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Ai Alignment Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Clera

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$150K - $250K/yr

Background in reinforcement learning or AI alignment research. * Experience working with large-scale data pipelines or vendor ecosystems. * Publications or contributions to open-source ML/AI tooling.

Clera

Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$150K - $250K/yr

Background in reinforcement learning or AI alignment research. * Experience working with large-scale data pipelines or vendor ecosystems. * Publications or contributions to open-source ML/AI tooling.

Clera

Research Engineer, Synthetic Data

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$150K - $250K/yr

... AI alignment. In this role, you'll own the synthetic data pipeline end-to-end: transforming domain-specific workflows into structured, realistic, and challenging training tasks for AI agents. You'll ...

Clera

Research Engineer, Synthetic Data

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$150K - $250K/yr

... AI alignment. In this role, you'll own the synthetic data pipeline end-to-end: transforming domain-specific workflows into structured, realistic, and challenging training tasks for AI agents. You'll ...

OpenAI

Researcher, Alignment

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$250K - $445K/yr

About the Team The Alignment team at OpenAI is dedicated to ensuring that our AI systems are safe ... Our work is at the cutting edge of AI research, focusing on developing methodologies that enable AI ...

OpenAI

Program Manager, Alignment

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$162K - $240K/yr

About the Team OpenAI's Alignment team works to ensure that increasingly capable AI systems reliably follow human intent, avoid catastrophic behavior, and remain controllable, auditable, and safe as ...

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Ai Alignment information

What is AI alignment?

AI alignment refers to the process of ensuring that artificial intelligence systems act in ways that are aligned with human values, intentions, and ethical standards. This field focuses on designing AI models that not only achieve their objectives but also do so safely and beneficially for humanity. As AI systems become more advanced, alignment becomes increasingly important to prevent unintended consequences or harmful behaviors. Researchers in AI alignment work on technical solutions, such as value learning and interpretability, as well as broader ethical and policy considerations.

What is the difference between Ai Alignment vs Data Scientist?

AspectAi AlignmentData Scientist
Required CredentialsAdvanced degrees in AI, Machine Learning, or related fieldsDegree in Data Science, Statistics, Computer Science, or related fields
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, AI development companies, tech firmsTech companies, finance, healthcare, consulting firms
Industry UsageFocuses on ensuring AI systems behave as intendedAnalyzes data to extract insights and build predictive models

While both roles involve advanced technical skills, Ai Alignment specialists focus on aligning AI systems with human values and safety, whereas Data Scientists analyze data to inform business decisions. The roles often overlap in AI research environments but serve different primary objectives.

What are some common challenges faced by professionals working in AI alignment roles?

Professionals in AI alignment roles often encounter the challenge of translating complex ethical principles and human values into machine-understandable objectives. Balancing technical constraints with theoretical considerations requires close collaboration with cross-functional teams, including ethicists, engineers, and product managers. Additionally, the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence demands continuous learning to stay current with new alignment techniques and research findings. Navigating these challenges can be intellectually stimulating and offers significant opportunities for interdisciplinary growth.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an AI alignment specialist, and why are they important?

To thrive as an AI Alignment Specialist, you need a strong background in computer science, mathematics, and machine learning, often evidenced by an advanced degree in a related field. Familiarity with technical tools such as Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and formal verification systems is typically required, along with understanding of AI safety principles. Analytical thinking, ethical reasoning, and effective communication are crucial soft skills for success in this role. These skills ensure that AI systems are developed safely, ethically, and in alignment with human values, which is essential for mitigating risks associated with advanced AI.

What are popular job titles related to Ai Alignment jobs in California?

For Ai Alignment jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Ai Alignment jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Ai Alignment jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Ai Alignment jobs?

Cities in California with the most Ai Alignment job openings:

Ai Alignment jobs near you
Infographic showing various Ai Alignment job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 33% Full Time, and 67% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution.

Research Engineer

Clera

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$150K - $250K/yr

Full-time

This job post has expired today. Applications are no longer accepted.

Job description

About the Role
We're a fast-growing AI infrastructure company building the technical foundation for training and evaluating frontier AI agents. Our team includes International Olympiad medalists, serial AI startup founders, and researchers with publications at top venues (ICLR, NeurIPS, and similar). We're looking for Research Engineers to work across agent quality control automation, benchmarks, and synthetic data - shaping how AI agents learn and improve.
This is a high-ownership, high-impact role at an early-stage company. You'll work in ambiguous, fast-moving problem spaces alongside a tight-knit team where your contributions directly influence the trajectory of frontier AI development.
What You'll Do
  • Build systems for creating new environments, improving data quality, and translating real-world workflows into tasks and benchmarks.
  • Build systems for creating, running, evaluating, and improving agent training environments.
  • Design experiments to understand model behavior, agent failure modes, and data quality issues.
  • Develop tools that help researchers, engineers, and data vendors create higher-quality tasks, trajectories, and feedback loops.
  • Work across the full lifecycle of agent training data - from task design and environment setup to trajectory collection, evaluation, and validation.
  • Partner with external vendors to identify bottlenecks and improve the quality and throughput of the data engine.
  • Build metrics and analyses to assess whether tasks, environments, and evals are genuinely useful for training frontier agents.
What We're Looking For
Required:
  • 2-4 years of relevant engineering experience.
  • Proficiency in Python, Docker, and Linux environments.
  • Experience with benchmarks and evals, including reasoning about task realism, rubric reliability, environment usability, and trajectory quality for RL training.
  • Strong attention to detail - ability to spot subtle inconsistencies in data, model behavior, or task design.
  • Track record of building tools, pipelines, or research infrastructure with minimal guidance.
  • Early-stage startup experience; comfort working independently in fast-paced, ambiguous settings.
  • Experience designing metrics and validation workflows.
  • Strong quantitative or technical foundation, demonstrated through competitive programming, research, or independent project work.
  • Ability to thrive in unstructured problem spaces and communicate clearly across time zones.

Nice to Have:
  • Background in reinforcement learning or AI alignment research.
  • Experience working with large-scale data pipelines or vendor ecosystems.
  • Publications or contributions to open-source ML/AI tooling.
Compensation & Benefits
  • Salary: $150,000 - $250,000 USD annually, depending on experience.
  • Visa sponsorship is available.
  • Equity participation in an early-stage, well-resourced AI company.
Location
This is an on-site role based in San Francisco, CA. Candidates should be prepared to work in-person with the team.

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