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Principal Machine Learning Engineer, Applied AI

Lila SciencesCambridge, MA USA; San Francisco, CA USAAI
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Salary
$252K — $336K USD
Job type
Full-time
Experience
Senior · 2+ yrs
Posted
7 Oct 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

Lila Sciences is hiring a Principal Machine Learning Engineer for their Applied AI team in Cambridge, Massachusetts or San Francisco, California. This senior individual contributor role suits an experienced engineer focused on model post-training, evaluation, and production machine learning systems.

Role Overview

Lila Sciences seeks a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to join the Applied AI organization. The position focuses on bridging frontier artificial intelligence capabilities with customer-specific scientific workflows. Working at the intersection of AI research, model engineering, and product deployment, the professional adapts company models to user needs, enhances model performance through targeted post-training, and refines system behavior within product environments.

Key Responsibilities

Adapt model capabilities to address user-specific scientific workflows through applied technical expertise.
Direct post-training initiatives utilizing supervised fine-tuning and reinforcement learning methods like DPO, PPO, and GRPO to align model behavior.
Design and execute evaluation loops to monitor model quality, reliability, and customer alignment.
Translate user feedback, data insights, and evaluation findings into structured model enhancement cycles.
Collaborate with research teams to convert model progress into functional product capabilities.
Coordinate with software teams to embed model behavior into complete product workflows.
Troubleshoot complex model failures using execution traces, evaluations, user context, and scientific feedback.
Guide engineering personnel by sharing reusable patterns for model adaptation, evaluation, and deployment.

Requirements

Minimum of 2 to 3 years of practical experience in post-training methodologies including supervised fine-tuning and reinforcement learning approaches such as DPO, PPO, and GRPO alongside evaluation system design.
Software development capabilities utilizing Python and machine learning frameworks like PyTorch.
Ability to diagnose ambiguous model behaviors through data, logs, traces, and qualitative feedback.
Background in leading technical initiatives across research and engineering departments.
Familiarity with large language models, multi-modal models, or agentic artificial intelligence systems.
Communication abilities to convey technical approaches to user requirements and explain model behavior to diverse audiences.

Nice to Have

Background adapting models for production or customer-facing environments within scientific, technical, or data-heavy sectors.
Experience involving reinforcement learning post-training such as RLHF, GRPO, or tool-augmented reinforcement learning.
Practice in developing evaluation harnesses, quality dashboards, or model monitoring tools.
Background training Mixture of Experts architectures.
Track record of mentoring peers and operating as a technical subject matter expert.

Skills and Tools

Python
PyTorch
Large Language Models
Multi-modal models
Agentic AI systems
SFT
RL (DPO, PPO, GRPO, RLHF)

Salary and Benefits

Base salary range spans from $252,000 to $336,000 USD with bonus potential and early-stage equity.
U.S. full-time package includes medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability insurance.
Flexible time off, paid holidays, paid parental leave, educational assistance, commuter benefits, and a subsidized lunch program.

About the Company

Lila Sciences develops Scientific Superintelligence to address global challenges by creating systems that learn independently. The organization merges advanced artificial intelligence models with proprietary AI Science Factory instruments to form an autonomous operating system for scientific discovery across medicine, materials, and energy. Operating principles include truth, trust, curiosity, grit, and velocity.

How to Apply

Candidates should visit the official Lila Sciences careers page to submit an application.

Skills and tech stack

PythonPyTorchLLMsMulti-modal modelsAgentic AIMachine Learning

Questions candidates ask

What locations are available for this position?

This role is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, or San Francisco, California, USA.

What is the expected salary range for the role?

The expected base salary range is $252,000 to $336,000 USD, with additional bonus potential and early-stage equity.

How many years of experience are required?

Applicants need a minimum of 2 to 3 years of hands-on post-training and evaluation system design experience.

What technical frameworks and languages are required?

The role requires software engineering skills in Python and modern machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch.

What benefits are provided for full-time U.S. employees?

Benefits include medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, flexible time off, paid parental leave, educational assistance, commuter benefits, and a subsidized lunch program.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official Lila Sciences careers page.

Apply on company site