Technical Program Manager (RL Research)

TL;DR

Technical Program Manager (RL Research): Managing systems and programs for Reinforcement Learning research to accelerate model development with an accent on RLHF systems, data pipelines, and research prioritization. Focus on reducing operational overhead for researchers, coordinating across infrastructure and data ops, and making real-time technical trade-off decisions.

Location: Hybrid (San Francisco, CA or New York City, NY). Staff are expected to be in the office at least 25% of the time.

Salary: $365,000 - $435,000 USD per year

Company

AI safety and research company dedicated to creating reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.

What you will do

• Deliver ground truth reporting on RL research performance, including baselines, experiment results, and day-to-day health.
• Collaborate with RL organizational leads to prioritize, rank, and track the state of experiments.
• Drive end-to-end research reviews, setting agendas and ensuring critical decision-making loops are closed.
• Establish frameworks and processes that provide structure to research environments without reducing velocity.
• Coordinate across research, infrastructure, product, and data operations to resolve blockers and make technical trade-offs.

Requirements

• Background in ML engineering or ML research prior to transitioning into technical program management.
• Deep, hands-on experience with ML training pipelines, RLHF systems, and large-scale data infrastructure in production.
• Proven track record of inventing high-leverage processes that reduce operational overhead.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and influence senior technical staff through clarity and competence.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience in a relevant field.
• Must be based in or able to work from San Francisco or New York City to meet hybrid requirements.

Culture & Benefits

• Mission-driven environment focused on beneficial AI and "big science" collaboration.
• Competitive compensation with optional equity donation matching.
• Generous vacation and parental leave policies.
• Flexible working hours and high-quality office spaces for collaboration.
• Visa sponsorship availability for eligible candidates.