Research Engineer (AI)

TL;DR

Research Engineer (AI): Developing novel model architectures and distributed training systems for generative AI infrastructure with an accent on algorithmic efficiency and large-scale GPU cluster utilization. Focus on reproducing state-of-the-art research results, optimizing training loops, and bridging the gap between abstract mathematical concepts and high-performance production code.

Location: Must be based in New York, NY or San Mateo, CA

Salary: $250,000–$400,000 USD

Company

Fireworks AI is a high-growth Series C startup building the industry's fastest and most scalable generative AI inference infrastructure.

What you will do

• Explore and implement new model architectures, training objectives, and optimization techniques.
• Reproduce state-of-the-art machine learning papers and scale methods to larger datasets.
• Design and maintain high-performance distributed systems for model training.
• Optimize training loops, data loaders, and communication overhead across GPU clusters.
• Collaborate with Research Scientists to co-design hardware-aware experiments and provide tooling.

Requirements

• Strong programming skills in Python, C++, or Rust.
• Deep practical knowledge of PyTorch, JAX, or TensorFlow.
• Experience with large distributed systems and parallel computing (CUDA, NCCL, MPI).
• Strong foundation in linear algebra, calculus, probability, and statistics.
• Proven track record of implementing complex deep learning algorithms from scratch.

Nice to have

• Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or related field.
• Experience with low-level GPU programming (CUDA/Triton) or hardware co-design.
• Familiarity with training Large Language Models (LLMs).
• Experience with OSS inference engines like SGLang or vLLM.

Culture & Benefits

• Meaningful equity in a fast-growing, well-funded startup.
• Opportunity to solve complex challenges in low-latency inference and model serving.
• Collaborative environment with veterans from Meta PyTorch and Google Vertex AI.
• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Direct impact on global AI infrastructure development.