Lead AI Research Scientist (San Francisco)

About WorkatoWorkato delivers enterprise infrastructure for the agentic era, redefining iPaaS and helping enterprises unify data, applications, processes, and AI into a single, governed platform. A leader in Enterprise MCP and trusted by 50% of the Fortune 500, Workato’s cloud-native architecture connects every application, data source, and process to power real-time orchestration at scale. With enterprise-grade security and continuous innovation at its core, Workato provides the trusted foundation for organizations to automate with confidence and operationalize AI across the business. To learn more, visit Why join us?Ultimately, Workato believes in fostering a flexible, trust-oriented culture that empowers everyone to take full ownership of their roles. We are driven by innovation and looking for team players who want to actively build our company. But, we also believe in balancing productivity with self-care. That’s why we offer all of our employees a vibrant and dynamic work environment along with a multitude of benefits they can enjoy inside and outside of their work lives. If this sounds right up your alley, please submit an application. We look forward to getting to know you!Also, feel free to check out why:Business Insider named us an “enterprise startup to bet your career on”Forbes’ Cloud 100 recognized us as one of the top 100 private cloud companies in the worldDeloitte Tech Fast 500 ranked us as the 17th fastest growing tech company in the Bay Area, and 96th in North AmericaQuartz ranked us the #1 best company for remote workersResponsibilitiesWorkato’s AI Research Lab is seeking an exceptional Lead AI Research Scientist to join our growing team and define the next generation of enterprise AI systems. This is a research-first role focused on redefining and advancing enterprise AI, with an emphasis on real-world impact for developers. In this role, you will set and execute a 24-month research vision spanning deterministic planners, self-healing automations, retrieval-augmented workflow graphs, and agent evaluation frameworks, while ensuring these innovations translate into real-world impact.The ideal candidate brings deep technical expertise alongside a strong record of execution. You will build, lead, and mentor a team of applied researchers and interns, fostering a culture of technical excellence, strong authorship, and open scientific contribution.This role will define and drive forward-looking research initiatives while bridging the gap between cutting-edge innovation and production-ready enterprise solutions. You will partner closely with Product and Engineering teams to productionize prototypes within six months of proof of concept and engage directly with lighthouse customers to validate ideas and convert insights into scalable reference architectures.In this role, you will also be responsible to:Defining a 24-month research roadmap focused on automated agent building and optimization. goal based agent deign, synthetic data, automated postraining and RL, eval techniques, model optimizaitonHiring, coaching, and inspiring a team of 10+ applied researchers and interns; fostering a publication-quality bar and culture of open science.Publish peer-reviewed papers and secure patents that differentiate Workato in enterprise AI.Partner with Product and Engineering to productionize prototypes within six months of proof of concept.Engage lighthouse customers to validate research and convert learnings into reference architectures.RequirementsQualifications / Experience / Technical SkillsMS/PhD in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related field.5+ years leading applied research teams.Hands-on experience with PyTorch or JAX and modern LLM frameworks.Proven track record of transitioning research into production within large-scale systems.Strong publication record in top-tier ML venues (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR).Hands-on experience with large-scale model training, transformer architectures, reinforcement learning techniques, and CUDA.Deep expertise across structured and unstructured enterprise data modalities.This role is onsite in our SF OfficeSoft Skills / Personal CharacteristicsClear communicator able to translate complex research into business value.Ability to explain complex ideas to non-experts.Inspirational leader who attracts, mentors, and retains top talent.Comfortable making decisions in a fast-moving, on-site lab environment.Collaborative mindset; thrives at the intersection of research and product.Experience operating in high-growth startup environments.For California applicants, the pay for this role begins at $357,000 plus variable, benefits, perks and equity.(REQ ID: 2730)