Head of AI

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—co-founder of Archblock and the TrueFi DeFi protocol—Protogon is charting a path toward superintelligence.

Why Trading?

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 superficial outputs.

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 invention of the 21st century.

Unlike traditional quant funds, our goal isn't to focus on short-term profits but to build 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, we're not just another AI company layering a thin wrapper over existing technologies or burning through resources on models that add little value. Our work is original, proprietary, and defensible.

We are a small, dynamic team of eight currently based in Redwood City, CA, and we are seeking a talented Head of AI to help us build impactful technology and drive innovation. We work primarily in person and welcome candidates based in the Bay Area or San Diego, with the expectation that this role will relocate to the Greater San Diego Area when our headquarters moves in mid-2026.

Responsibilities and Expectations

• AI Strategy & Advanced Modeling Leadership: Set the long-term AI research vision in partnership with the CEO and Head of Trading, defining the modeling approaches and architectural directions that will drive AI advances. Lead development of next-generation production-ready models that improve predictive capability, robustness, and adaptivity across diverse market conditions, with a focus on practical implementation and measurable real-world impact.
• Building & Leading the AI Team: Build and lead a world-class AI team across research, engineering, and infrastructure. Foster a culture focused on applied research, rapid iteration, and operational excellence. Ensure tight collaboration with trading and operations teams to enable rapid hypothesis evaluation, integration of trading insights into modeling, and efficient experimentation across multiple research tracks.
• AI Systems, Data Pipelines & Model Quality Improvements: Own the end-to-end AI platform, including data pipelines, training systems, and evaluation frameworks, ensuring models operate reliably and efficiently within both training and trading workflows.
• Align AI Strategy With Trading Objectives: Translate trading objectives and market hypotheses into a cohesive AI roadmap. Partner closely with the Head of Trading to prioritize high-impact research, validate modeling approaches, and ensure predictable execution across research, engineering, and trading.

Who You Are

• Experienced AI/ML Leader: You bring 7–10+ years of applied machine learning and AI systems experience, with 3–6 years leading multi-disciplinary teams across research, engineering, and infrastructure. You have a proven ability to set technical direction, build high-performing teams, and guide research from concept to production in environments where model performance has direct business impact.
• Strategic & Applied Problem Solver: You can translate trading objectives and market hypotheses into a cohesive AI research agenda, prioritizing work that enables meaningful improvements in performance and robustness. You communicate clearly across trading, operations, and executive teams, aligning research direction with firm-wide goals.
• Deep Technical & Research Expertise: You have a strong command of modern ML architectures, sequence models, and RL, and are capable of distilling and applying the best ideas from the literature. You are fluent in deep learning libraries including PyTorch, and experienced in building large-scale training pipelines, evaluation systems, and robust production AI platforms.
• Cross-Functional Leader & Collaborator: You have a track record of partnering closely with trading or domain-expert teams, integrating their insights into modeling efforts, and ensuring AI systems operate effectively within high-stakes, real-time environments. You drive predictable execution across research, engineering, and trading, ensuring initiatives land with high quality and measurable impact.

Nice to Have:

• Experience leading AI research or ML-driven strategy development in quantitative finance, trading systems, or other real-time decision environments.
• Background designing large-scale AI platforms, distributed training infrastructure, or research frameworks that support multiple concurrent modeling efforts.
• Strong collaboration experience with traders, Portfolio Managers, or domain experts to translate market insights into long-term AI research direction.

What We Offer:

• Competitive Compensation: Competitive salary with meaningful equity/ownership aligned to the scope and impact of the position.
• Comprehensive Benefits Package: Medical, dental, and vision coverage designed to support you and your family's well-being.
• Financial & Wellness Support: 401(k), Commuter, FSA, and HSA programs, and additional benefits to support long-term stability.
• Flexible Time Off & Work-Life Balance: Generous vacation, sick leave, and company holidays, with flexibility to recharge when needed.