AI research engineer

Join to apply for the AI research engineer role at Bending Spoons.

At Bending Spoons, we’re striving to build one of the all-time great companies. A company that serves a huge number of customers, where team members grow to their full potential, operates with high effectiveness and efficiency, and creates value for shareholders at an extraordinary rate—all while adhering to high ethical standards. To achieve this objective, we acquire digital businesses with untapped potential and make them as successful as we can by leveraging our platform—comprising expertise, technologies, data, brand, talents, and culture. The proceeds are then reinvested to power our platform further and to acquire new businesses, combining investor capital allocation with hands‑on operational leadership.

Responsibilities

• Power digital products with AI. Work with product teams to identify high‑impact opportunities where AI can transform the user experience for millions, then build the solutions to make them happen. Drive the process from possibility to production, delivering code that’s robust, reproducible, and built for scale.
• Explore ways to push the boundaries of our AI capabilities. Stay at the bleeding edge of AI by investigating new models, techniques, and research. Learn fast across new domains, share findings with the team, and turn breakthrough ideas into production systems that deliver real‑world impact.
• Refine data foundations for exceptional results. Own the full data lifecycle—from acquisition and labeling to loading and management—to ensure our models are trained on clean, high‑quality datasets that power top‑performing systems.
• Own your impact, end‑to‑end. Set smart priorities, manage execution, and consistently deliver high‑quality results, even in ambiguous or fast‑changing environments. Balance technical depth with strong ownership, growing your skills while delivering meaningful contributions.

Qualifications

• Reasoning ability. Given the necessary knowledge, you can solve complex problems, think from first principles, structure ideas sharply, resist biases, and take care of the details that matter.
• Drive. You’re extremely ambitious and your initiative, effort, and tenacity match the intensity of your ambition. You feel deeply responsible for your work and hold yourself to a high—and rising—bar.
• Team spirit. You give generously and without expectation of return. You support the best idea, not your own, are reliable, honest, and transparent, and are always happy to get your hands dirty to help your team.
• Proficiency in English. You read, write, and speak proficiently in English.

Benefits

• Incredibly talented, entrepreneurial teams. Work in small, result‑oriented, autonomous teams alongside some of the brightest people in your field.
• An exceptional opportunity for growth. We prioritize individuals of outstanding potential and place them in positions to thrive. Spooners in their 20s lead products worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and if you’ve got what it takes, you’ll soon play an essential role in major projects.
• Competitive pay and access to equity. Typical starts at £85,797 in London and €66,065 elsewhere in Europe. For highly experienced candidates, ranges are £112,189‑£250,512 (London) or €107,837‑€188,848 (Europe). Compensation grows rapidly with experience and impact; exceptional capability may command beyond the usual ranges. Permanent contracts may include equity at a discounted price. Relocation to Italy may yield 50% tax cut.
• All these benefits. Flexible hours, remote working, unlimited learning support, top‑of‑the‑market health insurance, rich relocation package, generous parental support, and an annual retreat.

Commitment & Contract

Permanent or fixed‑term. Full‑time or part‑time.

Location

Milan (Italy), London (UK), Madrid (Spain), Warsaw (Poland) or remote.

Selection Process

If you pass our screening, we’ll ask you to complete a few tests designed to assess how you approach unfamiliar problems. These may take several hours. Successful candidates will then be invited to a series of interviews. We set the bar high and won’t extend an offer until we’re convinced we’ve found the right candidate. Consequently, a job may stay open for months or be reposted several times.

Equal Opportunity

Bending Spoons is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We consider all applicants for employment and provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities—please let us know through the form.

Before You Apply

If you’ve applied before but didn’t receive an offer, wait at least one year before applying again.

Bending Spoons is a demanding environment. We’re extremely ambitious and hold ourselves—and one another—to a high standard. While this leads to extraordinary learning, achievement, and career growth, it also requires significant commitment.

To help you ramp up quickly, we recommend spending your first few months working from our Milan office, regardless of your long‑term work location. We’ll support you with generous travel and accommodation assistance. After that, you’re welcome to work from our offices in Milan or London, or remotely from approved countries—depending on what we agree at the offer stage.

If the role speaks to you and you’re excited to give your best, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now—we can’t wait to meet you.