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Impact Research Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Conducts research experiments according to established research protocols with moderate impact to the project(s). Collects data and monitors test results * Participates in the development ...

Research & Insights Director

Irving, TX · On-site

$102K - $179K/yr

Summary: In this role, you will lead high-impact research initiatives that generate actionable insights to inform business strategy, drive growth, and enhance client relevance. You will apply ...

Research Scientist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$170K - $220K/yr

As a Research Scientist here, you will lead and execute high-impact research that advances the safety and reliability of frontier AI systems. You'll design and run experiments on large language ...

Summary: In this role, you will lead high-impact research initiatives that generate actionable insights to inform business strategy, drive growth, and enhance client relevance. You will apply ...

Research & Insights Director

Irving, TX · On-site

$102K - $179K/yr

Summary: In this role, you will lead high-impact research initiatives that generate actionable insights to inform business strategy, drive growth, and enhance client relevance. You will apply ...

Research Scientist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$170K - $220K/yr

As a Research Scientist here, you will lead and execute high-impact research that advances the safety and reliability of frontier AI systems. You'll design and run experiments on large language ...

Research Intern

Pittsburgh, PA · On-site

$45 - $66/hr

If you share our passion for making a meaningful impact on the world, we invite you to join our ... We welcome strong PhD and Master's students who want to engage in focused, high-impact research ...

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Impact Research information

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$30K

$58.7K

$95K

How much do impact research jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 17, 2026, the average yearly pay for impact research in the United States is $58,746.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $44,000.00 and $70,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Impact Researcher, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Impact Researcher, you need strong analytical skills, a background in social sciences or related fields, and experience in research methodologies. Familiarity with data analysis software (such as R, SPSS, or STATA), survey design tools, and sometimes certifications in impact evaluation are typically required. Excellent communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills help convey findings and work effectively with stakeholders. These competencies are essential to accurately assess program outcomes and inform decision-making for organizations seeking to maximize their social or environmental impact.

How does an Impact Researcher typically collaborate with program teams to evaluate project effectiveness?

Impact Researchers work closely with program teams to design evaluation frameworks, collect relevant data, and interpret results to assess the effectiveness of various initiatives. This collaboration often involves regular meetings to align on objectives, share findings, and adjust methodologies based on program needs. By fostering open communication and providing evidence-based insights, Impact Researchers help ensure that projects are both impactful and continuously improved. This teamwork is essential for translating research into actionable recommendations that drive organizational success.

What is the difference between Impact Research vs Data Analyst?

AspectImpact ResearchData Analyst
Required CredentialsMaster's or PhD in social sciences, research methodsBachelor's or Master's in statistics, data science, or related fields
Work EnvironmentResearch institutions, NGOs, government agenciesCorporate, consulting firms, government agencies
Employer & Industry UsageUsed in policy, social impact studies, nonprofit sectorsUsed in business analytics, market research, data-driven decision making

Impact Research and Data Analysts both analyze data, but Impact Research focuses on evaluating social or policy impacts, often requiring advanced research skills and qualitative methods. Data Analysts primarily handle large datasets to generate insights for business or operational decisions. While their skills overlap, Impact Research emphasizes social impact evaluation, whereas Data Analysts focus on data processing and reporting.

What is impact research?

Impact research is the systematic study and evaluation of the effects that programs, policies, or interventions have on individuals, communities, or broader systems. It aims to assess whether an initiative achieves its intended outcomes and to what extent it creates meaningful, measurable change. Impact researchers use a variety of methods such as surveys, interviews, and data analysis to gather evidence and inform decision-making. Their work helps organizations understand what works, improve approaches, and demonstrate accountability to stakeholders.
More about Impact Research jobs
What states have the most Impact Research jobs? States with the most job openings for Impact Research jobs include:
Infographic showing various Impact Research job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 63% Full Time, 34% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $58,746 per year, or $28.2 per hour.
Research Scientist - Salesforce AI Research

Research Scientist - Salesforce AI Research

Salesforce

San Francisco, CA

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement

Posted yesterday


Salesforce rating

7.8

Company rating: 7.8 out of 10

Based on 48 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

101st of 190 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.

Salesforce Research advances state-of-the-art AI techniques, developing models and prototypes that pave the path for innovative products at Salesforce. We tackle real-world problems in areas such as image recognition and natural language processing from Salesforce's enterprise customers by harnessing the latest deep learning techniques. As part of our team you'll learn unique skills, work with talented people and help us shape the future of AI in Palo Alto and our recently announced new hub, Salesforce Research Asia in Singapore!

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.

The Experience

Salesforce AI Research is looking for outstanding AI Research Scientists and Research Engineers. Our team discovers new research problems, develops novel models, and bridges the gap between groundbreaking theory and customer-facing reality. We are dedicated to a high-impact research model that provides the best of both worlds: the ability to advance the state-of-the-art in AI and the opportunity to see that work operate at massive, real-world scale within the world's #1 AI CRM. We believe that making substantive progress on hard, enterprise-level applications drives and sharpens the research questions we study - and that the best researchers are also builders.
Learn more about our team at salesforceairesearch.com.
Candidates have a strong background in one or more of the following areas:
  • Agentic AI and Reasoning: Large language model (LLM)-powered agents, reinforcement learning (RL), reasoning and planning, autonomous workflows, self-evolving agent systems, computer use agents, deep research agents, and coding agents.
  • Multimodal and Computer Vision: Vision-language models (VLM), video understanding, visual grounding for agents, and multimodal AI agents.
  • Speech Intelligence: Voice intelligence, text-to-speech/automatic speech recognition (TTS/ASR), human-like turn-taking, and low-latency audio processing.
  • Core Modeling and Post-Training: Machine learning methodology, pre-training and post-training techniques including reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) and direct preference optimization (DPO), model distillation, evaluation, causal inference, and time series modeling.

What You'll Actually Be Doing
  • Discover new research problems, develop novel models, and translate cutting-edge ideas into practical, high-performance implementations that reach millions of users.
  • Design, train, evaluate, and deploy neural networks and agent systems for enterprise applications at massive scale.
  • Lead LLM fine-tuning, post-training, and model optimization tasks, including the application of RL and simulation to improve model accuracy and reliability.
  • Collaborate across a cross-functional team of researchers and engineers to deliver complex projects that directly impact our core AI products and customer experiences.

You're Our Person If...
  • You have a Ph.D., Master's, or equivalent industry/research experience in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related technical field.
  • You have a strong publication record at top AI venues (e.g., NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML, CVPR, ICCV, ACL, EMNLP) and/or a proven track record of shipping AI research into real-world products.
  • You are motivated by real-world impact - you care about seeing your research leave the lab and reach users at scale.
  • You bring demonstrated expertise in one or more core focus areas: LLMs, Agentic Systems, RL, Computer Vision and Multimodal, or Speech Intelligence.
  • You are proficient in Python and deep learning libraries such as PyTorch, JAX, or DeepSpeed.

Even Better If...
  • You have experience training and evaluating large-scale multimodal or speech models, including techniques for alignment, safety, and latency optimization.
  • You have designed and deployed AI agents - including computer use agents, deep research agents, or tool-using agents - in real-world or research settings.
  • You have hands-on experience with RL, simulation, or self-evolving agent systems.
  • You have experience with production cloud deployments (AWS/GCP), container orchestration (Kubernetes), or machine learning operations (MLOps).
  • You are thoughtful about responsible AI, trust, and the real-world impact of the systems you build.

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 andbe your best, and our AI agents accelerate your impact so you cando 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 $117,200 - $313,700 annually. In select cities within the San Francisco and New York City metropolitan area, the base salary range for this role is $141,200 - $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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