Job details

Staff Research Engineer

At Onton, we’re pushing the boundaries of the possible. It takes the average shopper 79 days to make a >$50 purchase decision, and we’re taking that to less than 1. Vector search, RAG, and other current-gen technologies yield sub-par results. You have the chance to develop a new paradigm to build a decision-making experience that people love.

You have the opportunity to:

Design, implement, and continually extend a state-of-the-art, neurosymbolic, self-learning agent that delivers highly accurate, trustworthy, hallucination-free search results. Contra OpenAI, we believe that scale is not all you need. LLMs are an important part of the puzzle, but not the whole picture. The agent you create will ultimately be capable of superseding most things we do at Onton.
Create a culture of high standards and continuous improvement. Nothing is someone else’s problem.
Stay up to date on the latest AI (especially neurosymbolic) research to leverage cutting-edge techniques to continually enhance our agent.

We expect you to:

Command a deep, principled understanding of the current state of the field of AI, especially neurosymbolic approaches.
Enjoy implementation, not just writing papers.
Quickly and iteratively ship code that is correct, robust, scalable, and maintainable. We’re not optimizing for novelty, academic recognition, or theoretical purity. Recognition will come easily from the excellence of the product we build.
Balance craft and velocity. Incur technical debt intentionally and pay it off as soon as possible.
Default to assembling from parts before building from scratch.
Be excited about non-purely-statistical approaches to AI.

We’d love it if you:

Have a PhD or Master’s in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Linguistics, or comparable (or equivalent research experience). We will consider other candidates on a case-by-case basis.

Location:
We are remote (today), but not distant. We operate on Pacific Time. We’re building hubs in San Francisco, CA and Salt Lake City, UT so we can connect in person. We’re offering relocation compensation as we build density in these areas.

About Onton

We’re a team of four engineers pioneering the next generation of search. Since launching our product publicly last year, we’ve grown exponentially to hundreds of thousands of users.

More recently, we’ve built the foundation of a neurosymbolic AI in-house that dramatically increases search accuracy. In 2025, we plan to use this technology to expand into new categories and grow to 10M+ MAU.

To support the expansion, we’ve raised $10M+ in funding. Our most recent Seed round was led by a top-tier firm and a supporting cast of well-known VCs and individuals with backgrounds from Amazon, Google, Stitch Fix, Whatnot, Stripe, Honey, Shopify, and more!

Average salary estimate

$140000 / YEARLY (est.)

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$120000K

$160000K

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What You Should Know About Staff Research Engineer, Onton

Are you ready to push the boundaries of what's possible with AI? At Onton, we're on a mission to transform how people make purchasing decisions, and we're looking for a passionate Staff Research Engineer to join our innovative team based in San Francisco. This is not just another tech job—this is your chance to pioneer a new paradigm in decision-making experiences. Here, you'll have the opportunity to design and implement a state-of-the-art neurosymbolic self-learning agent that will deliver search results that are not just accurate, but also trustworthy and free from hallucinations. We know that large language models are part of the solution, but we're committed to exploring how non-purely-statistical approaches can create an even better product. You’ll stay on the cutting edge of AI research and leverage that knowledge to continuously improve our technology. This role isn’t just about theory; it's about practical implementation, delivering robust and maintainable code, and nurturing a culture of excellence and continuous improvement. At Onton, we value quality over novelty and are looking for someone who is excited about making a real impact in the AI space. If you have a PhD or Master's in AI, Computer Science, or related fields (or equivalent experience), and love rolling up your sleeves to get to work, we want to hear from you. Join us as we take our neurosymbolic AI to the next level and grow to 10M+ users in the coming years!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Staff Research Engineer Role at Onton

What are the responsibilities of a Staff Research Engineer at Onton?

As a Staff Research Engineer at Onton, you will be responsible for designing, implementing, and extending a neurosymbolic self-learning agent that produces highly accurate search results. Your role will include staying updated on the latest AI research, particularly in neurosymbolic methodologies, as well as fostering a culture of high standards within the team.