Applied Research Engineer

📋 Description

• Design and evaluate information access and reasoning across RAG, agents, and ML.
• Prototype GenAI workflows mapping and reasoning over controls, risks, requirements, and evidence.
• Explore ML and probabilistic approaches when GenAI isn’t best: classifiers, ranking, graph predictions.
• Build and maintain evaluation frameworks: golden datasets, metrics, regression checks.
• Implement and tune ranking/reranking: cross-encoders, LLM rerankers, learning-to-rank.
• Run experiments to validate hypotheses before production rollout.

🎯 Requirements

• 3+ years in applied research, data science, or ML focused on NLP/IR.
• 1+ years building or contributing to production AI/ML systems.
• Strong info retrieval: dense/sparse retrieval, embeddings, relevance.
• Experience with RAG: chunking, vector databases, retrieval optimization.
• Evaluation proficiency: metrics design, golden datasets, A/B testing, statistics.
• Strong Python and notebook-driven workflows.

🎁 Benefits

• Life at Drata: programs and growth opportunities.
• Health & Wellness: 100% employer-paid premiums for medical, dental, vision.
• Financial well-being: 401(k), life and disability insurance, tax-advantaged accounts.
• Family Support: Parental leave after six months; family-building benefits.
• Growth & Development: annual stipends for professional/personal development.
• Time Off & Flexibility: flexible vacation policy and paid holidays.