Forward Deployed Research Engineer
TLDR
Build RL environment and AI evaluation infrastructure, turning urgent deployment challenges into reusable tools and processes.
About the Role
This is a hands-on, end-to-end technical role on a small, high-caliber engineering team building infrastructure for RL environments and AI evaluation. You will own urgent, ambiguous technical challenges for frontier AI labs and data vendors, turning repeated firefighting into reusable, lasting tooling. Your work directly unblocks critical deployments and shapes how the platform evolves.
What You'll Do
Take the lead on diagnosing and resolving ambiguous technical problems from triage to completion.
Own deployment requests from frontier AI labs, data vendors, and internal teams across the full lifecycle.
Ask the right questions to clarify underspecified asks and identify what actually needs to be done.
Build tools and one-off pipelines to solve urgent customer or partner problems quickly.
Coordinate with research and go-to-market teams to unblock deployments.
Balance speed and quality when customers need fast turnaround and the path is not fully defined.
Document recurring issues and convert repeated manual work into reusable tools and processes.
What We're Looking For
2 to 4 years of experience in applied research engineering, forward-deployed engineering, or a comparable hands-on technical role.
Strong generalist AI engineering skills with the ability to move quickly under pressure.
Proficiency in Python, Docker, and Linux environments.
Experience working on benchmarks and evals, with sound judgment about task realism, rubric reliability, and trajectory quality for RL training.
Strong debugging instincts across code, data, and environments.
Demonstrated ability to operate independently in ambiguous situations without a fully prescribed roadmap.
Good judgment about when to move fast, when to escalate, and when correctness or security demands extra care.
Comfort working directly with technical customers, vendors, and cross-functional internal teams.
Experience handling urgent production, customer, or deployment issues.
Prior experience in an early-stage startup environment.
Strong written and verbal communication skills for remote collaboration across time zones.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary range: $150,000 to $250,000 USD annually. Visa sponsorship is available.
Location
On-site in Singapore.
Benefits
Visa Sponsorship
Visa sponsorship is available.
Clera harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to match high-growth startups with exceptional talent, streamlining the entire headhunting process. This innovative approach simplifies the job search for candidates while providing startups with access to a curated pool of skilled professionals who align with their needs.
- Founded
- Founded 2024
- Industry
- Internet Software & Services