taught capabilities and continuous improvement are in your DNA
• Systems thinker – You understand how complex systems interact and create elegant solutions
• Results-oriented – Bias toward flexibility, impact, and getting it done
• Collaborative by nature – You believe we can only win if we do it together

Nice to Have

• Experience with fused kernels, cuda, or performance optimization
• Prior work with large language models
• Distributed training or large-scale experimentation experience
• Published research papers or patents in AI/ML
• Previous startup or early-stage engineering experience
• Volunteer work

Why Join Us

• Solve extraordinary problems with fewer resources than competitors-your impact is magnified
• Work with brilliant misfits who value craft, integrity, and creativity over politics
• Shape the future of content creation and trust in publishing
• Own end-to-end – From research to production, you'll have agency and impact
• Continuous learning – Work at the bleeding edge of AI with teammates who challenge and sharpen you

Location:

This role is fully remote; however, you must be willing to work Pacific Time zone hours. Occasional travel will be required for team workshops.

Come Work With Us!

We offer competitive compensation and benefits, equity, generous time off to recharge, and flexible working hours.

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse team. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, especially those who might not check every box but possess the savant-level problem-solving abilities