Director of AI Research, Writer
+ Stock Options
1-3 days a week in office (Union Square, NY)
AI writing assistant
Open for applications
AI writing assistant
201-500 employees
Open for applications
+ Stock Options
1-3 days a week in office (Union Square, NY)
201-500 employees
Company mission
To bring generative AI to the enterprise.
Role
Who you are
- The ideal candidate will have a strong background in advanced AI research and will be responsible for shaping and executing our research strategy
- We’re looking for a creative problem solver who has a deep understanding of generative AI and who can help us create powerful and meaningful applications our customers love
- If you’re passionate about using AI to transform the enterprise, then we want to hear from you
- Advanced LLM applied research: Experience fine-tuning agentic models to improve their performance and utility. A keen understanding of context window efficiency and its impact on model effectiveness
- Expert-level programming: Proficiency in Python and/or C++, enabling you to tackle complex projects and optimize performance
- Proven AI research leadership: A track record of 6-10 years in pioneering AI research, driving innovation, and leading high-impact projects. Demonstrated success in guiding research teams of 5-10 scientists, fostering collaboration, and achieving significant milestones
- Deep expertise in AI model development: Extensive experience in researching, building, and training AI models, with a particular focus on large language models. Essential proficiency in model frameworks such as PyTorch and/or TensorFlow, ensuring efficient and effective model development
- Strong publication record: Significant contributions to the AI field, evidenced by publications in top-tier conferences and journals
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills: Proven ability to collaborate effectively with remote and cross-functional teams, ensuring clear communication and successful project execution
Desirable
- Education: A Ph.D. or MS in Computer Science, AI, or a related field is highly preferred, but exceptional candidates with equivalent experience will also be considered
- People management experience: 1-3 years of people management experience
- Experience with scalable applications: Experience building scalable applications with LLMs, using frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, Hugging Face, etc
- Depth of knowledge with RAG implementation: Expertise in RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) implementation and improvements
What the job involves
- Writer is seeking an experienced AI research leader for the Director of AI Research position
- This pivotal role involves spearheading state-of-the-art AI research initiatives, with a focus on Large language models and reasoning agents
- At Writer, we believe in using the power of AI to unlock the potential of the enterprise
- With the help of our AI Research team, we can continue to build the most advanced language model available in the industry and revolutionize how companies interact with AI
- As the Head of AI Research at Writer, you'll play a crucial role in developing and implementing state-of-the-art generative AI models and algorithms and driving the technical direction of Writer’s AI research efforts on reasoning agents
- Collaborating closely with our diverse and dynamic team of software engineers, data scientists, and researchers, you'll be able to design and deploy AI solutions that drive our innovative products
- This role reports to the CTO
- Spearhead cutting-edge research: Oversee and contribute to groundbreaking projects, particularly in the development, training, and ethical application of advanced language models. Push the boundaries of what's possible in AI
- Stay ahead of the curve: Keep your finger on the pulse of AI advancements, ensuring your team uses the latest research and maintains our competitive edge
- Shape our research strategy: Define and execute an ambitious research agenda that aligns with Writer's long-term vision and near-term goals, setting us apart in the industry
- Lead and inspire: Guide a team of talented applied researchers and research engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, rigor, and excellence. Empower your team to deliver their best work
- Bridge research and product: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to transform research into tangible evaluation metrics and product features, driving real-world impact
- Elevate our profile: Drive the publication of high-impact research papers and represent Writer at top-tier conferences and industry events, establishing us as a leader in the AI research community
- Grow and develop talent: Mentor, develop, and grow the research organization, providing guidance and support to help team members achieve their professional goals, and fostering an environment of continuous learning
Our take
AI-assisted writing tools have taken off over recent years. With the likes of high-exposure company Grammarly accelerating adoption of such tools, a flurry of startups have appeared to offer their own takes. Writer’s angle is to leverage AI as a means of standardizing and scaling both content and communications for business teams. The tool offers autofilling and inline suggestions that keep content aligned with pre-determined company language and style guides.
This branded fine-tuning function distinguishes it from full copy-generation competitors, as well as from Grammarly itself, which is a more generalist copyediting tool. It subsequently caters to major enterprise clients looking to maintain standards across multiple and sprawling teams, and the company has managed to net major clients like Deloitte, Twitter, UiPath, and Accenture.
While AI-related buzz remains solidly around generative AIs like ChatGPT and Bard, Writer's narrow target market - in which it has already found success - supplies plenty of scope to grow, as AI copyediting tools look set to rapidly become content industry standard. With continued new launches and updates to its offerings as well as an impressive $100 million Series B awarded in 2023, the company is well-placed to seek further success into the future.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Funding (last 2 of 4 rounds)
Nov 2024
$200m
SERIES C
Sep 2023
$100m
SERIES B
Total funding: $326m
Company benefits
- Selection of employer-covered medical plans, plus dental, vision, life insurance, and FSA
- Flexible location and schedule options
- Competitive parental leave policy
- Company stock options
- 401k plan with employer contributions
- Learning and development stipend
- Generous PTO
- Distributed from Day 1: Our processes and operating cadence are built around a distributed culture
- SF office space: If you prefer working from an office, we have a beautiful sunny one in Union Square, the heart of San Francisco
Company values
- Connect: Writer’s success depends on the strength of our relationships. We strive to understand and respect each other on a human level.
- Challenge: We don’t shy away from conflicting points of view. The more diverse the perspectives, the better. Each and every Writer contributor is encouraged to question, challenge, and propose ideas across the business.
- Own: Regardless of role, we’re all owners. We strive to create an impactful, enduring company by building processes and owning outcomes.
Company HQ
Union Square, San Francisco, CA
Articles
Leadership
May Habib
(CEO)Harvard economics graduate, who was previously VP of sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Development Company, and a global shaper at the World Economic Forum. Also co-founded Qordoba.
Waseem Alshikh
(CTO)Previously co-founded CloudAppers, then served as CTO at iMENA. Subsequently co-founded AI content editor Qordoba.
Salary benchmarks
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