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Senior / Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Applied AI

Lila SciencesCambridge, MA USA; San Francisco, CA USAAI
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Salary
$180K — $298K USD
Job type
Full-time
Experience
Senior · 1+ yrs
Posted
7 Oct 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

This position suits a machine learning professional who wants to focus on model adaptation and evaluation while taking ownership of technical challenges in Cambridge, MA or San Francisco, CA. Lila Sciences is hiring a Senior or Staff Machine Learning Engineer for their Applied AI team to bridge the gap between AI capabilities and scientific customer workflows.

Role Overview

The Senior or Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Applied AI will shape how Lila adapts AI models to meet specific customer requirements. Working at the intersection of AI research, model engineering, and product deployment, the professional in this position will translate frontier model features into dependable workflows.

Key Responsibilities

Apply technical expertise to connect model features with scientific workflows required by customers.
Execute post-training tasks using supervised fine-tuning and reinforcement learning methods such as DPO, PPO, and GRPO to align model performance.
Conduct evaluation loops to track model reliability, quality, and customer suitability.
Transform evaluation data, customer insights, and signals into structured model improvement phases.
Collaborate with AI researchers to convert research advancements into usable capabilities.
Coordinate with software teams to incorporate model behavior into product workflows.
Troubleshoot complex model issues utilizing traces, customer context, scientific feedback, and evaluations.

Requirements

Minimum 1 to 2 years of practical post-training experience involving supervised fine-tuning and reinforcement learning methods like DPO, PPO, and GRPO alongside evaluation system design.
Software engineering abilities in Python and PyTorch.
Capacity to troubleshoot model behavior using logs, data, traces, and qualitative feedback.
Familiarity with large language models, multi-modal models, or agentic AI systems.
Communication skills to translate customer requirements into technical plans and explain model behavior to technical and non-technical groups.

Nice to Have

Background in adapting models for customer-facing or production workflows within scientific, technical, or data-heavy sectors.
Experience with reinforcement learning post-training including RLHF, GRPO, or tool-augmented reinforcement learning.
Background in developing evaluation harnesses, quality dashboards, or model monitoring.
Experience training Mixture of Experts architectures.
History of mentoring engineers and acting as a technical expert.

Skills and Tools

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

Salary and Benefits

Base salary range between $180,000 and $298,000 USD with bonus potential and early-stage equity.
U.S. benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, employer-paid life and disability insurance, flexible time off, paid parental leave, educational assistance, commuter benefits, and subsidized lunches.
International employees receive regional benefits.

About the Company

Lila Sciences builds Scientific Superintelligence to address global challenges by creating systems that learn independently. The organization combines advanced AI models with proprietary AI Science Factory instruments to automate the scientific method across medicine, materials, and energy.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly on the official Lila Sciences careers page.

Skills and tech stack

PythonPyTorchSFTDPOPPOGRPORLHFMachine Learning

Questions candidates ask

What is the location of this position?

This role is based in Cambridge, MA or San Francisco, CA.

What is the salary range for this role?

The expected base salary range is $180,000 to $298,000 USD, with additional bonus potential and early-stage equity.

How many years of experience are required?

The position requires a minimum of 1 to 2 years of hands-on post-training experience and evaluation system design.

What technical skills are needed?

Candidates need software engineering skills in Python and PyTorch, familiarity with large language models, multi-modal models, or agentic AI systems, and experience with post-training methods like SFT and reinforcement learning.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official Lila Sciences careers page.

Apply on company site