Senior / Staff Software Engineer

Senior Or Staff Software Engineer (Technical Lead)At Autoscience Institute, we automate AI research. Recently, we announced the first AI agent to autonomously create peer-reviewed literature (ICLR 2025) and the first AI system to win a Kaggle medal. We are passionate about pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence and contributing to groundbreaking advancements in the field.This is a full-time on-site role for a Senior or Staff Software Engineer (Technical Lead) located in the San Francisco Bay Area.In this role, you will lead the design and development of core systems that power autonomous research agents. You'll be responsible for building reliable backend infrastructure and production systems that support large-scale AI experimentation and research workflows.We are looking for engineers who have owned complex projects end-to-end, contributed to system architecture, and helped guide small teams of engineers through delivery. You should be comfortable writing high-quality code, producing clear design documents, and making thoughtful technical decisions that shape how systems evolve over time.You will work closely with both engineers and researchers to translate experimental ideas into robust production systems.ResponsibilitiesLead the design and implementation of core backend and infrastructure systemsOwn projects from architecture and design through production deploymentWrite clear technical design documents and drive engineering decisionsBuild and maintain 24/7 production systems supporting autonomous research agentsPartner closely with research teams to productionize experimental workflowsGuide and collaborate with engineers on system design and implementationImprove system reliability, scalability, and observabilityHelp shape the technical direction of the platformQualificationsExperience leading complex engineering projects or technical initiativesExperience acting as a technical lead or guiding small teams of engineersStrong software design and architecture skillsDemonstrable experience writing clear technical design documentsStrong experience with PythonExperience building or operating backend or production infrastructureExperience working in 24/7 production environmentsExperience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or similar cloud infrastructureStrong understanding of software evolution, maintainability, and system design tradeoffsAbility to collaborate effectively with both engineers and researchersBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related fieldStrong candidates will typically have 5+ years of experience building and operating production software systems, including ownership of projects from design through deploymentBenefits & PerksOur comp is competitive against major LLM frontier lab packagesUnlimited PTO and flexible working arrangementsConference attendance and publication supportOur CultureWe're a team of passionate researchers and engineers working to automate scientific discovery. We believe in the power of AI to accelerate scientific discovery and are committed to responsible AI development.