Research Science Manager, Foundation Models

Runway; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Runway is seeking a Research Manager to lead its Applied ML Research team, focusing on developing advanced machine learning tools for AI-based content creation. Candidates should have over 5 years of industry experience in computer vision, along with team management skills. This role demands strong communication and collaboration abilities, as the successful candidate will work cross-functionally with engineering and product teams. Runway prides itself on a diverse and inclusive work environment, encouraging applicants from all backgrounds.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of industry experience as a research scientist in computer vision.
• 1+ year managing teams.
• Experience mentoring and supporting researchers.

Responsibilities

• Manage and grow the Applied ML Research team.
• Oversee the transition from research into production.
• Collaborate with the Product team on research projects.

Skills

Research in computer vision

Team management

Mentoring and supporting career growth

Communication skills

Translating product objectives into strategies

Productionizing ML research

Job description

About the Company

We are building AI to simulate the world through merging art and science. We believe that world models are at the frontier of progress in artificial intelligence. Language models alone won’t solve the world’s hardest problems – robotics, disease, scientific discovery. Real progress requires models that experience the world and learn from their mistakes, the same way that humans do. And this kind of trial and error can be massively accelerated when done in simulation, rather than in the real world.

World models offer the most clear path to general‑purpose simulation, changing how stories are told, how scientific progress is made and how the next frontiers of humanity are reached.

Our team consists of creative, open‑minded, caring and ambitious people who are determined to change the world. We aspire to continuously build impossible things and our ability to do so relies on building an incredible team. If you are driven to do the same, we'd love to hear from you.

About The Role

We’re looking for a Research Manager to help us manage and grow Runway’s Applied ML Research team to create cutting‑edge machine learning tools for AI‑based content creation. This person should have a strong research background in computer vision, and be deeply interested in managing and enabling other researchers to develop state‑of‑the‑art research.

This is a cross‑functional role that requires strong communication and collaboration skills; you will have a chance to work with the rest of the engineering organization to oversee the transition from research into production, as well as with the Product team to initiate and develop research projects that deliver clear user value.

What you’ll need

• 5+ years of industry experience as a research scientist in computer vision and 1+ year managing teams
• High emotional intelligence and experience mentoring and supporting the career growth of other researchers
• Good understanding of how to communicate goals, drive the execution of projects, and inspire through others
• Experience in translating product and business objectives into technical strategies
• Deep interest in productionizing state‑of‑the‑art ML research

Compensation

Runway strives to recruit and retain exceptional talent from diverse backgrounds while ensuring pay equity for our team. Our salary ranges are based on competitive market rates for our size, stage and industry, and salary is just one part of the overall compensation package we provide. There are many factors that go into salary determinations, including relevant experience, skill level and qualifications assessed during the interview process, and maintaining internal equity with peers on the team. The range shared below is a general expectation for the function as posted, but we are also open to considering candidates who may be more or less experienced than outlined in the job description. In this case, we will communicate any updates in the expected salary range. Lastly, the provided range is the expected salary for candidates in the U.S. Outside of those regions, there may be a change in the range, which again, will be communicated to candidates.

Equal Opportunity

We’re committed to creating a space where our employees can bring their full selves to work and have equal opportunity to succeed. So regardless of race, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, religion, origin, ability, age, veteran status, if joining this mission speaks to you, we encourage you to apply.