Staff Machine Learning Research Scientist, LLM Evals

As the leading data and evaluation partner for frontier AI companies, Scale is dedicated to advancing the evaluation and benchmarking of large language models (LLMs). We are building industry-leading LLM evals, setting new standards for model performance assessment. Our mission is to develop rigorous, scalable, and fair evaluation methodologies to drive the next generation of AI capabilities.

Our Research teams work with the industry's leading AI labs to provide high quality data and accelerate progress in GenAI research. As a Staff Machine Learning Research Scientist on the LLM Evals team, you will lead the development of novel evaluation methodologies, metrics, and benchmarks to measure the capabilities and limitations of frontier LLMs. You will help define what "good" looks like in generative AI, driving research that informs both our internal roadmap and the broader research community. This role is critical for designing and executing a roadmap that defines best practices in data driven AI development and will accelerate the next generation of generative AI models in partnership with top foundational model labs.

You will :

• Drive research on the effectiveness and limitations of existing LLM evaluation techniques.
• Design and develop novel evaluation benchmarks for large language models, covering areas such as instruction following, factuality, robustness, and fairness.
• Communicate, collaborate, and build relationships with clients and peer teams to facilitate cross-functional projects.
• Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to refine metrics and create standardized evaluation protocols.
• Implement scalable and reproducible evaluation pipelines using modern ML frameworks.
• Publish research findings in top-tier AI conferences and contribute to open-source benchmarking initiatives.
• Mentor and guide research scientists and engineers, providing technical leadership across cross-functional projects.
• Stay deeply engaged with the ML research community, tracking emerging work and contributing to the advancement of LLM evaluation science.
• Thrive in a high-energy, fast-paced startup environment and are ready to dedicate the time and effort needed to drive impactful results.

Ideally you'd have :

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. You'll also receive benefits including, but not limited to : Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.

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 :

$240,000 — $380,000 USD

PLEASE NOTE : Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.

About Us :

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 work closely with industry leaders like Meta, Cisco, DLA Piper, Mayo Clinic, Time Inc., the Government of Qatar, and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.

We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, which is why we are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. 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 accommodations@scale.com. Please see the United States Department of Labor's Know Your Rights poster for additional information.

We comply with the United States Department of Labor's Pay Transparency provision .

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