Surge AIForward Deployed Researcher
Surge AI is hiring a Forward Deployed Researcher for a remote role open to applicants in United States. Level rates it ; you can apply on Surge AI.
Level's read on this job
- On Level's scale, this forward deployed engineer role is Builds AI ●●●●: the job is building AI systems.
- The posting lists this role as remote.
- Tools and skills the posting cites include Anthropic, Python and fine tuning.
- Level classifies it as a mid-level role.
- Level lists 27 other open roles at Surge AI.
AI in this role
Embed with AI labs to evaluate frontier model capabilities, build pipelines, and troubleshoot real-world deployment issues.
About Us
Our mission is to raise AGI with the richness of human intelligence — curious, witty, imaginative, and full of unexpected brilliance.
Surge was founded by engineers and researchers who dreamed of building the next generation AI. We're building a platform that powers the most powerful models in the world in partnership with companies like Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, and Meta.
At Surge, we believe the path to AGI isn't just about scaling compute—it's about embracing the unlimited ceiling of human intelligence and creativity in the data that shapes these systems. Our platform combines elite human expertise with cutting-edge tools for scalable oversight, from building rich RL environments to conducting rigorous evaluations that go beyond benchmarks. We've run a profitable business from day one without raising venture funding.
The Role
As a Forward Deployed Researcher, you’ll embed directly with leading AI labs and frontier model teams to explore how their models behave in the wild — and what it takes to make them work reliably at scale. You’ll lead hands-on research to evaluate capabilities, surface subtle failure modes, and design interventions that shape model behavior and deployment outcomes.
You won’t just run tests — you’ll uncover insights that inform the next generation of model development. This is a role for someone who thrives on close collaboration, lives for iteration, and loves turning real-world complexity into actionable breakthroughs. Your work will shape how some of the most advanced AI systems interface with the world.
What We’re Looking for
Curiosity about Model Behavior – Interest in how models reason, generalize, and fail when applied to complex real-world tasks
Experimental Rigor – Strong instincts for research design and insight generation in ambiguous settings
Customer-Centered Mindset – Excitement to embed deeply with partners, understand their goals, and build towards meaningful impact
What You'll Do
Design and run evaluations to probe model generalization and behavior under deployment constraints
Build data pipelines, fine-tuning workflows, or interventions to steer and improve model outputs
Partner with internal stakeholders and external AI labs to operationalize custom frontier model use cases
Explore and address failure modes in long-context reasoning, tool use, or real-time feedback loops
How we rate this
Forward Deployed Researcher at Surge AI rates 85 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Pay
- Typical forward deployed engineer job
- $182k
This posting doesn't list pay. Use the typical forward deployed engineer figure when pay comes up. See forward deployed engineer jobs
Questions you could be asked
- Walk me through fine-tuning a model: what data did you use, and how did you check the result?
- Tell me about a project where machine learning was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where model evaluation was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where reinforcement learning was part of your work. What did you do?
- Walk me through how you've used Anthropic in your day-to-day work.
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Fine-tuning, Machine learning, Model Evaluation, Reinforcement learning, and Anthropic. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.
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