Principal AI Architect / Head of AI / Machine Learning Architect (LLM Expert)

ZipRecruiter; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading early-stage startup in San Francisco seeks a Principal AI Architect to spearhead their generative AI systems. This key role involves architecting innovative AI solutions and working closely with an accomplished team. Ideal candidates will have deep experience with LLMs and a PhD in AI/ML from a top university. Competitive compensation and equity opportunities are offered in a flexible, hybrid working environment.

Benefits

Competitive compensation and equity

Work on frontier AI problems

Flexible hybrid setup

Opportunity to architect AI systems from scratch

Qualifications

• Deep hands-on expertise in LLM development.
• Proficiency in building RAG pipelines.
• Experience with autonomous agent frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of generative AI systems.
• Build and fine-tune LLMs and multi-modal systems.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to ship AI features.

Skills

Experience at a top AI lab

Building and training LLMs

Strong coding ability in Python

Building RAG pipelines

Familiarity with Claude, LLaMA, GPT-4

Education

Advanced degree in AI/ML (PhD strongly preferred)

Job description

Job DescriptionJob Description

Principal AI Architect / Head of AI / Machine Learning Architect (LLM Expert)
Compensation: $170,000 $220,000 + meaningful equity
Location: San Francisco (Hybrid, 3 days/week in office)
Remote Options: In-office, hybrid
Employment Type: Full-time or Contract

Who Are We?

Were an early-stage, YC-backed startup (Seed) building AI infrastructure to reinvent how private wealth is created and managed. Our AI- platform democratizes access to alternative investments think venture capital and private equity making them accessible to a new of investors.

We're already live with paying customers and significant revenue. Backed by top-tier investors in fintech, our mission is bold, our team is sharp, and our product is moving fast.

What's In It for You?

• Competitive compensation and significant equity upside
• Join a profitable, fast-moving startup with paying customers
• Work on frontier AI problems with practical, real-world application
• Flexible hybrid setup with teammates in SF (3 days/week in office)
• Partner with a highly accomplished founding team (ex-Google, Harvard Law, top VCs)
• Opportunity to architect AI systems from scratch and push LLMs to their limit

What Will You Do?

You'll lead the design and implementation of our generative AI systems to power a next-gen financial advisor platform. Specifically, you'll:

• Build and fine-tune LLMs and multi-modal systems from the ground up
• Architect retrieval-augmented (RAG) pipelines for real-time financial insights
• Develop autonomous agent frameworks to manage and analyze portfolios
• Apply modern prompting techniques (Tree of Thoughts, Constitutional AI, etc.)
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, design, and engineering teams to ship production-grade AI features
• Push the limits of what's possible in AI quickly, creatively, and with scientific rigor

What Will You Need?

Must-Haves:

• Experience at a top AI lab or foundation model company (e.g. OpenAI, DeepMind, Anthropic, Google Brain, Meta FAIR)
• Deep hands-on expertise building and training LLMs not just API calls
• Advanced degree in AI/ML (PhD strongly ) from a top-tier university (Stanford, MIT, CMU, etc.)
• Proficiency in building RAG pipelines, autonomous agents, and multi-modal systems
• Strong coding ability in Python, TypeScript, and relevant ML frameworks
• Familiarity with Claude, LLaMA, GPT-4, or similar systems
• Willingness to work startup hours (~996 pace in the near term)

Nice-to-Haves:

• Publications at top-tier AI conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, ACL, etc.)
• Experience with agentic AI protocols and memory architecture
• Prior startup experience or zero-to-one product build
• Domain knowledge in financial systems or investment tech

You are not a fit if:

• You've only used LLMs via APIs (e.g., wrappers around GPT)
• Your ML background is limited to computer vision, robotics, or traditional ML
• You've had multiple short stints or no recent hands-on model development
• You're not open to high-agency, high-velocity startup work

Note:
We do not offer relocation support or visa sponsorship at this time.