Director of Research - Remote

Overview

The Director of Research will define the research agenda, build a high-calibre team, and turn novel methods into validated assets for product and innovation teams. This role involves both strategic leadership and hands-on technical contributions.

In Short

• Define and own the company research strategy.
• Build and lead a world-class research team.
• Lead first-principles research in various AI domains.
• Establish research operating discipline and standards.
• Drive transfer into delivery teams with adoption-ready packages.
• Represent the company across various external stakeholders.
• Coach senior researchers and enhance technical writing standards.
• Shape IP and dissemination strategy for research outputs.
• Partner closely with various internal teams.
• Maintain a player-coach mentality.

Requirements

• 8+ years in applied AI/ML research or equivalent roles.
• 3+ years leading research programmes or teams.
• Deep expertise in machine learning and statistical foundations.
• Expert in Python; strong command of PyTorch and CUDA.
• Experience with distributed training/research infrastructure.
• Strong grounding in evaluation design and reproducible experimentation.
• Experience across multiple AI domains.
• Track record of impactful original research.
• Proven experience in R&D proposals and grants.
• Strong technical writing skills.
• Eligible to work in Germany and fluent in German (C1+).

Benefits

• Opportunity to build a sovereign European intelligence platform.
• Unique mix of research and public-interest impact.
• Opportunity to shape technical differentiation and funding strategy.
• Remote-first work setup with occasional team events in Berlin.
• Home office budget and great equipment.
• 30 days vacation.