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Foundation Models Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Pika

Research Scientist, Foundation Model

Palo Alto, CA · On-site

$185K - $400K/yr

We are seeking accomplished Research Scientists in Foundation Models with expertise in pre-training and mid-training large-scale multimodal foundation models to advance our mission of making agentic ...

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How much do foundation models jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 17, 2026, the average hourly pay for foundation models in the United States is $45.71, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $14.90 and $72.12 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How do foundation models make money?

Foundation models make money primarily by providing AI services and solutions to businesses, such as customizing models for specific applications or licensing access to pre-trained models. Companies may also generate revenue through cloud-based deployment, consulting, and ongoing support, leveraging skills in machine learning and data management.

What does a foundation model do?

A foundation model is a large-scale machine learning model trained on diverse data that can be adapted for various tasks such as natural language processing or computer vision. It serves as a base for developing specialized applications by fine-tuning or prompting. Data scientists and AI engineers often work with these models using tools like TensorFlow or PyTorch.

What is the highest paying model job?

Senior roles in foundation model development, such as Lead AI Researcher or Machine Learning Director, tend to be the highest paying jobs in the field, often offering six-figure salaries or higher. These positions require advanced expertise in deep learning, large-scale model training, and experience with high-performance computing environments.

What are the most popular foundation models?

In the context of foundation models for AI jobs, the most popular include OpenAI's GPT series, Google's BERT and T5, Meta's LLaMA, and Facebook's RoBERTa. These models are widely used for natural language processing tasks and often require expertise in deep learning frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch.
What cities are hiring for Foundation Models jobs? Cities with the most Foundation Models job openings:
What states have the most Foundation Models jobs? States with the most job openings for Foundation Models jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Foundation Models jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Foundation Models jobs are:
Foundation Models jobs near you
Infographic showing various Foundation Models job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 77% Full Time, 18% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 93% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $95,086 per year, or $45.7 per hour.
AIML - Machine Learning Engineer, Foundation Models

AIML - Machine Learning Engineer, Foundation Models

Apple

Cupertino, CA

$184K - $324K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Retirement

Re-posted 13 days ago

Apple rating

8.1

Company rating: 8.1 out of 10

Based on 670 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

5th of 30 rated technology retailers

Job description

Apple is revolutionizing artificial intelligence by developing sophisticated foundation models that power intelligent features across our product ecosystem. We're seeking skilled Machine Learning Engineers to transform cutting-edge research into scalable, production-ready AI solutions.
We are looking for engineers who are passionate about building systems that push the frontier of deep learning in terms of scaling, efficiency, and flexibility and delight millions of users in Apple products.
Description
We build frontier foundation models that power intelligent experiences at Apple. Our team works across the full training lifecycle: including pre-training foundation models, and developing mid-training approaches that bridge general capability and task-specific performance. What makes our work distinct is that we're engineering models specifically for Apple silicon and optimized for experiences that are private, personal, and deeply integrated into the OS. We're solving frontier problems in reward modeling to resist reward hacking, handling sparse and delayed rewards in agentic settings, and aligning models reliably across the spectrum from open-ended creative tasks to precise, action-taking workflows. If you're drawn to hard problems where the research and the product are inseparable, this is the team.","responsibilities":"Design and implement scalable, reliable and high-performance machine learning infrastructure for foundation models across text, image, speech, and multi-modal domains
Collaborate with other teams to productionize state-of-the-art AI algorithms
Optimize models for performance, efficiency, and on-device intelligence
Implement machine learning systems with stringent privacy and security requirements
May also be required to manage a small team of engineers.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with foundation models and large language models
Background in multi-modal AI systems
Demonstrated ability to transform research prototypes into production systems
Published research or significant contributions to open-source ML projects
Understanding of on-device machine learning techniques
Minimum Qualifications
MS or PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or related technical field
Expert-level programming skills in Python
Proficiency in machine learning frameworks such as Jax, PyTorch, TensorFlow
Strong background in: Distributed training, Model optimization, and Machine learning infrastructure
Experience with large-scale model training and deployment
Familiarity with: Kubernetes, Docker, Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)
Distributed computing frameworks
Pay & Benefits
At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $184,700 and $324,800, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.
Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple's discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple's Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You'll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses - including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits
Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

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About Apple

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Imagine what you could do here! At Apple, new ideas have a way of becoming extraordinary products, services, and customer experiences very quickly. Bring passion and dedication to your job and there's no telling what you could accomplish. Dynamic, intelligent people and inspiring, innovative technologies are the norm here. The people who work here have reinvented entire industries with all Apple Hardware products. The same real passion for innovation that goes into our products also applies to our practices strengthening our dedication to leave the world better than we found it.

Industry

Computer and electronic product manufacturing

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Cupertino, CA, US

Year founded

1976

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