AfterQuery — Research Scientist, Post-Training

• →Strong familiarity with LLM training and evaluation methodologies, including SFT and RL post-training
• →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 — finance, software engineering, policy, and more
• →Undergrad or master's research background; pre-PhD candidates preferred

• Prior work or internship at an RL environment company, AI safety org, or benchmarking org (METR, Artificial Analysis, or equivalent)
• Experience running controlled training experiments end-to-end
• Published research on model evaluation, post-training, or data curation
• Strong SWE chops alongside research instincts

Salary$150K–$250K baseProfit sharingTotal cash ~$250K–$450KEquityCompetitive (unspecified %)On-site policyOn-site, San FranciscoVisa sponsorshipNone availableEmployment typeFull-timeLocationSan Francisco, CA

• None provided on the role page.
• Contrario submission form requires (Required Candidate Q&A): (1) LinkedIn profile; (2) legally authorized to work in the country of application?; (3) will you now or in the future require visa sponsorship?

Stage 1 — Resume / project screen — Initial review of resume and projects. Stage 2 — Team interview — Interview with the AfterQuery team. Stage 3 — Take-home — Up to $100 in API credits comped. Stage 4 — Take-home review Stage 5 — In-person work trial (2 days) / Onsite Stage 6 — Offer Extended Stage 7 — Candidate Hired — Candidate accepts and starts.

(Contrario pipeline stages: Pending Approval Initial Screen Take Home Take Home Review Onsite Offer Hired.)

• Not provided on the role page. Nice-to-have signals name RL-environment companies, AI safety orgs, and benchmarking orgs (e.g. METR, Artificial Analysis, or equivalent).