Research Engineer/Research Scientist, RL/Reasoning

Details

The RL and Reasoning team drives the core reasoning paradigm and has created innovations such as o1 and o3. The team focuses on pushing the boundaries of reinforcement learning research, building next-generation generative models, and deploying them at scale.

As a Research Engineer/Research Scientist at OpenAI, you will advance the frontier of AI alignment and capabilities through cutting-edge RL methods. Your work will sit at the heart of training intelligent, aligned, and general-purpose agents, including the systems that power various models. The role requires the ability to iterate quickly and strong coding proficiency.

Responsibilities

• Advance reinforcement learning (RL) and reasoning research and methods.
• Design, run, and analyze principled experiments in tightly controlled settings.
• Train and help deploy intelligent, aligned, general-purpose agents and generative models at scale.
• Iterate rapidly on research ideas and production systems.
• Dive into, debug, and improve a large ML codebase and associated systems.
• Contribute to AI alignment research and ensure safety considerations are central to development.

Requirements

• Background in reinforcement learning research (hands-on experience with RL research expected).
• Deep understanding of machine learning and machine learning applications.
• Proficient at coding and able to work in large codebases to debug and improve systems.
• Self-starter who takes initiative and drives ideas to completion.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, technically complex environment with rapid iteration.

Location & Work Model

• This role is based in San Francisco, CA.
• Hybrid work model: 3 days in the office per week.
• Relocation assistance is offered to new employees.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range listed: $310K 60K (see posting for details and eligible total compensation components).
• Total compensation may include equity, performance-related bonuses (for eligible employees), and other benefits.
• Benefits include: medical, dental, and vision insurance (with employer HSA contributions), Health/Dependent Care FSAs, commuter pre-tax accounts, 401(k) with employer match, paid parental and caregiver leave, flexible PTO, paid company holidays and office closures, mental health and wellness support, employer-paid basic life and disability coverage, annual learning & development stipend, daily office meals and meal credits, relocation support for eligible employees, and additional taxable fringe benefits (e.g., charitable donation matching and wellness stipends).

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. The company emphasizes safety, diverse perspectives, and inclusive hiring practices. Background checks are administered where applicable, and reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities are available.