Research Program Manager - Model Development

About the role

Research Program Managers at Reflection are high-leverage leaders and operators who embed directly with research and engineering teams to accelerate the pace of frontier model development. They are not project trackers. They are force multipliers who bring clarity to ambiguity, drive decisions when the path forward is unclear, and ensure that the work happening across multiple teams connects into a coherent whole.

Responsibilities

• Embed within the pre-training ML and Data teams to deeply understand the technical landscape, build trust with researchers and technical leads, and identify where programs and process can have the most impact on research velocity.
• Drive end-to-end execution of complex, cross-team research initiatives that span data, model architecture, training runs, and evaluation, often without established playbooks.
• Coordinate the operational rhythm of pre-training research, including experiment prioritization, run scheduling, data readiness, and checkpoint handoffs to downstream teams.
• Equip research leadership to make decisions quickly by going deep on technical tradeoffs and presenting clear, actionable recommendations rather than status updates.
• Create lightweight processes that bring structure to unstructured research environments without adding friction. Create coordination mechanisms for cross-team handoffs, config management, and research milestones that replace ad hoc Slack threads with durable, visible systems.
• Act as the connective tissue between pre-training, mid-training, post-training, and infrastructure teams, ensuring that upstream decisions propagate cleanly and downstream teams are never surprised.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in technical program management, research operations, or ML engineering, with a track record of building programs from scratch in research or ML-heavy environments.
• Deep enough technically to engage with researchers on topics like model architecture, scaling laws, data processing pipelines, training dynamics, and optimizer behavior. You don't need to run the experiments yourself, but you need to follow the reasoning and spot risks early in order to discuss tradeoffs.
• Proven ability to embed within technical teams and earn trust through competence, reliability, and genuine curiosity about the work. Researchers want to work with you because you make them faster, not because the process says they have to.
• Resourceful and high-agency. You navigate ambiguity and shifting priorities without losing momentum. You figure out what needs to happen and you make it happen.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence senior technical staff through consistent delivery and well-informed judgment, not authority.
• Comfortable in high-stakes environments where decisions impact model quality, compute spend, and training timelines measured in weeks or months.
• Excited to build from zero to one. We are a small, fast-moving team and this role will help define how research program management works at Reflection.
• Motivated by enabling researchers and engineers to build the world's most capable open-weight AI systems.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Statistics, or a related field.
• Experience with machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Hugging Face Transformers.
• Understanding of deep learning concepts, including neural network architectures, optimization techniques, and regularization methods.
• Experience with distributed computing and cloud-based services like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance.

Skills

• Technical expertise in machine learning, particularly in areas relevant to model development and research.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Effective communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Experience with project management tools and methodologies.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance.
• An annual wellness allowance.
• Lunch and dinner provided in the office daily.
• 22 weeks paid parental leave for all new birthing and non-birthing parents, including adoptive and surrogate journeys.
• Unlimited paid time off in the U.S. and 30 days in the U.K.
• Sponsorship support for exceptional talent joining our team and supporting long-term immigration pathways where applicable.
• Regular off-sites, happy hours, and team celebrations.

Pay

• Top-tier compensation: Salary and equity structured to recognize and retain our talent globally.
• Stock options: Everyone who joins and contributes to Reflection's success gets to share in the upside through stock options.

Schedule

• Full-time position.