Applied AI Research Engineer

At Maincode, we’re building intelligence that does more than predict. It understands. It reasons. It acts.

We’re looking for an Applied AI Research Engineer to help us build this future. Someone who can translate abstract ideas into working systems. Someone who doesn’t just follow research trends, but shapes them. Someone who sees the path from toy example to production agent, and knows when to take the long way to build something timeless.

This role sits at the intersection of foundational research and applied engineering. You’ll be working on problems that don’t have clear answers yet. You’ll develop symbolic reasoning frameworks, design domain-specific languages, build feedback loops that learn through action, and scale reinforcement systems across complex user environments.

But the work isn’t theoretical. Everything you build will get shipped, tested, and pushed to its limits in real environments. You'll be part of a small team that writes its own playbook, shares wins and setbacks in equal measure, and moves with intensity toward ideas that matter. We’re not interested in proving what’s possible. We’re interested in making it real.

What we're looking for

We’re looking for someone with a deep research background (PhD or equivalent experience) and a builder’s mindset. Someone who finds flow in complexity and energy in ambiguity. You’ve probably worked with transformers, symbolic models, DSLs, or RL agents before, but you also know none of those terms matter unless the system works.

You think in first principles. You prototype fast. You’re comfortable in the weeds but don’t lose sight of the why. Most importantly, you care about where your work lands, who it helps, what it enables, and how it moves the world forward.

What you'll be doing

• Designing and training models that map natural language into structured, verifiable action
• Building symbolic and RL-driven systems that learn through execution
• Creating custom DSLs that encode how intelligent agents can reason and act
• Prototyping small, fast loops between user feedback, model behaviour, and system learning
• Working closely with designers, engineers, and product leads to move ideas from research into real-world leverage

Who you’ll be working with

People who are doing the best work of their careers and want you to do the same. This is not a company of passengers. It’s a team of high-voltage thinkers, builders, and operators who believe that shipping is sacred, curiosity beats cynicism, and that the right people, in the right environment, at the right time, can do extraordinary things. We hold ourselves to a high bar, but we hold the mission higher.

How to apply

Our process starts differently. Before we look at your résumé or talk about your experience, we want to understand what drives you. That’s why the first step in our hiring process is a short video response to "It’s 2AM in the lab."

This isn’t a test. It’s a window into what matters to you. Take your time. Be honest. Show us what pulls you into the work and what keeps you up chasing it.

Once we receive your video, we’ll take it from there.

Before you apply

We hire through alignment, not just qualifications. The best way to understand how we think, how we build, and how we hire is to read our Principles. They are not decoration. They are how we work.

If they resonate, we’d love to meet you.