Applied AI Scientist, Small Language Model and AI Training

Postman; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 250,000 - 276,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full medical coverage

Flexible PTO

Wellness reimbursement

Monthly lunch stipend

Team-building events

Donation-matching program

Job summary

A leading API platform provider is seeking an Applied AI Scientist in San Francisco to lead research on small language models. This role involves advancing training techniques and collaborating with teams to enhance AI safety and impact. Ideal candidates should have experience in applied research and strong programming skills in Python. The company offers a competitive salary, flexibility, and comprehensive benefits, emphasizing an inclusive culture.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in applied research or engineering roles focused on training language models.
• Strong programming skills in Python.
• Deep understanding of language model architectures and training techniques.

Responsibilities

• Lead research and development of novel training methodologies for language models.
• Design and evaluate model training experiments.
• Collaborate on scalable training pipelines and model deployment.

Skills

Applied research experience

Python programming skills

Machine learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX)

Language model optimization strategies

AI safety and interpretability

Communication skills

Job description

Overview

Applied AI Scientist, Small Language Model and AI Training

Pay

Base pay range

$250,000.00/yr - $276,000.00/yr

Who Are We?

Postman is the world’s leading API platform, used by more than 40 million developers and 500,000 organizations, including 98% of the Fortune 500. Postman is helping developers and professionals across the globe build the API-first world by simplifying each step of the API lifecycle and streamlining collaboration—enabling users to create better APIs, faster. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in Boston, New York, and Bangalore - where Postman was founded. Postman is privately held, with funding from Battery Ventures, BOND, Coatue, CRV, Insight Partners, and Nexus Venture Partners. Learn more at postman.com or connect with Postman on X via @getpostman. P.S: We highly recommend reading The "API-First World" graphic novel to understand the bigger picture and our vision at Postman.

The Opportunity

As an Applied Scientist specializing in Small Language Models and AI Training, you will lead research and development efforts focused on building efficient, high-performance language models tailored for practical applications. You will work closely with research, engineering, and product teams to advance model training techniques, optimize architectures, and scale AI solutions. Your work will directly contribute to AI systems that are safe, interpretable, and impactful across diverse usage scenarios.

What You’ll Do

• Lead research and development of novel training methodologies and architectures for small and efficient language models.
• Design, implement, and evaluate model training experiments to improve performance, robustness, and generalization of language models.
• Collaborate closely with research scientists and engineers on scalable training pipelines and model deployment strategies.
• Develop techniques for model compression, fine-tuning, and domain adaptation to optimize models for real-world applications.
• Ensure AI safety, fairness, and alignment principles are integrated into model training processes and evaluated rigorously.
• Mentor and support cross-functional teams on applied machine learning methods and best practices.
• Evaluate and integrate new tools, frameworks, and datasets to accelerate AI training workflows.
• Partner with product teams to translate model capabilities into actionable features aligned with user needs and ethical standards.

About You

• Have demonstrated experience in applied research or engineering roles focused on training language models, ideally small or efficient models.
• Strong programming skills in Python and familiarity with machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX.
• Deep understanding of language model architectures, training techniques, and optimization strategies.
• Experience with distributed training, data pipeline design, and scalable AI infrastructure.
• Passion for AI safety, interpretability, and delivering user-centered AI technology.
• Excellent communication skills with proven ability to collaborate across research, engineering, and product teams.

Preferred

• Prior experience working with large and small language models in production or research settings.
• Background in reinforcement learning, prompt engineering, or transfer learning techniques.
• Experience with developer tools, APIs, or frameworks related to AI model integration and delivery.
• Knowledge of AI alignment, fairness, and ethical AI training methodologies.

The reasonably estimated base salary for this role ranges from $250,000.00 to $276,000.00, plus a competitive equity package. Actual compensation is based on the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience.

What Else?

In addition to Postman's pay-on-performance philosophy, and a flexible schedule working with a fun, collaborative team, Postman offers a comprehensive set of benefits, including full medical coverage, flexible PTO, wellness reimbursement, and a monthly lunch stipend. Along with that, our wellness programs will help you stay in the best of your physical and mental health. Our frequent and fascinating team-building events will keep you connected, while our donation-matching program can support the causes you care about. We’re building a long-term company with an inclusive culture where everyone can be the best version of themselves.

At Postman, we embrace a hybrid work model. For all roles based out of San Francisco Bay Area, Boston, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and New York, employees are expected to come into the office 3-days a week. We were thoughtful in our approach which is based on balancing flexibility and collaboration and grounded in feedback from our workforce, leadership team, and peers. The benefits of our hybrid office model will be shared knowledge, brainstorming sessions, communication, and building trust in-person that cannot be replicated via zoom.

Our Values

At Postman, we create with the same curiosity that we see in our users. We value transparency and honest communication about not only successes, but also failures. In our work, we focus on specific goals that add up to a larger vision. Our inclusive work culture ensures that everyone is valued equally as important pieces of our final product. We are dedicated to delivering the best products we can.

Equal opportunity

Postman is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status. Headhunters and recruitment agencies may not submit resumes/CVs through this website or directly to managers. Postman does not accept unsolicited headhunter and agency resumes. Postman will not pay fees to any third-party agency or company that does not have a signed agreement with Postman.