Principal Applied Scientist (AI)

TL;DR

Principal Applied Scientist (AI): Leading the development of next-generation grounding services powering AI applications with an accent on retrieval, attribution, and reasoning methods. Focus on designing scalable production models, citation systems, and driving measurable impact through cross-functional collaboration.

Location: Suzhou, China, hybrid work with office presence expected at least four days per week

Company

hirify.global builds advanced AI platforms and services to empower organizations worldwide.

What you will do

• Own the science roadmap for grounding, including retrieval, re-ranking, attribution, and reasoning methods.
• Build citation and provenance systems to reduce hallucinations and increase user trust.
• Advance tool-augmented grounding with schema-aware retrieval and real-time connectors.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, research, and business leaders to drive strategic impact.
• Bridge research and development teams to apply cutting-edge technologies effectively.
• Mentor applied scientists and data scientists, establishing best practices in experimentation and error analysis.

Requirements

• Location: Must be based in or near Suzhou, China with hybrid work expectations
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in relevant fields with 4+ years experience in search, retrieval, or ranking systems.
• Proven experience shipping Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems in production.
• Strong coding skills and foundation in machine learning.
• Ability to lead through ambiguity and deliver measurable impact in fast-paced environments.

Nice to have

• Advanced degrees with extensive research and publication experience.
• Experience presenting at conferences and conducting research in academic or industry settings.
• Expertise in information retrieval with publications in top-tier conferences.
• Hands-on experience optimizing AI inference and contributing to open-source AI frameworks.

Culture & Benefits

• Inclusive culture valuing curiosity, pragmatic rigor, and collaboration.
• Hybrid work model with office presence expected per local guidelines.
• Focus on privacy, safety, and ethical AI development.
• Opportunities for cross-functional collaboration and impact at scale.