Head of AI

• Own the context graph: architect and build Highlight's memory systems end-to-end, including data ingestion, modeling, retrieval, and evals
• Research, prototype and deploy state-of-the-art machine learning text and OCR models (e.g., transformer architectures, computer vision, time series forecasting, reinforcement learning)
• Lead the full ML project lifecycle: data pipelines, training, evals, deployment, monitoring, scalability, latency, retraining, A/B testing, and model lifecycle management
• Own output quality across Highlight chat, actions, and workflows; drive toward industry leading acceptance rates.
• Build and lead a world-class ML Engineering team; Establish AI/ML best practices across the broader engineering org.
• Stay current on knowledge representation, continual learning, and retrieval; translate insights into features that feel like magic; Research novel approaches and publish when appropriate.

Profile

We’re looking for someone who is interested in building the AI user experience for the future. We punch above our weight so we value extreme ownership, accountability, and proactiveness. The ideal candidate has deep, experienced understanding of LLMs or Knowledge systems, and a track record of shipping production AI systems at scale.

• 7+ years in ML/AI engineering, with 3+ years leading teams or major technical initiatives
• Master’s or PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, Applied Math or equivalent experience.
• Published research (or experience shipping to production) in knowledge graphs, memory systems, retrieval, or continual learning
• Experience working at top AI labs (e.g. DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta FAIR, xAI) or leading AI application companies (e.g. Google, Cursor, Perplexity)
• Strong architectural chops: you've designed and scaled ML infrastructure from scratch
• Hands-on proficiency with modern ML stacks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, RAG, vector DBs, cloud infra)
• A player-coach mentality: you love mentoring engineers and getting your hands dirty in the code
• Ownership mentality (no task is too small for you) – it’s all hands on deck here and we need everyone rowing the boat.
• Excellent communication skills and a collaborative mindset – we’re extremely lean so we’re looking for a team player who works well with others.
• Type-A tendencies: maybe you’re extremely detail-oriented. Or maybe you take pride in shipping high-quality products. Whatever it is you do, you give it your all.
• Must be based in or willing to relocate to SF – although we’re flexible with days off & schedules, we have a 100% in-office culture during the week.

And even if you don’t fall neatly into any of these buckets, we’re looking for scrappy and motivated self-starters above all. Hustle is expected, grit is required.

• Competitive salary and generous equity package
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Flexible PTO and parental leave
• Paid team lunches and dinners during the week
• Relocation package