Senior Applied Scientist

Xero • San Mateo, CA

2d • Remote

About The Position

As a Senior Applied Scientist, you will research and implement generative AI solutions that simplify the daily lives of our small business customers. You will have a direct impact on how people interact with Xero by shaping the next generation of intuitive, AI-powered experiences that turn complex workflows into seamless tasks.
Your work involves continuously evaluating generative AI reasoning and accuracy while improving results through hybrid approaches that combine cutting-edge large language models with classical machine learning methods. By translating business problems into technical formulations, you will deliver tangible outcomes across the full accounting domain.
You will join the XAIN AI North America team, a group of approximately 30 specialists dedicated to AI product research and development. We are a fully remote team spread across North America that stays connected through daily collaboration on Slack and Google Meet, while maintaining close ties with our global colleagues in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.

Requirements

• You bring strong theoretical and practical knowledge of machine learning, including solid foundations in probability, linear algebra, and calculus.
• Your background includes hands-on experience applying natural language processing or computer vision techniques to solve real-world product challenges.
• You possess the ability to write testable, maintainable, and reusable code, ideally using Python, while following solid software engineering fundamentals.
• You have a proven track record of using state-of-the-art large language models and staying current with scientific literature.
• A talent for explaining complex technical concepts to partners in product, design, and engineering comes naturally to you.
• You demonstrate a customer-focused mindset and the ability to operate effectively through ambiguity and change.

Responsibilities

• Building and deploying generative AI solutions using cutting-edge LLM APIs to enhance the customer experience.
• Developing hybrid systems that combine state-of-the-art generative AI with classical machine learning techniques to ensure accuracy and reliability.
• Scaling ML systems from initial design and training through to production monitoring and evaluation.
• Collaborating with internal product and engineering teams to refine loosely defined problems into clear research directions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed