Research Operations Director Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Our team is organized around the north star goal of building an AI scientist-a system capable of solving the long-term reasoning challenges and basic capabilities necessary to push the scientific frontier.

We're seeking a Science Research Operations team member to build and own the operational infrastructure that keeps our research organization running at full speed. Our science teams are working on some of the hardest and most consequential problems in AI-training large-scale models, running complex experiments, and building novel products at the frontier. What makes that possible isn't just talent: it's the coordination, systems, and programs that let researchers spend their time on the science rather than the overhead around it.

This role sits at the intersection of research operations, technical program management, and product strategy. You'll work directly with research scientists and research engineers, doing a mix of tasks including running research partnerships, managing complex internal programs, and helping run the team's day-to-day operations. You'll also contribute to science product development-helping translate research directions into product strategy and ensuring our production deployment environments reflect our best configurations.

This is not a pure coordination role. The best candidates will engage substantively with what the team is building, have a role in determining our strategy, spot problems before they surface, and bring genuine ownership to the systems and programs they run.

• Build and manage custom expert contractor networks, sourcing domain specialists for eval and training data work that requires expertise beyond standard channels
• Run research partnerships with external partners, from scoping through delivery
• Provide end-to-end TPM support for major research pushes-coordinating across teams, tracking dependencies, and keeping stakeholders aligned
• Ensure that our research progress is complemented by products that enable scientists to make maximal use of model capabilities. 
• Support recruiting efforts. 
• Coordinate external communications for the team, including supporting blog posts and preparing public-facing materials
• Partner with product teams to contribute to science product strategy, product design, and novel product integrations where research and product intersect
• Own team logistics including onboarding coordination, team events, and operational programs that improve team efficiency

• Have experience in research operations, technical program management, or a related role in a fast-moving technical environment
• Can context-switch fluidly between operational work (logistics, tracking, coordination) and higher-order work (strategy, partnerships, product thinking)
• Have a technical background, with experience in software development, machine learning, or biology R&D. 
• Are comfortable working directly with research scientists and engineers-you ask good questions, you don't need things explained twice, and you know when to escalate vs. when to handle it yourself
• Have a track record of building systems and processes from scratch rather than inheriting them
• Bring strong written communication skills and can represent the team accurately in external-facing materials
• Have managed contractors or external partners before, including scoping work, tracking delivery, and ensuring quality
• Are results-oriented, with a bias toward flexibility and impact
• Thrive in ambiguous, fast-moving environments where priorities shift and no two weeks look the same

• Direct experience sourcing and managing expert contractor networks, particularly in technical or scientific domains
• Familiarity with ML research workflows-training runs, evaluations, data pipelines-and what makes them succeed or stall
• Experience contributing to product development or product strategy, not just operations

This role offers a rare opportunity to have broad impact on a research organization working at the frontier of AI. You'll be a key part of how ambitious science gets done-not just facilitating it, but shaping the programs, products, and infrastructure that make it possible. If you're energized by high-ownership work at the intersection of operations and research, we'd love to hear from you.

Deadline to apply: None. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.