Machine Learning Engineer

Protogon Research builds AI models with a deep understanding of the world, monetizing them through proprietary trading. Founded and led by serial entrepreneur Rafael Cosman, the co-founder of Archblock and the DeFi Protocol TrueFi, Protogon Research is building superintelligence.

We believe trading is a powerful testbed for developing highly intelligent AI systems, offering unique advantages over other approaches. Backed by top VCs, our highly technical team is on a mission to build the most transformative technology of the 21st century.

Why Build AI Trading Systems?

Focusing on trading provides several key advantages:

• Proprietary models and datasets - This helps us avoid the race to the bottom faced by many other AI companies.
• Fast innovation cycle - Technological advancements directly translate into increased revenue, allowing us to rapidly test and implement improvements.
• Pure focus on AI development - With no need for sales, marketing, or customer support, we can concentrate on building groundbreaking systems.
• True understanding, not imitation - We create AI that deeply understands the world rather than just replicating human behavior or generating superficially pleasing outputs.

Unlike traditional quant funds, we dont focus on short-term profits but on the long-term success of our AI technology. While we leverage AI for trading, everything from our investors to our culture is aligned with this vision of lasting impact. Moreover, were not just another AI company layering a thin wrapper over existing technologies or burning through resources building models that are quickly commoditized. We focus on doing work every day that is original, proprietary, and defensible.

We are a small, dynamic team of six based in Menlo Park, CA, and were seeking talented Machine Learning Engineers to help us build impactful technology and drive innovation. We believe working in person fosters the most fun, engaging, and creative work, so this role will be based at our Menlo Park office.

Responsibilities & Expectations:

• Designing Model Architectures: Core work on improving our model architecture and training, with a focus on achieving measurable gains in model accuracy and reducing training time
• Evaluating Model Performance: Working on the training framework to efficiently train and test models, and expanding how we characterize/measure our trained models
• Expanding Data Sources: Finding and integrating more novel data to increase model performance on backtest as well as real-world assessments
• Monitoring and Alerts: Designing monitoring systems to detect and alert the team to anomalies with live trading strategies, aiming to reduce detection and response time, minimize false positives, and improve system reliability.

Who You Are:

• Experienced Machine Learning Engineer: Strong background in ML development with hands-on experience in both theoretical and practical applications. Proficient in deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, and Jax, with expertise in feature engineering, model optimization, and evaluating model performance. Minimum of 2 years of experience.
• AI/Financial Markets Enthusiast: Interested in AI, AGI, and financial markets.
• Discreet: Able to handle and protect proprietary technology and strategies with the highest level of confidentiality.
• Takes Ownership: Proactively takes responsibility, drives projects, and contributes effectively within a small, agile team.
  

Nice to Have: 

• Experience in quantitative finance, trading systems, or market modeling
• Strong programming skills in Python
• Knowledge of high-performance computing (HPC) and distributed computing frameworks

• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP)

What We Offer:

• Competitive Salary

• Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage
• Additional Benefits: 401K, FSA, and HSA options
• Flexible Time Off: Vacation policy, sick days, and holidays

Note: We are open to candidates who are interested in an engineering lead role, involving some recruiting and management responsibilities in addition to significant coding work. Compensation will be based on the scope of responsibilities and level of experience.

At this time, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship. Candidates must have authorization to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship, now or in the future.

If you are excited to grow with us, push the boundaries of what is possible, and be a part of shaping the future of AI, we'd love to connect!