Technical Research Partner - Enterprise

x.ai; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 440,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Technical Research Partner to bridge cutting-edge AI research and enterprise needs. In this dynamic role, you'll gather customer insights, define performance benchmarks, and oversee data collection efforts. Collaborating with research and engineering teams, you'll ensure that AI solutions are tailored for real-world applications. This position offers the chance to drive impactful projects at the intersection of technology and customer success, all within a collaborative and innovative environment. If you are passionate about advancing scientific discovery through AI, this opportunity is perfect for you.

Benefits

Competitive cash-based compensation

xAI equity

Private health and dental insurance

Unlimited time off subject to prior approval

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field or equivalent experience.
• Experience in a technical role interfacing between research and customer teams.

Responsibilities

• Gather and synthesize customer evaluations to inform research priorities.
• Define benchmarks aligned with customer needs for AI solutions.

Skills

Analytical Skills

Communication Skills

Project Management

AI/ML Concepts

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD)

Job description

xAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge.

Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity.

We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important.

All engineers and researchers are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.

About the Role

xAI is seeking a Technical Research Partner, Enterprise to join our mission of accelerating human scientific discovery through artificial intelligence. In this role, you will bridge the gap between our cutting-edge research efforts and the needs of enterprise customers, ensuring that our AI solutions are tailored to real-world applications. You will collaborate closely with research, engineering, and go-to-market (GTM) teams to align technical advancements with customer success. If you thrive at the intersection of research, technology, and customer impact, we’d love to hear from you.

Focus

• Gather and synthesize customer evaluations: Systematically collect, organize, and analyze feedback and performance evaluations from enterprise customers to inform research and development priorities.
• Define critical benchmarks aligned with customer needs: Identify and establish key performance benchmarks that mirror the prompt distributions and use cases of our enterprise customers, ensuring relevance and applicability.
• Initiate and oversee human data collection efforts: Launch and manage campaigns to acquire high-quality human-generated data, supporting model training and validation processes.
• Guide research roadmap based on enterprise insights: Collaborate with the research team to pinpoint model weaknesses uncovered through enterprise customer interactions, shaping the strategic direction of future development efforts.
• Monitor and coordinate deliverables for model launches: Track timelines, milestones, and deliverables related to model releases, ensuring seamless execution and alignment with customer expectations.
• Support resource allocation for model fine-tuning: Facilitate the provisioning of research expertise and computational resources to optimize and fine-tune models for specific enterprise use cases.
• Contribute to integration projects with important partners: Partner with cross-functional teams to integrate AI advancements into cutting edge research and product initiatives, across voice/vision/robotics/agentic applications.

An ideal candidate meets at least the following requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience).
• Experience in a technical role interfacing between research/engineering teams and customer-facing teams.
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional projects with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills with experience in data collection, synthesis, and interpretation.
• Familiarity with AI/ML concepts and their application in enterprise settings.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to distill complex technical concepts for diverse audiences.

Furthermore, candidates may stand out by having any of the following experiences:

• Advanced degree (Master’s or PhD) in a relevant technical discipline.
• Experience working with large-scale AI models or fine-tuning processes.
• Prior work in a go-to-market or customer success role within a tech-driven organization.
• Hands-on experience designing or implementing benchmarks for AI systems.

Location

Interview Process

After submitting your application, the team reviews your CV and statement of exceptional work. If your application passes this stage, you will be invited to a 15 minute interview (“technical phone interview”) during which a member of our team will ask technical questions about your background or specialization. If you clear the initial phone interview, you will enter the main process, which consists of four technical interviews:

**Please note that the Statement of Exceptional Work is a key deciding factor for consideration.**

• 15 min Screen
• Interview Round
• Meet the Team
• Competitive cash-based compensation
• xAI equity
• Private health and dental insurance
• Unlimited time off subject to prior approval

Annual Salary Range

$180,000 - $440,000 USD

xAI is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate based on race, color, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, medical conditions, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act.