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Applied Research Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Senior Applied Research Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$123K - $169K/yr

Drata is seeking a Senior Applied Research Engineer to drive the quality and effectiveness of our AI systems through rigorous experimentation, evaluation, and applied research. This is a research ...

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Applied Research Engineer information

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$37K

$106K

$142.5K

How much do applied research engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 20, 2026, the average yearly pay for applied research engineer in the United States is $106,012.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $104,000.00 and $104,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are applied research engineers?

Applied research engineers are professionals who bridge the gap between theoretical research and practical applications. They take scientific discoveries and innovative concepts from research and develop real-world solutions, often creating prototypes, refining processes, or improving technologies. Their work can span various industries, including technology, manufacturing, and healthcare, and they frequently collaborate with both researchers and product development teams. Applied research engineers play a crucial role in turning ideas into tangible products or services that address specific needs.

How does an Applied Research Engineer typically collaborate with product development teams to bring research solutions into production?

Applied Research Engineers often work closely with cross-functional product development teams to translate experimental models into scalable and robust solutions. This involves frequent meetings to align research objectives with business needs, adapting prototypes for real-world constraints, and providing technical guidance to ensure seamless integration. Effective communication and documentation are essential, as is the ability to iterate quickly based on feedback from software engineers, data scientists, and product managers. This collaborative environment helps bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and practical, user-facing applications.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Applied Research Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Applied Research Engineer, you need a strong background in mathematics, computer science, and engineering principles, usually evidenced by an advanced degree in a related field. Familiarity with programming languages (such as Python or C++), machine learning frameworks, and experience with simulation or data analysis tools are typically required. Critical thinking, creativity, and excellent problem-solving skills set standout candidates apart, along with the ability to clearly communicate complex findings. These skills ensure the effective development and implementation of innovative solutions that bridge theoretical research and practical engineering applications.

What is the difference between Applied Research Engineer vs Data Scientist?

AspectApplied Research EngineerData Scientist
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Engineering, Computer Science, or related fields; often requires experience in research or developmentBachelor's or Master's in Data Science, Statistics, or related fields; often requires strong analytical and programming skills
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, R&D departments, technology companies focusing on product developmentBusiness environments, analytics teams, consulting firms analyzing data for insights
Employer & Industry UsageTech companies, research institutions, manufacturing firmsFinance, healthcare, marketing, tech industries

Applied Research Engineers focus on developing new technologies and prototypes through research, often working in R&D settings. Data Scientists analyze and interpret complex data to inform business decisions. While both roles require technical skills and programming knowledge, Applied Research Engineers are more involved in creating innovative solutions, whereas Data Scientists focus on data analysis and modeling.

More about Applied Research Engineer jobs
Infographic showing various Applied Research Engineer job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 99% Full Time, and 1% Part Time. Highlights an 87% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $106,012 per year, or $51 per hour.
Applied Research Engineer

Applied Research Engineer

Salesforce, Inc.

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement

Posted 11 days ago


Salesforce rating

7.8

Company rating: 7.8 out of 10

Based on 48 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

102nd of 191 rated software companies


Job description

To get the best candidate experience, please consider applying for a maximum of 3 roles within 12 months to ensure you are not duplicating efforts.
Job Category
Software Engineering
Job Details
About Salesforce
Salesforce is the #1 AI CRM, where humans with agents drive customer success together. Here, ambition meets action. Tech meets trust. And innovation isn't a buzzword - it's a way of life. The world of work as we know it is changing and we're looking for Trailblazers who are passionate about bettering business and the world through AI, driving innovation, and keeping Salesforce's core values at the heart of it all.
Ready to level-up your career at the company leading workforce transformation in the agentic era? You're in the right place! Agentforce is the future of AI, and you are the future of Salesforce.
About the Team
Salesforce AI is looking for talented software and platform engineers to embed in our AI team to bridge the gap between frontier AI technology and customer-facing reality. Do you want to build and deploy the next generation of services leveraging Generative AI and Agentic Systems? Do you thrive in an environment where your engineering skills directly enable world-class research and products used by millions?
At Salesforce, we are driving the development of Generative AI for CRM, focused on delivering AI-created content across every customer interaction at hyper-scale. This role is crucial to transforming our research breakthroughs into stable, secure, and production-ready applications.
The Research Engineering team works directly alongside Research Scientists to bring models to life. This position is dedicated to a high-impact systems role, providing the best of both worlds: deep technical challenge and massive, real-world scale. We believe that building substantive, scalable infrastructure is what enables scientific breakthroughs to spawn entirely new applications.
Learn more about our work at salesforceairesearch.com.
What You'll Do
  • Work alongside other motivated and talented research
  • engineers to bring cutting-edge theory into customer-facing practice.
  • Build tools and pipelines to support ML and AI efforts.
  • Design, build, deploy, and maintain production services, like APIs, UIs, agentic evaluators, and more.
  • Roll out scalable cloud architectures.
  • Help with end-user requirements gathering and executive presentations.

What We're Looking For
  • Strong abilities with Python and Linux, and some with React.
  • Experience with production cloud deployments like AWS or GCP. Kubernetes is a plus.
  • Experience field-debugging full-stack deployments.
  • Solid understanding of security principles and best practices.
  • UI and graphic design sensibilities are a plus.
  • Author high-quality, low-cognitive-load, fully-tested code - with- and without- AI assistance.

Unleash Your Potential
When you join Salesforce, you'll be limitless in all areas of your life. Our benefits and resources support you to find balance and be your best, and our AI agents accelerate your impact so you can do your best. Together, we'll bring the power of Agentforce to organizations of all sizes and deliver amazing experiences that customers love. Apply today to not only shape the future - but to redefine what's possible - for yourself, for AI, and the world.
Accommodations
If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please submit a request via this Accommodations Request Form.
Please note that Salesforce uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help our recruiters assess and evaluate candidates' resumes and qualifications throughout the recruiting process. Humans will always make any candidate selection and hiring decisions. Please see our Candidate Privacy Statement for more information about how we use your personal data and your rights, including with regard to use of AI tools and opt out options.
Posting Statement
Salesforce is an equal opportunity employer and maintains a policy of non-discrimination with all employees and applicants for employment. What does that mean exactly? It means that at Salesforce, we believe in equality for all. And we believe we can lead the path to equality in part by creating a workplace that's inclusive, and free from discrimination. Know your rights: workplace discrimination is illegal. Any employee or potential employee will be assessed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications - without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, transgender status, age, disability, veteran or marital status, political viewpoint, or other classifications protected by law. This policy applies to current and prospective employees, no matter where they are in their Salesforce employment journey. It also applies to recruiting, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, assessment of job performance, discipline, termination, and everything in between. Recruiting, hiring, and promotion decisions at Salesforce are fair and based on merit. The same goes for compensation, benefits, promotions, transfers, reduction in workforce, recall, training, and education.
In the United States, compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, job level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, and benefits. Salesforce offers a variety of benefits to help you live well including: time off programs, medical, dental, vision, mental health support, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, 401(k), and an employee stock purchasing program. More details about company benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.salesforcebenefits.com.Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Salesforce will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
At Salesforce, we believe in equitable compensation practices that reflect the dynamic nature of labor markets across various regions.The typical base salary range for this position is $197,300 - $313,700 annually. In select cities within the San Francisco and New York City metropolitan area, the base salary range for this role is $237,700 - $344,700 annually.The range represents base salary only, and does not include company bonus, incentive for sales roles, equity or benefits, as applicable.

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