Applied Researcher in Artificial Intelligence

BANCO SANTANDER S.A.; Villagarcía del Llano; Presencial; EUR 70.000 - 90.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

A leading financial institution is seeking an Applied Researcher in Artificial Intelligence to innovate and refine banking solutions through cutting-edge AI research. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in AI/ML, experience in production systems, and proficiency in deep learning frameworks. This role offers the opportunity to contribute to pioneering projects within a dynamic research environment in Madrid.

Formación

• 3–5 years of experience applying AI / ML in real-world systems.
• Strong track record of building production models.
• Familiarity with large-scale datasets and cloud platforms.
• Experience in AI labs or advanced analytics units.

Responsabilidades

• Adapt and fine-tune AI models for banking use cases.
• Build end-to-end prototypes for applications.
• Collaborate with teams to transition research into products.
• Stay updated on AI advances and integrate breakthroughs.

Conocimientos

Applied knowledge of deep learning architectures

Hands-on experience with large language models

Proficiency in Python

Experience with cloud services

Adaptability to enterprise systems

Educación

Master’s degree or PhD in related fields

Herramientas

PyTorch

TensorFlow

JAX

Docker

Kubernetes

MLflow

Descripción del empleo

Applied Researcher in Artificial Intelligence
Country: Spain

Santander AI Labs is looking for an APPLIED RESEARCHER IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE based out of MADRID. At Santander AI Lab, we are building the world’s leading financial AI research hub – a place where science, technology, and impact converge. Our mission is to redefine the future of banking through frontier AI research. We bring together researchers, engineers, and innovators from across the globe to pioneer breakthroughs in large language models, agentic AI, reinforcement learning, autonomous systems, and responsible AI governance. We actively support publishing in top-tier venues (NeurIPS, ICML, ACL, CVPR, KDD, etc.), collaborations with academia, and global conference participation.

THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE

We’re shaping the way we work through innovation, cutting‑edge technology, collaboration, and the freedom to explore new ideas.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Adapt and fine‑tune cutting‑edge AI models (LLMs, NLP, IR, CV, multi‑agent RL) to Santander’s real‑world use cases.
• Build end‑to‑end prototypes that demonstrate the feasibility of frontier AI methods in banking applications (fraud detection, credit risk, digital onboarding, autonomous finance).
• Collaborate with Research Scientists to operationalize novel algorithms into production‑ready pipelines.
• Work closely with ML engineers, product managers, and business stakeholders to ensure research transitions into products and services at global scale.
• Evaluate trade‑offs between accuracy, efficiency, interpretability, and compliance, ensuring alignment with Responsible AI principles.
• Stay updated on recent AI advances and rapidly integrate breakthroughs into experimental prototypes.
• Contribute to open‑source initiatives and represent Santander AI Lab in industry and academic forums.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

The following requirements represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities essential for success in this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Professional Experience

• At least 3–5 years of experience applying AI / ML in real‑world systems, preferably in research‑to‑production pipelines (Required).
• Strong track record of building prototypes and models that made it into production or influenced product decisions (Required).
• Familiarity with large‑scale datasets, cloud platforms, and MLOps practices (Required).
• Experience working in AI labs, R&D teams, or advanced analytics units (Required).
• Background in financial data, risk modeling, fraud detection, or recommendation systems (Preferred).

Education

• Master’s degree or PhD in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, or related fields (Required).
• Postdoctoral research or equivalent industrial research experience in AI will be valued (Preferred).

Languages

• Fluent English, both written and spoken (Required).

Hard Skills

• Strong applied knowledge of deep learning architectures (transformers, CNNs, GNNs, RL) (Required).
• Hands‑on experience with large language models (LLMs), fine‑tuning, and prompt engineering (Required).
• Proficiency in Python and ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX) (Required).
• Experience with cloud services (AWS, Azure, GCP) and MLOps pipelines (Docker, Kubernetes, MLflow) (Required).
• Ability to adapt and scale research models into enterprise systems (Required).

Idiomas

• Spanish

Performs analytical tasks and initiatives on huge amount of data to support data‑driven business decision and development. Builds ML models and algorithms for solving real business cases using sophisticated analytical techniques.