Senior Applied Scientist

Microsoft•Redmond, WA

1d•$119,800 - $261,000

About The Position

Frontier is a new product that aims to fine-tune large language models (LLMs) on tenant data, enabling task-specific agents and solutions. We are a small, nimble team that is advancing the state of the art of models in M365 Copilot. Come join our team and help transform the LLM experience in the enterprise. We are seeking Senior Applied Scientist with research skills and the desire to pursue the cutting edge in model development that pushes technological boundaries. We are looking for candidates with interest and experience in language model training, data pipelines, and shipping high-quality models, willing to delve deep with customer data and generalize the learnings for the broader product. We provide a nurturing environment to support passionate researchers and engineers in technology innovation. We seek candidates that excel in deep thinking, advanced development, and fast-paced entrepreneurial execution in a collaborative setting. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 4+ years related experience (e.g., statistics predictive analytics, research)
Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 1+ year(s) related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
equivalent experience.
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role.
Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 6+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 3+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research)
equivalent experience.
3+ years experience creating publications (e.g., patents, libraries, peer-reviewed academic papers).
Experience presenting at conferences or other events in the outside research/industry community as an invited speaker.
3+ years experience conducting research as part of a research program (in academic or industry settings).
1+ year(s) experience developing and deploying live production systems, as part of a product team.
1+ year(s) experience developing and deploying products or systems at multiple points in the product cycle from ideation to shipping.
2+ years of experience training/fine tuning AI/ML models, preferably LLMs/SLMs (small language model).
2+ years of experience in reinforcement learning or equivalent training techniques.
2+ years of experience with Python and/or ML frameworks such as PyTorch.

Responsibilities

Write and execute training pipelines for large language models post-training.
Design experiments to show the effectiveness of LLM (large language model)-based solutions.
Design and implement inference solutions that incorporate post-trained models following product specifications and work with broader team to ship these solutions to customers.
Document experiments and communicate results across the team.
Mentor early in career team members.