AI Research Scientist (Technical Leadership)

Meta; Bellevue (WA); On-site; USD 271,000 - 347,000; Full time

Job summary

Meta is seeking an AI Research Scientist at the technical leadership level to guide foundational and applied research for Ads AI systems. You will define long-term research vision for ads ranking models, spanning generative retrieval, LLM-based recommendations, and scalable architectures, while mentoring researchers and collaborating with product and engineering teams.

You will lead multi-year research programs, publish at premier venues, and translate breakthroughs into reliable AI systems

Qualifications

• 12+ years of AI research experience across foundational and applied ML
• Proven track record leading AI research programs and delivering impactful results
• Extensive publication/citation history in premier AI venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, ACL

Responsibilities

• Define and champion a multi-year research vision for Ads AI systems
• Lead design and execution of novel AI research programs at scale
• Architect end-to-end AI systems for ads ranking and manufacturing extensible foundations
• Drive research on sequence learning, graph-aware LLMs, AutoML, RL, and causal learning
• Lead ML systems and hardware-software co-design including quantization and ML compilers
• Define evaluation metrics and experiments linking research to revenue and engagement
• Influence technical strategy across AI research teams and cross-functional partners
• Publish high-impact research at premier venues and mentor engineers/researchers
• Partner with product, engineering, and infra teams to deploy reliable AI systems

Skills

AI leadership

research program management

publication record

large-scale AI systems

generative models

LLM-based recommendation

communication to executives

mentoring researchers

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related

PhD in CS / ML / stats

Job description

Meta's Monetization RankingAI Research team advances state-of-the-art AI technologies to optimize retrieval, ranking, bidding, and whole page optimization for Meta ads—driving significant annual revenue across Facebook and Instagram. We are seeking a distinguished AI Research Scientist at the technical leadership level to lead foundational and applied research for Ads AI systems. In this role, you will define the long-term research vision for Ads Ranking models, spanning areas such as generative retrieval, generative ranking, LLM-RecSys, large-scale model architectures, and ML systems co-design. You will shape research programs that influence Meta's advertising ecosystem and the broader AI research community, translating breakthrough findings into scalable, real-world impact.

AI Research Scientist (Technical Leadership) Responsibilities:

• Define and champion a multi-year research vision for Ads AI systems, identifying transformative opportunities in areas such as generative ranking, whole page optimization, large-scale model architectures, and LLM-based recommendation systems
• Lead the design and execution of novel AI research programs in retrieval and ranking, advancing state-of-the-art techniques for personalized ads delivery at scale
• Architect end-to-end AI systems and modeling frameworks for ads ranking that establish extensible technical foundations and standards adopted across multiple research and engineering organizations
• Drive research on next-generation sequence learning, graph-aware LLMs, AutoML, reinforcement learning, and causal learning for ads optimization
• Lead research on ML systems and hardware-software co-design, including quantization, compression, ML compilers, and resource-efficient AI for next-gen hardware (GPUs, MTIA)
• Define new evaluation metrics and experimental methodologies for long-term, cross-team AI research initiatives, connecting them to revenue and engagement priorities
• Influence technical strategy and roadmap across multiple AI research teams and cross-functional partners, acting as a primary point of expertise for leadership
• Produce high-impact publications at premier AI venues (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, KDD, WWW, ACL) and contribute to Meta's research reputation
• Mentor and coach engineers and researchers across the organization, providing customized guidance on research design, modeling approaches, and career development
• Partner with product, engineering, and infrastructure teams to translate research advances into reliable AI systems deployed at Meta's ads scale

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience
• 12+ years of experience in AI research, spanning both foundational research and applied machine learning in an industry, academic, or government research setting
• Demonstrated track record of leading AI research programs of significant scope, including defining research agendas and delivering results that advance the field
• Extensive publication and citation history in peer-reviewed AI venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, CVPR, ACL, or equivalent
• Experience developing and deploying large-scale AI or machine learning systems, including deep expertise in areas such as large language models, generative models, multimodal learning, or AI reasoning
• Experience communicating complex AI research strategy and technical decisions to diverse audiences, including research peers, engineering leaders, and executive stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience building and mentoring high-performing research teams, including developing researchers into cross-functional technical leaders
• Experience with ads ranking, recommendation systems, or large-scale retrieval systems
• Experience with generative models, LLMs for recommendation, reinforcement learning, or causal inference in production settings
• Track record of industry-recognized contributions that have measurably influenced the direction of the AI research community
• PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, or a related technical field

About Meta:

Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today—beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.

Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affi... We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.

Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at [e-mail].

$271,000/year to $347,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits

Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta.