Head of Research
- Compensation
- $500K–$750K + equity
- Work mode
- Hybrid/On-site
- Location
- New York City, NY
- Industry
- Frontier AI · Reinforcement Learning · LLM Training
- Posted
- 12 Oct 2026
Your market value for this role
Compared with 4 live mandates (same function, level and region).
Base salary only; excludes equity and bonus. Benchmark your own package →
The mandate
Lead an applied research function developing reinforcement-learning environments and trajectory datasets for advanced AI training. Set the research roadmap, conduct hands-on experiments, build a research team, and collaborate directly with customer research groups.
Key responsibilities
- Set the applied research roadmap, prioritization, and allocation of research resources.
- Recruit and grow a research team, with several additional researchers planned.
- Work directly with customer research teams on reinforcement learning and post-training challenges.
- Run hands-on experiments and shape data, environments, and trajectories to improve model capabilities.
- Partner with engineering, delivery, and go-to-market teams to turn research into production-ready deliverables.
What you bring
- 8+ years as a research scientist or applied researcher.
- Hands-on experience in reinforcement learning and post-training at a frontier lab, research lab, or leading data organization.
- Demonstrated research leadership and evidence of meaningful technical results.
- Expertise in RL environments, trajectory datasets, LLMs, and training methods such as SFT or preference optimization.
- Ability to balance rigorous experimentation with customer-oriented delivery.
Location & engagement details
New York City or Greater Seattle Area · Hybrid
Full-time, hybrid with three office days per week in New York or Seattle. Salary $500K–$750K plus competitive equity. Visa transfers and some new sponsorship categories are considered. Stack includes PyTorch/JAX, RL, post-training, GRPO, preference optimization, SFT, and LLMs. Interview includes research screens, onsite team discussion, and culture fit.
About this mandate
This is a live head of function mandate I refer executives to directly. The role sits in frontier ai · reinforcement learning · llm training and is located in New York City, NY on a hybrid/on-site basis, with compensation of $500K–$750K + equity.
This is a confidential search. Read the brief above, then apply below for this role. The company name is shared once there's a close match and mutual interest.
Most senior mandates are filled this way — privately, before any listing exists. Read how unadvertised executive roles actually get filled.
- This is a confidential search. The company name and full role details are only discussed on a call with one of our recruiters if there is a close match.
- We use your details — your LinkedIn profile URL and email address — to match you against this mandate and any other closely matched roles.
- A verifiable email address, LinkedIn profile and a recent PDF resume are required. Submissions from bots, spammers or unverifiable profiles are removed.
- There is no call booking at this stage. Calls are scheduled only after we identify a close match.
Who I consider
- C-suite, EVP/SVP, VP and Head of function leaders
- Proven scale-up, venture-backed or enterprise leadership experience
- Track record of building and leading teams in the relevant function
Final hiring decisions rest solely with the hiring company. Outcomes depend on role availability and decisions made by the hiring team.
Apply — Head of Research
This application is for this role only. I review it against the brief above and contact you if there's a close match.
- This is a confidential search. The company name and full role details are only discussed on a call with one of our recruiters if there is a close match.
- We use your details — your LinkedIn profile URL and email address — to match you against this mandate and any other closely matched roles.
- Handled confidentially — your details are never shared without your consent.
- A referral is an introduction, not a guarantee of an interview or an offer.
- Final hiring decisions rest with the hiring company; outcomes depend on role availability and their decisions.