AI Research Engineer

ABOUT HANDSHAKE Handshake is the career network for the AI economy. 20 million knowledge workers, 1,600 educational institutions, 1 million employers (including 100% of the Fortune 50), and every foundational AI lab trust Handshake to power career discovery, hiring, and upskilling, from freelance AI training gigs to first internships to full-time careers and beyond. This unique value is leading to unparalleled growth; in 2025, we tripled our ARR at scale. Why join Handshake now: - Shape how every career evolves in the AI economy, at global scale, with impact your friends, family and peers can see and feel - Work hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs, Fortune 500 partners and the world’s top educational institutions - Join a team with leadership from Scale AI, Meta, xAI, Notion, Coinbase, and Palantir, among others - Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenue ABOUT THE ROLE - Design and implement post-training systems and methodologies in close partnership with research scientists and domain experts - Build and maintain infrastructure that supports large-scale model training, specialized data processing, and benchmark evaluation - Develop robust frameworks for verifying the quality and integrity of highly specialized domain datasets - Create next-generation LLM benchmarks that push the boundaries of model evaluation and capabilities assessment - Optimize performance across software and hardware layers to accelerate post-training experimentation and deployment - Collaborate across disciplines to ensure rigorous validation of model improvements and benchmark reliability DESIRED CAPABILITIES - Strong Python programming skills with attention to clean, efficient, and scalable code - Experience building and operating large-scale systems for model post-training, specialized data processing, or benchmark evaluation - Deep familiarity with PyTorch and modern post-training techniques (RLHF, constitutional AI, etc.) - A background in applied machine learning, model evaluation, or large-scale data quality assessment - Experience with benchmark design, evaluation methodologies, and performance measurement frameworks - Clear communication skills and a collaborative mindset for cross-functional research teams EXTRA CREDIT - Experience optimizing deep learning models for performance (e.g., memory usage, training speed) - Interest in the societal and ethical impacts of AI technologies - Contributions to open-source ML infrastructure or tools PERKS Handshake delivers benefits that help you feel supported—and thrive at work and in life. The below benefits are for full-time US employees. 🎯 Ownership: Equity in a fast-growing company 💰 Financial Wellness: 401(k) match, competitive compensation, financial coaching 🍼 Family Support: Paid parental leave, fertility benefits, parental coaching 💝 Wellbeing: Medical, dental, and vision, mental health support, $500 wellness stipend 📚 Growth: $2,000 learning stipend, ongoing development 💻 Remote & Office: Internet, commuting, and free lunch/gym in our SF office 🏝 Time Off: Flexible PTO, 15 holidays + 2 flex days 🤝 Connection: Team outings & referral bonuses Explore our mission, values, and comprehensive US benefits at joinhandshake.com/careers. http://joinhandshake.com/careers.Your