AI Research Engineer

Your mission: Help bring cutting-edge AI features to the next level in creative, innovative digital products. Since launching in 2013, Bending Spoons has served around half a billion people across the globe through our suite of cutting-edge products. Still, we’ve only just crossed the starting line on our mission to make an enduring positive impact on our customers, on our fellow Spooners, and on society at large. When it comes to creating outstanding (and wildly popular) digital products, AI and computer vision are key—and we’ve got ambitious plans to leverage their potential to the fullest. So we’re looking for another talented and driven AI research engineer to join our passionate AI team.

A few examples of your responsibilities

• Explore, evaluate, and optimize the latest AI models, bridging the gap between research and production.

• Team up with AI software engineers to implement models in production and in designing state-of-the-art internal tools and technologies.

• Help elevate the research codebase by promoting code reuse, best practices, and reproducibility.

• Manage large datasets, overseeing acquisition, labeling, and data loaders.

• Keep up with the latest advances in the field and share findings with teammates.

• Work closely with Product teams to understand their AI needs and achieve breakthrough results.

What we look for

• Passion. You love what you do, and your enthusiasm never wavers with the specifics of a given task or team. Whether you’re on a plane, train, or sofa, odds are that you’ll be found with your nose in a book or article on the subject.

• Reasoning and depth of learning. You’re structured and creative enough to solve most challenging problems independently, given the necessary knowledge. You learn new concepts and skills rapidly, and love to nerd out and go in-depth.

• Drive. You’re energetic and hard-working, and you persevere through adversity until the job is done—and done impeccably. You’re massively into getting results, and always aim for excellence in what you do.

• Common sense. Your judgment and intuition are sound and well grounded in reality.

• Logical-analytical abilities. You’re a quick learner who’s able to investigate and effectively pick up new concepts on your own. You can solve unforeseen challenges with creativity and structure, and can do so independently.

• Accuracy and precision. Your attention to detail is spot-on, and you’re painstakingly accurate.

• Pragmatism. Far from being too academic or obsessive in your perfectionism, you understand that speed is often as important as quality when getting things done in a competitive world.

• Humility. You’re down to earth, eager to listen to feedback and constructive criticism, and ready to support your team with whatever it needs to succeed.

• Proficiency in English. You read, write, and speak proficiently in English.

What we offer

• Real impact. We automate most menial tasks, freeing you up to focus your expertise where it can make the biggest impact.

• Talented, knowledgeable colleagues. Learn from (and teach) some of the brightest and most skilled people you’ll ever meet. Your talent is going to blossom here.

• People who lift up one another. We hire for talent and leave the ego at the door. You'll find a group of truly talented Spooners who are eager to teach their secrets and to learn. Reciprocal support and respect is everything—you’re unlikely to ever encounter a more harmonious crew.

• The finest tools. You get the best hardware on the market and all the software you could need. We can't wait to introduce you to our high-tech approach and our cutting-edge workflows.

• Continuous education. Spooners get unlimited backing for learning investments, including Italian or English lessons and things like courses, conferences, and books. There’s no permission or approval process—you’re fully trusted to use the company’s resources efficiently.

• Relocation package. If you need to relocate for the position, we typically cover reasonable transportation and moving expenses, provide up to three months of temporary accommodation, and help you and your close family members with visa support if necessary.

• Remote working. Spend as much or as little time in our Milan office as you choose. Many Spooners like to change up their environment and get out of the city whenever the mood strikes. You’ve always got the freedom to decide where today’s office is.

• Flexibility and trust. From day one, you’ll be one of the team and fully trusted. No micromanagement or clipping your wings—just the freedom and responsibility to do great work.

• Flexible schedule. Our regular hours are 9-6 GMT+1, with remote work allowed within GMT-2 to GMT+3 time zones.

• Competitive salary and stock options. The entry-level compensation package for this position includes a salary of €52,246 and a welfare bonus of €1,200. If you already have a few years of relevant work experience, you can expect to earn between €105,737 and €143,330, depending on your expertise. As you gain experience and increase your impact, compensation can grow rapidly. You also have the option to receive some of your pay in company ownership (equity) at a discounted rate.

Before you apply

Thanks for taking the time to read this far. We’d be delighted if you decide to apply, but ask that you first consider the following:

Bending Spoons is an extremely demanding environment. We’re highly ambitious and we ask a lot of ourselves and our teammates, so you’re likely to work harder here than at most companies, and to regularly push yourself beyond your comfort zone. While this tends to drive tremendous learning and lead to fantastic achievements, it can also be stressful.

We’re uncompromising on our standard of excellence. The vast majority of Spooners stay for years and have amazing careers here. However, it can also happen that an individual doesn’t contribute at the rate we look for. In such cases, we support the Spooner in their efforts to make the necessary improvements, but will counsel them to leave if they don’t manage to do so.

We're proud of the company we've built, and many of us can't imagine working anywhere else. Still, we understand that a career at Bending Spoons isn't for everybody. We hope what you’ve read here helps you determine whether it might be the place for you. If you believe it is, then we encourage you to apply—and perhaps discover what you’re truly capable of!

The selection process

If you successfully pass through our screening process, we’ll invite you to take on a few tests that assess how you approach and solve unfamiliar problems. If you’re successful there, we’ll invite you to take part in some interviews. We welcome applications in English and Italian. Bending Spoons is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. We consider for employment all applicants and we provide reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities, which can be requested at accommodations-ext@bendingspoons.com. Studies suggest that women tend not to apply for a job if their CV isn’t a perfect fit. Here, we look for talent and potential—not just experience and expertise. So if you like the role and think you could be awesome at it, go ahead and apply.