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Research Scientist (Icml)

AfterQuery

OnSite San Francisco
Uncategorized

Job Score

70 pts
On-site model (+70)

About AfterQuery

AfterQuery is an applied research lab curating data solutions for foundation model development.

We serve every frontier AI lab with the mission of delivering the best data to power the best models. In doing so, we can make expertise that once took a lifetime to build available to anyone who needs it. Our customers are the ones building the foundation models themselves and our work sits directly in the loop of how those systems improve.

This is a rare opportunity to join a company at a defining moment in AI. Since raising our $30M Series A at a $300M valuation, AfterQuery has grown well over a $100M revenue run rate.

We're based in San Francisco and backed by leading investors including Altos Ventures, BoxGroup, and Y Combinator and angels from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta Superintelligence Labs, and Microsoft AI.

The Role

Your job is to prove that our data works. You will design and run training experiments that isolate the impact of our datasets on model behavior. This includes SFT and RL-based post-training, where you’ll measure how different data sources shift capability, generalization, and alignment. Working closely with partner labs, you will turn our datasets into clear, defensible evidence: this data → this improvement → under these conditions. This is experimental, high-leverage work.

What You'll Do

  • Run controlled SFT and RL experiments to measure the impact of our datasets on model performance.

  • Help build public evals and new data types that push the frontier.

  • Publish external-facing research, blog posts, and technical reports.

  • Work with internal SPLs to iterate on data quality based on your results.

What We're Looking For

  • Strong familiarity with LLM training and evaluation methodologies.

  • Genuine obsession with how data structure, selection, and quality drive model behavior.

  • Ability to design lightweight experiments, move fast, and extract actionable insights from messy results.

  • Comfort working across domains (you'll touch finance, software engineering, policy, and more).

  • A bias toward building over theorizing.

  • Great candidates are undergrad research or master's research (but haven't done a phd).

Compensation Structure:

  • Annual target cash compensation of $250-450K + meaningful equity

  • Comprehensive benefits (UberEats and ride share stipend, comped Equinox, 401K with match, health, dental, and vision insurance)

Discover Other Areas

Understand the scope of work, key skills, and tools used in different career areas.

About Information Security

The Information Security area is one of the most strategic and in-demand fields in the technology market. With the rise of cyberattacks, data breaches, and regulations like LGPD and GDPR, companies of all sizes invest heavily in professionals who can protect their digital assets.

Key specializations include Network Security, Cloud Security (AWS, Azure, GCP), Offensive Security (Penetration Testing, Red Team), Defensive Security (SOC, Blue Team), AppSec, and Security Governance. Tools like SIEM (Splunk, QRadar), firewalls, EDR, and Vulnerability Management platforms are essential.

Certifications like CISSP, CEH, OSCP, CompTIA Security+, and AWS Security Specialty are important differentiators. Information security professionals are among the highest-paid in the sector, with growing demand especially in fintechs, healthtechs, and large enterprises.

About Project Management

Project Management is essential to ensure strategic initiatives are delivered on time, within scope, and with quality. PM professionals coordinate teams, manage risks, and communicate with stakeholders.

Key methodologies include PMBOK, PRINCE2, Scrum, and Kanban. Tools like Jira, Asana, Monday, and MS Project are widely used in daily work.

Certifications like PMP and PgMP are important differentiators in the market, with growing demand in technology and consulting companies.

About Web3

The Web3 area represents the new phase of the decentralized internet, built on blockchain technology. Web3 professionals create decentralized applications (dApps), interact with smart contracts, manage digital assets (cryptocurrencies and NFTs), and utilize DeFi (Decentralized Finance) protocols, revolutionizing how data, ownership, and finance are managed online.

About Administrative

The Administrative area is responsible for ensuring the efficient functioning of all organizational operations. Administrative professionals manage processes, human resources, procurement, and facility management.

Key skills include process management, Office 365, administrative ERPs, compliance, and people management. Knowledge of automation and AI tools is becoming increasingly relevant.

The digitization of administrative processes has created new opportunities for professionals who master technology and management.

About Copywriting

The Copywriting area is responsible for creating persuasive, creative, and strategic texts for various communication channels. Copywriting professionals transform ideas into words that engage, convert, and build brand voice.

Key skills include advertising copywriting, script writing for videos and podcasts, persuasive writing, tone of voice, and editorial guidelines. Knowledge of SEO writing, Grammarly, and text productivity tools is a differentiator.

Copywriting professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master copy for landing pages, email sequences, and funnel content. The field offers opportunities from junior copywriter to head of copy, with a focus on creativity, persuasion, and performance.

Career Guides

Technology Career Guide

Planning, skills, interviews, and professional growth in IT, Data Science, DevOps, and Product.

Read full guide →

Design Career Guide

UX/UI, Graphic Design, Product Design. Portfolio, tools, interviews, and growth in the Design field.

Read full guide →

Marketing Career Guide

SEO, Paid Media, Growth, Content Marketing. Certifications, tools, and strategies to grow in Digital Marketing.

Read full guide →

Finance Career Guide

Financial market, investments, corporate finance, certifications, and strategies to grow in the financial field.

Read full guide →

Communication Career Guide

Journalism, PR, Corporate Communication, Content Marketing, and Multimedia Production.

Read full guide →

Administration Career Guide

Business Management, HR, Logistics, Consulting, Project Management, and Entrepreneurship.

Read full guide →

Data Career Guide

Data Science, Data Engineering, BI, Machine Learning, and AI. From training to the job market.

Read full guide →

Product Career Guide

Product Management, Product Ownership, Agile, Scrum, and OKRs. From strategy to execution.

Read full guide →

Tech & Remote Glossary

Stop getting lost in interviews and job descriptions

The job market, especially within tech and global companies, has developed its own dialect. Not understanding these acronyms can make you lose valuable opportunities or poorly negotiate your contract. To end this problem, we created the Definitive Glossary for the Remote Professional.

🏢 Work Models & Routine

Async (Asynchronous Work)
A communication model where responses don't need to be immediate. Instead of back-to-back meetings, the team relies on well-structured documents, threads, and messages. It's the gold standard for global companies spanning multiple time zones.
Sync (Synchronous Work)
The opposite of Async. It requires the team to be online and available at the same time for meetings, live chats, and real-time collaboration.
Daily / Stand-up
A quick daily meeting (usually 15 minutes) common in Agile (Scrum) methodologies. The team answers three questions: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Are there any blockers?
All-Hands / Town Hall
A company-wide meeting involving all employees. Usually led by the founders (C-Levels) to present results, new goals, and answer team questions.
1:1 (One-on-One)
A recurring individual meeting between a professional and their direct manager. It is used for career alignment, feedback, and problem-solving, not just for project status updates.

💰 Contracts, Benefits & Compensation

PTO (Paid Time Off)
Instead of strict, categorized leave policies, modern US companies usually offer a flexible pool of days (e.g., 20 days of PTO, or even "Unlimited PTO") that you can use for vacations, sick days, or personal matters, while receiving your regular compensation.
Equity / Stock Options
Company ownership. The startup offers you the right to buy shares at a heavily discounted strike price in the future. If the company grows, goes public, or is acquired, these shares can be highly lucrative.
Vesting (Vesting Schedule)
The rule that controls your Equity. It usually lasts 4 years. You don't get all the shares on day one; you "earn" them gradually as you stay with the company. A "1-year Cliff" means you must stay for at least one year to receive your first batch of shares.
RSUs (Restricted Stock Units)
Unlike Stock Options (where you have the right to buy the stock), RSUs are actual shares the company grants you as a bonus or part of your compensation package, following a strict Vesting schedule.
Independent Contractor (1099 / B2B)
The most common international hiring model for global talent working for US companies. You act as a service provider (business-to-business), receiving the gross salary (often six-figure compensation) without standard local payroll tax deductions at the source.

🤖 Recruitment & Hiring Process

ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
The "robot" that reads your resume. Software like Greenhouse, Ashby, and Workday are used to filter candidates by keywords before a human even looks at the document. (Pro tip: this is why your resume must be clean, semantic, and have the right keywords).
JD (Job Description)
The document that lists the responsibilities, technical requirements, and benefits of the open position.
Cultural Fit
The interview stage that evaluates if your core values, communication style, and worldview align with the company's culture. This is the ultimate test of your Soft Skills.
Onboarding
The integration process. It's the period of your first few weeks at the company, where you get your access credentials, learn about the culture, study the internal documentation, and understand how the product works.

🚀 How to use this to your advantage?

The secret isn't just knowing what these acronyms mean, but using them actively. If during an interview for a premium tech role you ask, "How does your PTO policy and Vesting schedule work?", the recruiter will immediately perceive you as a high-level professional, familiar with the global market standards.

The remote job market requires preparation. And having the right vocabulary is the first big step to securing six-figure proposals and standing out among thousands of applicants.

Expert Tip

The 2026 AI Boom: The Most Valuable Tech Careers and How to Land Six-Figure Remote Jobs

We are halfway through 2026, and one thing is crystal clear: the "experimental" phase of Artificial Intelligence is officially over. While 2023 and 2024 were characterized by awe over chatbots drafting emails and generating images, 2026 has solidified AI as the core infrastructure of global enterprises. The transition from standalone "AI tools" to Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems has radically transformed the job market.

For Tech, Design, and Digital Marketing professionals across the United States, 2026 represents the greatest window of opportunity of the decade to secure top-tier, 100% remote roles with highly lucrative six-figure compensations.

In this article, we will break down the current AI job landscape, backed by recent data, and list the top careers that startups and Fortune 500 companies are desperately trying to fill.

The Current Landscape: 2026 Data and Projections

The market isn't just hiring standard developers anymore; it's hiring intelligence orchestrators. According to recent Future of Work reports:

  • Exponential Growth: The World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026 update highlights that roles focused on AI, Machine Learning, and Big Data have grown by 45% compared to 2024, cementing them as the fastest-growing fields nationwide.
  • Corporate Adoption: Data published by Gartner earlier this year reveals that over 80% of Fortune 500 companies are now running Generative AI applications in production environments. This has created a massive demand for AI maintenance, ethics, and governance.
  • The Remote Premium: An internal analysis from Mondywork's database (which tracks integrations with major ATS platforms like Greenhouse and Ashby) shows that 73% of US-based AI roles are Remote-First. The average salary for senior specialists in these roles currently exceeds the $140,000 to $180,000 annual range, plus equity.

The 5 Hottest AI Opportunities in 2026

If you want to tailor your resume and LinkedIn profile to be easily captured by modern recruiting algorithms, these are the positions with the highest talent deficit in the US market right now:

1. MLOps and LLMOps Engineers (Operations Engineering)

Large Language Models (LLMs) are like Formula 1 engines: they need a full pit crew to avoid crashing on the track. The industry has realized that putting AI into production is vastly different from running a local model.

  • What they do: Manage infrastructure, oversee the model lifecycle, handle fine-tuning with proprietary company data, and ensure the AI does not suffer from large-scale hallucinations.
  • Hot Search Terms: MLOps, LLMOps, Platform Engineering, Data Ops, Kubernetes for AI.

2. Prompt Engineer & AI Interaction Designer

The profession many thought would be a passing fad has heavily evolved. The 2026 Prompt Engineer is not just someone who "talks well to machines"; they are complex logical system designers.

  • What they do: Sitting at the intersection of Software Engineering and UX Design, these professionals design system prompts for Autonomous Agents, build RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) flows, and structure how AI safely interacts with end-users.
  • Hot Search Terms: Prompt Engineering, NLP, AI Behavior Design, UX Writer for AI.

3. Analytics Engineer / Structured Data Specialist

AI is completely useless without clean data. The classic Data Scientist role has yielded massive ground to the Analytics Engineer, the professional who bridges the gap between raw data engineering and business analysis.

  • What they do: Prepare, model, and transform chaotic data lakes into crystal-clear sources so enterprise AI models can consume data and generate real-time insights.
  • Hot Search Terms: Analytics Engineer, dbt, Snowflake, Computer Vision, BigQuery.

4. AI Product Manager (AI PM)

Companies are tired of building AI features "just because." Now, they need these features to drive serious revenue (ROI). The AI-focused Product Manager is the conductor of this orchestra.

  • What they do: Understand the technical limitations of modern LLMs, translate user pain points into viable AI solutions, and manage the product roadmap while ensuring the technology complies with strict privacy laws (like CCPA and GDPR).
  • Hot Search Terms: AI Product Manager, CPO, Product Ops, AI Governance.

5. AI Growth Marketer / High-Performance Media Buyer

In the digital marketing realm, 2026 is the year of autonomous campaign orchestration. Marketers still relying on 100% manual campaign creation are rapidly losing ground to those who can direct predictive AI.

  • What they do: Leverage Machine Learning and advanced AI tools for autonomous Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), automated A/B testing, mass content generation, and predictive consumer behavior analysis.
  • Hot Search Terms: Growth Marketing, Media Buyer, Programmatic, AI Copywriting, Martech.

How to Prepare and Get Found (Beating the ATS Filters)

US companies utilize incredibly rigorous Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) like Workday, Greenhouse, and Lever. They configure recruiting bots to filter resumes using fine-mesh keyword grids.

If you want to land these highly competitive roles, the golden rule is to mirror the exact industry jargon:

  • Don't just write "Data Analyst"; use "Data Ops" or "Analytics Engineer".
  • Don't just list "Cloud Support"; highlight "FinOps", "Cloud Architect", or "Platform Engineer".
  • Replace the outdated "Digital Marketer" with "Growth Ops" or "Performance Manager".

Mondywork Does the Heavy Lifting for You

The US market is fiercely competing for top-tier talent. Startups and tech giants are looking for highly skilled professionals ready to collaborate across different time zones in fully remote environments. That is exactly why Mondywork exists. Our proprietary algorithm scans the largest global Job Boards to find verified, high-paying, and 100% remote Tech, Design, and Marketing opportunities.

Don't miss the chance to ride the biggest technological revolution of our generation.

👉 Subscribe now to Mondywork's Job Alerts


Macroeconomic Reference Sources:

  • World Economic Forum - The Future of Jobs Report 2026 Update.
  • Gartner - Hype Cycle for Artificial Intelligence, 2026.
  • McKinsey Global Institute - The Economic Potential of Generative AI (Revisited 2026).