Founding Machine Learning Engineer, AI
Job title: Founding Machine Learning Engineer, AI in San Francisco, CA at Recruiting From Scratch
Company: Recruiting From Scratch
Job description: Who is :Recruiting from Scratch is a talent firm that focuses on placing the best candidate for our clients. Our team is 100% remote and we work with teams across North America, South America, and Europe to help them hire.https://www.recruitingfromscratch.com/Title of Role: Founding Machine Learning Engineer (AI Experiments)
Location: Remote (US & Canada)
Company Stage of Funding: Series B
Office Type: Remote
Salary: $180,000–$250,000 + EquityCompany DescriptionOur client is a fast-growing, venture-backed startup revolutionizing remote work by creating immersive virtual office spaces that blend the energy of in-person collaboration with the flexibility of distributed teams. With over 100,000 weekly users and customers ranging from Fortune 500s to dynamic startups, this company is uniquely positioned to reimagine how people connect, collaborate, and create in the digital workplace.Backed by leading investors including Sequoia, Y Combinator, and Index Ventures, they’ve raised over $77M and built a passionate team of ~50. Despite the growth, the team remains tight-knit and mission-driven, with a strong culture of ownership, innovation, and impact.This role is part of a brand-new team exploring how AI can reshape knowledge work in a virtual environment—think of it as an innovation lab with real-world reach.What You Will Do
- Drive AI experimentation strategy and define the roadmap for internal tools and systems that enhance productivity.
- Design, build, and iterate on novel approaches to fine-tune large language models using proprietary company data.
- Develop practical applications of machine learning that transform real employee workflows.
- Mentor and collaborate with fellow engineers to foster a culture of creativity and rigor in AI development.
- Contribute to the open AI/ML community through publications or open-source work where appropriate.
- An internal ChatGPT system enhanced via RAG over company documentation and codebases.
- A Slack bot that acts as an internal Q&A assistant for engineering questions.
- A VSCode plugin that automatically generates tests.
- Cross-platform context systems that unify developer environments, chat logs, and browser history.
- 2–5 years of experience fine-tuning large language models (LLMs) for production use cases.
- Strong understanding of LLM behavior, model debugging, and the nuances of deployment in startup environments.
- History of working in fast-paced, ambiguous settings where experimentation and ownership are vital.
- Prior experience in a high-growth startup environment (
- Undergraduate degree in Computer Science or related field from a top university (e.g., CMU, Berkeley, UW).
- Experience with fine-tuning frameworks like TRL, LoRA/QLoRA, Axolotl.
- Skilled in Python, with additional comfort in TypeScript, Node.js, and React.
- Demonstrated contributions to open-source projects or published research in ML/AI.
- Passion for creating tools that make remote work more effective, human, and delightful.
- Self-motivated, resourceful, and thrives in a culture of experimentation.
- Salary: $180,000 – $250,000
- Competitive equity package (RSUs)
- Visa sponsorship available (including TN transfers)
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents
- 401(k) with matching program
- Generous PTO and mental health days
- Bi-weekly meal stipend
- Stipends for remote work setup, education, and wellness
- Family planning and gender affirmation support
- 100% remote work with a virtual office platform built in-house
- Opportunity to work at the cutting edge of AI + remote work