Senior Foundation Model Researcher – Contractor

Senior Foundation Model Researcher – Contract Role

Position Overview

A research-driven technology organization is seeking a Senior Foundation Model Researcher (Contractor) to develop and deploy advanced foundation models for large-scale, real-world applications.

This role combines cutting-edge AI research with production-oriented engineering. The successful candidate will work on the full lifecycle of foundation model development, from architecture design and training to optimization and deployment in scalable production systems.

The position is suited for researchers and engineers with strong expertise in large-scale model training, distributed systems, and applied AI innovation.

Key Responsibilities

Foundation Model Research & Development

• Design, develop, and optimize high-performance foundation models for diverse downstream applications.
• Work on architectures such as:
  • Large language models (LLMs)
  • Time-series foundation models
  • Emerging generative AI architectures
• Improve model scalability, robustness, and inference efficiency.

End-to-End AI System Development

• Independently drive projects through the complete R&D lifecycle:
  • Research and conceptualization
  • Prototyping and experimentation
  • Training and evaluation
  • Production deployment and optimization
• Ensure models are production-ready and maintainable at scale.

Distributed Training & Performance Optimization

• Develop and optimize distributed training workflows on GPU or accelerator clusters.
• Improve training efficiency, scalability, and runtime performance.
• Debug and resolve issues in large-scale training and inference environments.

Production Integration & Scalability

• Collaborate with engineering teams to improve backend system scalability and operational efficiency.
• Optimize models for high-concurrency production systems.
• Develop clean, maintainable, and efficient codebases suitable for long-term deployment.

Research Innovation

• Stay current with state-of-the-art developments in foundation models and generative AI.
• Translate emerging research techniques into practical product capabilities.
• Contribute to technical innovation and potentially to publications or open-source ecosystems.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related quantitative field.
• At least 3 years of experience in large-scale model or algorithm development.
• Strong expertise in:
  • Python
  • PyTorch
  • Distributed training on GPU/NPU clusters
• Proven experience developing foundation models such as:
  • Large language models
  • Time-series models
• Demonstrated ability to independently deliver projects from research to production deployment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing and training models with billions of parameters.
• Specialized knowledge of:
  • State Space Models (SSMs)
  • Alternative sequence modeling architectures
• Domain expertise in areas such as:
  • Healthcare analytics
  • Sports or performance analytics
• Publications in top-tier AI conferences or meaningful open-source contributions.

Personal Attributes

• Strong ownership mindset and ability to work independently.
• Research-driven approach with strong engineering execution.
• Ability to bridge theoretical innovation and scalable deployment.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills.
• Passion for emerging AI technologies and large-scale model systems.