Research Program Manager, Pre-training
Reflection is an AI research lab building open frontier models and a full AI stack for developers, enterprises, and public-sector users.
Funding history
About Reflection
Reflection develops open-weight AI models, open-source software for customizing and running agents, AI-factory infrastructure, and related solutions. Its current research emphasizes large language models, reinforcement learning, and agentic reasoning.
Skills
Candidate Availability
Required and preferred rules are kept separate and reflect the wording in the original posting.
About the Role
You will embed within the Pre-training ML and Data teams, building trust with researchers and finding where programs and process can speed up research. You will drive complex cross-team initiatives spanning data, model architecture, training runs, and evaluation, coordinate experiment prioritization, run scheduling, data readiness, and checkpoint handoffs, and give leadership clear, actionable recommendations. You will build lightweight processes and act as the connective tissue between pre-training, mid-training, post-training, and infrastructure teams.
Requirements
- 7+ years of experience in technical program management, research operations, or ML engineering, building programs from scratch in research or ML-heavy environments
- Technical depth to engage on model architecture, scaling laws, data processing pipelines, training dynamics, and optimizer behavior
- Proven ability to embed within technical teams and earn trust
- Resourceful and high-agency in navigating ambiguity and shifting priorities
- Strong stakeholder management skills to influence senior technical staff
- Comfortable in high-stakes environments
- Excited to build from zero to one
Responsibilities
- Embed within pre-training ML and Data teams to understand the technical landscape and identify high-impact programs and processes
- Drive end-to-end execution of complex cross-team research initiatives spanning data, model architecture, training runs, and evaluation
- Coordinate the operational rhythm of pre-training research, including experiment prioritization, run scheduling, data readiness, and checkpoint handoffs
- Equip research leadership to make quick decisions by presenting clear, actionable recommendations on technical tradeoffs
- Build lightweight processes and coordination mechanisms for cross-team handoffs, config management, and research milestones
- Act as the connective tissue between pre-training, mid-training, post-training, and infrastructure teams
Benefits
- Stock options
- Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
- Annual wellness allowance
- Lunch and dinner provided in the office daily
- 22 weeks paid parental leave
- Unlimited paid time off in the U.S. and 30 days in the U.K.
- Visa sponsorship support
- Regular off-sites, happy hours, and team celebrations
