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Research, Safety

Thinking MachinesSan FranciscoResearch
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Salary
$350K - $475K USD
Job type
Full-time
Work mode
Remote
Posted
24 Aug 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

Thinking Machines is hiring a full-time Research, Safety professional based in San Francisco, California, with remote flexibility available. This position is ideal for technical researchers who want to ensure frontier AI models are safe, trustworthy, and aligned with human values.

Role Overview

The safety researcher position at Thinking Machines sits at the intersection of hands-on technical work and cutting-edge science. Professionals in this role investigate how models process harmful or dual-use queries, analyzing what models learn from data and how training procedures influence refusal boundaries. Team members design experiments, build evaluations, and directly inform how frontier models are trained and evaluated.

Key Responsibilities

Build data filtering pipelines and quality classifiers for pre-training corpora to study downstream safety impacts.
Apply post-training methods such as reinforcement learning from human and AI feedback to handle sensitive requests.
Design and maintain safety evaluations focused on long-horizon and agentic tasks.
Curate synthetic data for training and assessing safety-relevant model behaviors.
Red-team models and products to discover failure modes, jailbreaks, and emergent risks before deployment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Physics, Mathematics, or a related discipline.
Background in AI safety research with hands-on experience in areas like RLHF/RLAIF, alignment, preference modeling, safety evaluations, or red-teaming.
Proficiency in Python and deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX, along with debugging skills for distributed training.
Clear written communication skills to explain complex technical concepts.

Nice to Have

Experience building evaluations for multi-step, long-horizon, or agentic tasks.
Experience generating large-scale synthetic data for training or testing.
Familiarity with modern jailbreaking and red-teaming techniques.
Previous AI safety research contributions, including publications, open-source evaluations, or public red-teaming work.
Knowledge of current AI safety open problems such as scalable oversight, reward hacking, and jailbreak robustness.
A PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Physics, Mathematics, or a related field, or equivalent industry research experience.

Skills and Tools

Python
PyTorch
TensorFlow
JAX
Distributed training frameworks

Salary and Benefits

Expected annual salary range of $350,000 to $475,000 USD, depending on background, skills, and experience.
Visa sponsorship provided for eligible candidates.
Generous health, dental, and vision benefits.
Unlimited paid time off (PTO) and paid parental leave.
Relocation support provided as needed.

About the Company

Thinking Machines builds artificial intelligence designed to extend human will and judgment. The organization trains frontier models using Inkling, develops Tinker to allow people to customize models, and crafts interfaces that improve human-AI communication. The company operates with a commitment to equal employment opportunity without discrimination based on protected group status.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should visit the official Thinking Machines careers page to submit an application for this position.

Skills and tech stack

PythonPyTorchTensorFlow

Questions candidates ask

What is the salary range for the Research, Safety position?

The expected annual salary ranges from $350,000 to $475,000 USD, depending on background, skills, and experience.

Is remote work available for this role?

Yes, the role is based in San Francisco, California, with remote options supported.

Does Thinking Machines offer visa sponsorship?

Yes, Thinking Machines provides visa sponsorship and works through the process with qualified candidates.

What qualifications are required to apply?

Candidates need a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Physics, Mathematics, or a related field, a background in AI safety research, proficiency in Python, and familiarity with deep learning frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow.

What benefits are included with employment?

Benefits include health, dental, and vision coverage, unlimited PTO, paid parental leave, and relocation support.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official Thinking Machines careers page.

Apply on company site