Clera is a talent-matching platform that replaces traditional job applications by connecting candidates and hiring teams through curated introductions.
ABOUT THE ROLE A well-funded, Series A AI/ML startup in the Bay Area is looking for a Founding ML Research Engineer to help build and scale its AI research backbone from the ground up. This role sits at the intersection of applied machine learning and systems engineering — ideal for someone who thrives in unstructured environments, loves building fast, and obsesses over model performance and data quality. You will work directly with the founding team to prototype, experiment, and ship research-driven features that push the boundaries of what modern AI systems can do. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Design, train, and evaluate ML models including LLMs, diffusion models, and domain-specific architectures. - Develop scalable experimentation pipelines for data, model, and evaluation workflows. - Collaborate closely with data and infrastructure teams to optimize training throughput and model quality. - Contribute to open research, internal benchmarks, and emerging techniques in multimodal and generative AI. - Rapidly prototype and productionize research insights into usable tools and models. - Define foundational technical culture — set standards for research rigor, documentation, and reproducibility. WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR - 3–10 years of hands-on experience in ML research, applied ML, or ML systems engineering. - Strong proficiency in Python and ML frameworks: PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow. - Deep familiarity with model architectures including Transformers, Diffusion Models, and RLHF techniques. - Experience designing and building scalable experimentation pipelines for data, model, and evaluation workflows. - Track record of contributing to open research, internal benchmarks, or emerging techniques in multimodal or generative AI. - Ability to move from research papers to working prototypes to production-ready code with strong emphasis on reproducibility and documentation. - Curiosity for emerging ML paradigms — multimodality, synthetic data, self-learning, agentic systems, and more. - Passion for building from zero to one in a high-velocity startup environment. COMPENSATION & BENEFITS - Salary: $220,000 – $300,000 annually (USD) - Competitive equity and benefits package commensurate with a founding-team role at a well-funded AI startup. LOCATION - On-site, full-time in Mountain View, California. Remote work is not available for this role. - Visa sponsorship is not available. Candidates must have current eligibility to work in the United States.