Member of Technical Staff, Frontier AI — Enterprise AI Solutions & Strategy

ZR Talent Group is recruiting a qualified Member of Technical Staff, Frontier AI — Enterprise AI Solutions & Strategy for a 100% remote contract opportunity ($600,000 - $2,000,000/year) open to candidates across the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa. In this specialist engagement, you will collaborate with advanced AI research teams to design domain-specific evaluation scenarios, audit complex model reasoning, and establish gold-standard reference solutions in Research Signal Judgment, ML-Oriented Data Design, Ops-to-Research Translation, RL Environments.

Prior experience building machine learning systems is not required—our research partners value authentic practitioner judgment, domain rigor, and clear analytical writing.

Key Responsibilities & Deliverables

• Own research and evaluation initiatives from initial concept through completion: problem framing, data design, quality calibration, and signal validation.
• Design ML-oriented data systems, including task definitions, annotation schemas, rubrics, incentives, and pipelines optimized for downstream model performance.
• Analyze model and system failures to identify root causes, edge cases, and opportunities for improvement.
• Translate ambiguous, real-world behavior into structured evaluation frameworks and new data categories.
• Partner cross-functionally with researchers and domain experts to calibrate quality early and continuously raise the signal bar.
• Iterate rapidly on evaluations, datasets, and feedback loops to improve system performance.
• Act as a quality gate: block claims, pause work, or force scope changes when signal strength or data integrity is insufficient.
• Partner with cross-functional and client-facing teams to translate research progress into clear, credible narratives grounded in evidence.
• Identify gaps in data or evaluation coverage and recommend where to invest, iterate, or stop based on learnings and impact.

Required Qualifications & Technical Criteria

• Strong judgment around research signal quality and when work is (or is not) ready to be externalized.
• Experience designing ML-oriented datasets, evaluation frameworks, and QA processes.
• Ability to translate messy, real-world system behavior into structured research and evaluation opportunities.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity, with a bias toward ownership and decisive action.
• Clear written and verbal communication, especially when explaining tradeoffs, limitations, and signal strength to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven ability to work directly with experts during project kickoff, calibration, and iteration.
• A systems-level mindset, with interest in improving from initial concept through completion model or agent performance rather than isolated components.
• Preferred
• Practical background using reinforcement learning environments, simulators, or feedback-driven training systems.
• Experience improving agentic systems or AI systems operating in real-world workflows.
• Prior work embedded in applied research or production environments with direct impact on deployed systems.
• Practical background using evaluation design for complex or real-world tasks.
• Working knowledge of expert incentive design and engagement in high-stakes technical projects.
• Compensation & Benefits Notice
• The national pay range for this full-time position is base salary of $240,000 –$350,000. All employees are eligible for equity compensation, and employees may also receive performance-based bonuses, dependent on role and subject to company policies. ZR Talent Group 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.

Compensation, Remote Eligibility & Schedule

• Compensation Band: $600,000 - $2,000,000/year
• Work Model: 100% Remote / Work From Home with flexible asynchronous scheduling
• Eligible Remote Locations: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa
• Current Openings: 1 active specialist position
• Hiring Organization: ZR Talent Group
• Core Skills & Technologies: Research Signal Judgment, ML-Oriented Data Design, Ops-to-Research Translation, RL Environments