Machine Learning Research Scientist, Reasoning

At Scale AI, our mission is to accelerate the development of AI applications. For 8 years, Scale has been the leading AI data foundry, fueling the most exciting advancements in AI, including generative AI, defense applications, and autonomous vehicles. With our recent Series F round, we're amplifying access to high-quality data to drive progress toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

Building on our history of model evaluation with enterprise and government customers, we are expanding our capabilities to set new standards for both public and private evaluations. This role operates at the forefront of AI research and real-world implementation, with a strong focus on reasoning within large language models (LLMs). The ideal candidate will study the data types critical for advancing LLM-based agents, including browser and software engineering (SWE) agents.

You will play a key role in shaping Scale's data strategy by identifying the most effective data sources and methodologies for improving LLM reasoning. Success in this role requires a deep understanding of LLMs, planning algorithms, and novel approaches to agentic reasoning, as well as creativity in tackling challenges related to data generation, model interaction, and evaluation. You will contribute to impactful research on language model reasoning , collaborate with external researchers, and work closely with engineering teams to bring state-of-the-art advancements into scalable, real-world solutions.

You should also be skilled at rapidly interpreting research literature and turning new ideas into working prototypes. A track record of published research in top ML and NLP venues (e.g., At least three years of experience solving complex ML challenges, either in a research setting or product development, particularly in areas related to LLM capabilities and reasoning. Hands-on experience fine-tuning open-source LLMs or leading bespoke LLM fine-tuning projects using PyTorch/JAX.

Research and practical experience in building applications and evaluations related to LLM-based agents, including tool-use, text-to-SQL, browser agents, coding agents, and GUI agents. Proficiency in cloud-based ML development, with experience in AWS or GCP environments. Our research interviews are designed to assess candidates' ability to prototype and debug ML models, their depth of understanding in research concepts, and their alignment with our organizational culture.

Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position, determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval.

Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Please reference the job posting's subtitle for where this position will be located.

For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the locations of San Francisco, New York, Seattle is:$252,000—$315,000 USD PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. Our products provide the high-quality data and full-stack technologies that power the world's leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact.

We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or Veteran status. We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities.

If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at .

PLEASE NOTE: We collect, retain and use personal data for our professional business purposes, including notifying you of job opportunities that may be of interest and sharing with our affiliates. We limit the personal data we collect to that which we believe is appropriate and necessary to manage applicants' needs, provide our services, and comply with applicable laws. Any information we collect in connection with your application will be treated in