Applied Research Engineer

Salesforce; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 148,500 - 260,100; Full time

Job summary

Salesforce AI is seeking software and platform engineers to embed in our AI team, bridging frontier AI tech and customer-facing reality. You will build and deploy services leveraging Generative AI and agentic systems, enabling scalable, production-ready applications.

Collaborate with Research Scientists to bring models to life, designing infrastructure that scales massively while remaining secure and maintainable.

Qualifications

• Strong abilities with Python and Linux; experience with React.
• Experience with production cloud deployments like AWS or GCP; Kubernetes is a plus.
• Experience field-debugging full-stack deployments.
• Solid understanding of security principles and best practices.
• UI and graphic design sensibilities are a plus.
• Author high-quality, low-cognitive-load, fully-tested code – with and without AI assistance.

Responsibilities

• Work alongside research engineers to bring cutting-edge theory into customer-facing practice.
• Build tools and pipelines to support ML and AI efforts.
• Design, build, deploy, and maintain production services, like APIs and UIs.
• Roll out scalable cloud architectures.
• Assist with end-user requirements gathering and executive presentations.

Skills

Python

Linux

React

Cloud deployments

Kubernetes

Security principles

APIs/Production

Tools

AWS

GCP

Kubernetes

Job description

Job Category: Software Engineering

About Salesforce

Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, where humans with agents drive customer success together. Here, ambition meets action. Tech meets trust. And innovation isn’t a buzzword — it’s a way of life. The world of work as we know it is changing and we’re looking for Trailblazers who are passionate about bettering business and the world through AI, driving innovation, and keeping Salesforce’s core values at the heart of it all. Ready to level‑up your career at the company leading workforce transformation in the agentic era? You’re in the right place! Agentforce is the future of AI, and you are the future of Salesforce.

About The Team

Salesforce AI is looking for talented software and platform engineers to embed in our AI team to bridge the gap between frontier AI technology and customer‑facing reality. Do you want to build and deploy the next generation of services leveraging Generative AI and Agentic Systems? Do you thrive in an environment where your engineering skills directly enable world‑class research and products used by millions?

At Salesforce, we are driving the development of Generative AI for CRM, focused on delivering AI‑created content across every customer interaction at hyper‑scale. This role is crucial to transforming our research breakthroughs into stable, secure, and production‑ready applications.

The Research Engineering team works directly alongside Research Scientists to bring models to life. This position is dedicated to a high‑impact systems role, providing the best of both worlds: deep technical challenge and massive, real‑world scale. We believe that building substantive, scalable infrastructure is what enables scientific breakthroughs to spawn entirely new applications.

Learn more about our work at salesforceairesearch.com.

What You’ll Do

• Work alongside other motivated and talented research engineers to bring cutting‑edge theory into customer‑facing practice.
• Build tools and pipelines to support ML and AI efforts.
• Design, build, deploy, and maintain production services, like APIs, UIs, agentic evaluators, and more.
• Roll out scalable cloud architectures.
• Help with end‑user requirements gathering and executive presentations.

What We’re Looking For

• Strong abilities with Python and Linux, and some experience with React.
• Experience with production cloud deployments like AWS or GCP. Kubernetes is a plus.
• Experience field‑debugging full‑stack deployments.
• Solid understanding of security principles and best practices.
• UI and graphic design sensibilities are a plus.
• Author high‑quality, low‑cognitive‑load, fully‑tested code – with and without AI assistance.

Accommodations

If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please submit a request via this Accommodations Request Form.

Posting Statement

Salesforce is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a policy of non-discrimination with all employees and applicants for employment. We believe in equality for all and create a workplace that’s inclusive and free from discrimination. Any employee or potential employee will be assessed based on merit, competence, and qualifications—without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, age, disability, veteran or marital status, political viewpoint, or other classifications protected by law. This policy applies to recruiting, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, assessment of job performance, discipline, termination, and everything in between. Recruiting, hiring, and promotion decisions at Salesforce are fair and based on merit.

In the United States, compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, job level, job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, and benefits. Salesforce offers a variety of benefits to help you live well, including: time off programs, medical, dental, vision, mental health support, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, 401(k), and an employee stock purchasing program. More details about company benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.salesforcebenefits.com. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Salesforce will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

At Salesforce, we believe in equitable compensation practices that reflect the dynamic nature of labor markets across various regions. The typical base salary range for this position is $148,500—$260,100 annually. In select cities within the San Francisco and New York City metropolitan area, the base salary range for this role is $178,900—$285,800 annually. The range represents base salary only, and does not include company bonus, incentive for sales roles, equity or benefits, as applicable.