Senior Machine Learning Engineer / Applied Researcher

Title: Senior Machine Learning Engineer / Applied ResearcherLocation: San Jose, CASalary: $250K-$300KA cutting-edge AI startup is hiring a Senior Machine Learning Engineer to help build and advance their core machine learning systems. The company is continuing to expand its platform and is looking for a strong engineer who can contribute both to research exploration and hands-on model development. This is a startup environment where engineers take real ownership over their work, collaborate closely with leadership, and play a direct role in how the platform evolves as the company scales.This role blends applied research with hands-on development, with roughly 30% focused on reading and publishing research and 70% focused on building production ML systems. You will develop and improve models across areas such as deep learning, LLMs, reinforcement learning, and emerging multimodal systems while translating research insights into production implementations. Engineers in this role own end-to-end initiatives, working on new problem domains and building systems from 0 to 1 while helping guide technical direction for the broader team.Experience5+ years of experience in Machine Learning, Applied Research, or similar rolesMS or PhD in Computer Science, or related technical fieldsStrong Python experience building and implementing ML modelsExperience with Deep Learning frameworks and modern LLM systemsExperience reading and publishing research papers and/or translating research into production systemsExposure to Multimodal systems, AI Safety or Red Teams, Reinforcement Learning, or similar advanced ML techniques a plusBenefitsEquityBonus StructurePaid Time OffMedical, dental, and vision coverageOpportunity to create lasting impact within a growing organizationHybrid working scheduleOscar Associates Limited (US) is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.