Lead Data Scientist - Autonomous Goal Management

Quick Facts

• Remote US
• Work schedule: 40 hours/week
• Pay range: $142,300 - $195,700 per year
• Bonus incentive plan: eligible

Description

The role is focused on developing agentic AI systems that autonomously manage and decompose complex goals in dynamic, real-world environments. You will build foundations to make AI agents reliable, interpretable, and robust across long-horizon tasks, with emphasis on accountable AI best practices for risk management and measurement.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect goal setting and goal decomposition mechanisms for autonomous agents operating in uncertain or open-ended environments
• Design and implement dynamic planning systems (hierarchical planning, curriculum learning, scratchpad/self-refinement loops)
• Collaborate on memory, tool-use, and feedback-loop designs enabling multi-step, self-directed agent behavior
• Develop evaluation frameworks for alignment with human intent, consistency, and progress against long-horizon objectives
• Prototype agents that interface with APIs, MCP servers, search engines, databases, or real-world actuators to pursue goals safely and efficiently
• Explore mechanisms to detect and mitigate goal misalignment, looping behavior, or undesirable emergent strategies
• Work across teams to integrate goal alignment with safety, alignment, and operational reliability mechanisms

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in SQL, Python, and data analysis/data mining tools
• Experience with machine learning frameworks like PyTorch, JAX, LangChain, LangGraph, or AutoGen
• Experience with high performance, large-scale ML systems
• Experience with language modeling with transformers
• Experience with symbolic planning, causal reasoning, and model-based reinforcement learning
• Experience with large-scale ETL

Required Qualifications

• Master’s Degree and 4+ years of experience in research/ML engineering or an applied research scientist position; preferably focus on developing production-ready AI solutions
• 2+ years of experience leading development of AI/ML systems

Preferred Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, or related field
• Demonstrated experience shipping autonomous or semi-autonomous agents in production or simulation
• Experience with LLM-based agents with scratchpad/self-reflection or hierarchical task decomposition
• Understanding of autonomy risk mitigation strategies, including off-switch protocols or bounded rationality

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Time off (paid time off, company and personal holidays)
• Paid parental and caregiver leave
• Short-term and long-term disability
• Life insurance
• Other opportunities supporting whole-person well-being

Work at Home Requirements

• Minimum internet: 25 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload
• Wireless, wired cable, or DSL connection suggested
• Work in a dedicated space without ongoing interruptions to protect member PHI/HIPAA information

Travel

Occasional travel to company offices for training or meetings may be required.