Domain Researcher, Finance

Confidential; United States; Remote; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

Remote-first

Health insurance reimbursement up to $

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Job summary

Zekai seeks a Domain Researcher, Finance to join our distributed research team and help define evaluation frameworks for AI-powered financial reasoning. You will bridge finance expertise with AI research and collaborate with researchers, engineers, and product teams to shape enterprise AI.

You will design finance-focused benchmarks, analyze model behavior, publish findings, and stay current with advances in finance, ML, and agent architectures. This is a 100% remote contract role open worldwide.

Qualifications

• PhD in Finance or related field strongly preferred.
• Advanced domain expertise in finance (investment research, risk management, corporate finance).
• Proven ability to translate complex financial problems into measurable research questions.

Responsibilities

• Design and evolve evaluation frameworks for AI agents in finance.
• Conduct original research on financial reasoning and decision-making.
• Develop datasets, test cases, and benchmark environments for enterprise finance.
• Collaborate with researchers, engineers, and product teams to evaluate models.
• Analyze model behavior and performance trends to guide priorities.
• Publish internal findings and best practices to advance finance AI.
• Stay current with advances in AI, ML, finance, and agent architectures.

Skills

Advanced finance domain knowledge

Research design & evaluation

Strong communication skills

Python & data analysis

Education

PhD in Finance or related field

MBA, CFA or equivalent

Tools

Python

SQL

ML frameworks

Job description

Job Title: Domain Researcher, Finance

Job Type: Full-time

Location: Remote

The Role

Join our research team as a Domain Researcher (DR), Finance, where you'll help define the frontier of AI-powered financial reasoning. This role sits at the intersection of large language models, agentic systems, and enterprise finance, with a focus on building rigorous evaluation frameworks that measure, benchmark, and advance AI performance across complex financial workflows.

You will conduct applied research, develop novel methodologies for assessing financial intelligence in AI systems, and partner closely with researchers, engineers, and product teams to shape the next generation of enterprise AI.

What You'll Be Doing

• Design, own, and evolve evaluation frameworks for AI agents operating in financial domains, including benchmark suites, scoring methodologies, quality rubrics, and research-grade evaluation protocols.
• Conduct original research on financial reasoning, decision-making, and workflow automation, translating findings into measurable improvements in AI system performance.
• Develop and curate datasets, test cases, and benchmark environments that capture real-world enterprise finance challenges.
• Collaborate with AI researchers, machine learning engineers, and product teams to evaluate, validate, and improve finance-focused models and agentic systems.
• Analyze model behavior, failure modes, and performance trends to generate actionable insights and guide research priorities.
• Publish internal research findings, technical reports, and best practices that contribute to the broader understanding of AI capabilities in finance.
• Stay current with advances in AI, machine learning, financial modeling, evaluation science, and agent architectures, incorporating emerging techniques into research initiatives.
• Help establish research standards and thought leadership for enterprise financial intelligence and AI evaluation.
• Foster a culture of scientific rigor, experimentation, and collaborative innovation within a distributed research environment.

What We're Looking For

• Advanced degree in Finance, Economics, Financial Engineering, Quantitative Finance, or a related field (PhD strongly preferred; MBA, CFA, or equivalent expertise also considered).
• Deep domain expertise in one or more areas of finance, including investment research, capital markets, risk management, corporate finance, accounting, or financial analysis.
• Demonstrated experience conducting rigorous research, developing analytical methodologies, or building evaluation frameworks in finance or related quantitative disciplines.
• Strong ability to translate ambiguous real-world financial problems into measurable research questions and evaluation criteria.
• Exceptional analytical and critical-thinking skills, with a track record of solving complex, multidisciplinary problems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience producing research reports, technical documentation, or thought leadership content.
• Experience working in highly collaborative, cross-functional environments involving research, engineering, and product stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience evaluating, benchmarking, or researching large language models, AI agents, reasoning systems, or enterprise AI applications.
• Familiarity with agentic workflows, AI evaluation methodologies, synthetic data generation, or model alignment techniques.
• Knowledge of contemporary research in machine learning, financial AI, decision intelligence, or computational finance.
• Experience designing industry benchmarks, assessment frameworks, or performance standards.
• Publication record in academic conferences, journals, industry research, or influential technical publications.
• Proficiency with data analysis, experimentation, or quantitative research tools (e.g., Python, SQL, statistical analysis, or machine learning frameworks).

Compensation & Benefits Notice

The national pay range for this full-time position is base salary of $200,000 –$250,000. All employees are eligible for equity compensation, and employees may also receive performance-based bonuses, dependent on role and subject to company policies. our partner provides a comprehensive benefits package, including up to 100% reimbursement for health-insurance premiums, paid time off, a 401(K) plan with a company match, and additional benefits designed to support a high-performing, remote-first workforce.

our partner is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation during the application process, reach out to support@our partner.

Our hiring process utilizes artificial intelligence tools to assist in candidate screening and assessment. Our AI tools are designed to complement, not replace, human decision-making.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this job posting, including but not limited to role responsibilities, qualifications, compensation, and benefits, is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute a binding offer of employment. our partner reserves the right to amend, modify, or withdraw any portion of this posting at its sole discretion and without prior notice. All employment decisions are made in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

This is a 100% remote contract role, open to applicants worldwide in the countries the employer accepts.