Research Scientist - Salesforce AI Research (Palo Alto)

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.Job CategorySoftware EngineeringJob DetailsAbout SalesforceSalesforce 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 ExperienceSalesforce 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 DoingDiscover 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 PotentialWhen you join Salesforce, you’ll be limitless in all areas of your life. Our benefits and resources support you to find balance and be your best, and our AI agents accelerate your impact so you can do 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.AccommodationsIf 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 StatementSalesforce 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: 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.SummaryLocation: California - Palo Alto; California - San FranciscoType: Full time