Overview

This Microsoft AI Superintelligence Post-Training team is dedicated to advancing post-training methods for both OpenAI and open-source models. Their work encompasses continual pre-training, large-scale deep reinforcement learning running on extensive GPU resources, and significant efforts to curate and synthesize training data. In addition, the team employs various fine-tuning approaches to support both research and product development.  

The team also develops advanced AI technologies that integrate language and multi-modality for a range of Microsoft products. The team is particularly active in developing code-specific models, including those used in Github Copilot and Visual Studio Code, such as code completion model and the software engineering (SWE) agent models.   

The team has also produced publications as by-products, including work such as LoRA, DeBerTa, Oscar, Rho-1, Florence, and the open-source Phi models. 

We are looking for a highly skilled AI Data & Training Technical Staff to join our team and help push the boundaries of large-scale AI. In this role, you’ll be at the forefront of creating world-class datasets, training front-tier models, developing scalable data pipelines, and driving experiments that directly impact the performance of cutting-edge language and multimodal models. Our work is at the intersection of research, data engineering, and AI model training, and Products.  

Our team values startup-style efficiency and practical problem-solving. We are seeking a curious, adaptable problem-solver who thrives on continuous learning, embraces changing priorities, and is motivated by creating meaningful impact. Candidates must be self-driven, able to write efficient code and debug training jobs, document findings, and demonstrate a track record in these fields. You may include information about any individuals who can serve as your referral in your application.  

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

Microsoft AI Superintelligence team’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. This role is part of Microsoft AI's Superintelligence Team. The MAIST is a startup-like team inside Microsoft AI, created to push the boundaries of AI toward Humanist Superintelligence—ultra-capable systems that remain controllable, safety-aligned, and anchored to human values. Our mission is to create AI that amplifies human potential while ensuring humanity remains firmly in control. We aim to deliver breakthroughs that benefit society—advancing science, education, and global well-being. We’re also fortunate to partner with incredible product teams giving our models the chance to reach billions of users and create immense positive impact. If you’re a brilliant, highly-ambitious and low ego individual, you’ll fit right in—come and join us as we work on our next generation of models!

Responsibilities

Design & Evaluate Datasets – Build high-quality datasets and benchmarks for training AI models; run ablation studies to measure impact and optimize data effectiveness.
Advance Model Training – Apply deep expertise in pre-training, post-training, and reinforcement learning (RL) for both language and multimodal models.
Develop Data Infrastructure – Create and maintain scalable pipelines for ingestion, preprocessing, filtering, and annotation of large, complex datasets.
Data Quality & Analysis – Assess real-world multimodal datasets (text, image, video, audio, code) for quality, diversity, and relevance; identify gaps and propose improvements.
Tooling & Workflows – Build lightweight tools for dataset auditing, visualization, and versioning to streamline experimentation.
Research & Innovation – Collaborate with cross-functional teams to push research and product boundaries, delivering models that make a real-world impact.
Embody our Culture and Values

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Bachelor's Degree (complete or in progress) in relevant field AND 3+ months related research internship experience OR Master's Degree in relevant field OR equivalent experience.
Software engineering skills with fluency in Python and modern data libraries.

Other Requirements:

The ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud Background Check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred Qualifications:

Master's Degree in relevant field AND 1+ year(s) related research experience OR equivalent experience.
Coding expertise in Python and data libraries (Pandas, NumPy, etc.).
Proficiency with distributed data frameworks (Spark, Ray, Apache Beam) and cloud ecosystems (Azure, data lakes).
Hands-on experience with large-scale, unstructured or semi-structured datasets: images, video, audio, and code.
Proven experience training AI models at significant scale.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate within interdisciplinary teams and communicate complex, multimodal research concepts effectively

Research Sciences IC2 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $84,200 - $165,200 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $109,000 - $180,400 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

Research Sciences IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $100,600 - $199,000 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $131,400 - $215,400 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.

Member of Technical Staff - Post-Training