Applied AI Research Lead

Company Intro

AtToloka AIwe create data that powers leading GenAI models and innovations. We work with frontier labs big tech renowned AI startups enterprises and non-profit research organizations worldwide. We use a combination of Experts Crowd Tech Platform to teach AI models to reason and evaluate their efficacy and safety. We have experts in more than 50 different domainsfrom doctors and lawyers to physicists and engineersand boast one of the most diverse global crowdsrepresenting over100 countries and speaking 40 languages. We are a well-funded startup with an enviable portfolio of clients includingAnthropicAmazonMicrosoft PoolsideRecraft andShopify.

Recently we secured strategic investment led byBezos Expeditionswith participation fromMikhail ParakhinCTO of Shopifyand board advisor to leading GenAI companies who now serves as our Chairman of the Board. Our remote-first team is globally distributed around the world:USAUKthe NetherlandsIsraelCzech RepublicSerbia and more. We are headquartered in Amsterdam.

About the role

Were looking for a hands-onAI Research Leadwho will act as the bridge between our customers and our data generation teams. You will work directly with AI researchers data scientists and product teams at leadingGenAI organizations to understand their needs translate them into rigorous data strategies and design the evaluation training or agentic workflows required to achieve their goals.

This is a hybrid research & solution design role: youll apply your deep expertise inLLMsandagentic systemstoarchitect datasetspromptsevaluation metrics andworkflowsthat power cutting-edge applications.

What Youll Work On

1.Act as a customer-facing AI expert: deeply understand client research goals model behaviors and data needs to advise on best practices in data generation for LLMs leveraging Tolokas platform and ML audit capabilities.

2.Contribute thought leadershipinternally and externally on designing data strategies for LLM training evaluation and agentic workflows including:

• Defining quality criteria and evaluation metrics
• Architecting prompt-based tasks labeling methodologies and model-in-the-loop pipelines
• Identifying the right balance between expert labeling crowdsourcing and automation

3.Manage and grow a team of Solution Engineers- mentor them in technical execution data methodology and client communication to turn research designs into production-grade pipelines.

4.Own project delivery end-to-end ensuring timelines quality and scalability.

5.Work cross-functionallywith Product BizDev and ML teams to support strategic accounts pilot new data products and validate audit methods.

About You

• 3 years of experience as an AI researcher ML scientist or applied LLM engineer ideally havingtrained or fine-tuned LLMsand/or built agentic systems. Strong understanding of LLM architectures prompting techniques synthetic data generation data-centric AI and evaluation frameworks.
• Excellent ability to communicatecomplex technical concepts to customers and translate business goals into data and research plans.
• At least 2 years in amanagerial or team lead role overseeing technical teams or research engineers.
• Strong Python skills and familiarity with common ML libraries (e.g. PyTorch Hugging Face).
• Comfortable working in fast-paced environments and collaborating cross-functionally with engineers data scientists and business teams.
• Passionate about data quality evaluation methodologies and pushing the boundaries of GenAI applications.
  
  

What we can offer

• Youll have the opportunity to work on highly innovative projects at the leading edge of AI development and work with a genuinely dedicated and dynamic team of experts;
• Youll also be working on projects with customers that are AI industry leaders and household names;
• Personal and career development: we support employees ambition for professional development and encourage them to implement their ideas in their projects;
• Flexibility: we offer remote or hybrid employment. You will also design with your manager a workday that works best for you;
• Paid parental leave and sick leave;
• 25 vacation days per year.

Important Notice Scam Alert Regarding Fake Job Postings

It has come to our attention that an individual or group is fraudulently impersonating Toloka to post fake jobs and solicit personal information from be aware:

• Official Communication:Our recruiting team willonlycontact you from an official email address. We will NEVER use Gmail Yahoo Tolokainc or other personal or seemingly business email accounts.
• Our Process:We willneverask for your bank account details credit card number or any fees as part of the application or interview process.
• Official Listings:All legitimate job openings are posted on our official careers page: to do:If you see a suspicious job posting or have been contacted by someone you suspect is a scammer please do not provide any personal information. Instead report the incident to us directly atand report the profile/post to are taking this matter very seriously and are working with the appropriate parties to resolve it.
  
  Thank you for your vigilance!