Applied Research Engineering Manager | San Francisco

Cleo is a fast-growing fintech company on a mission to transform humanity's relationship with money. They are seeking an Applied Research Engineering Manager to lead a team of research scientists and machine learning engineers, focusing on solving complex AI problems and turning research into impactful product solutions.

Responsibilities:

• Define and own the applied research roadmap that delivers measurable impact
• Identify high-value research opportunities aligned to product and AI priorities
• Balance blue-sky investigation with focused execution and delivery
• Hire, grow, and retain a high-performing research team (scientists + research engineers)
• Provide coaching, career development, and mentorship that elevates individual and team performance
• Set clear expectations, review work rigorously, and reinforce high standards
• Work directly with Product and Engineering to prioritise research work that aligns to business impact
• Advocate for research needs, constraints, and timelines across teams
• Communicate priorities and results clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders

Requirements:

• Advanced degree in Machine Learning, AI, Computer Science, or related quantitative field
• Strong foundation in ML fundamentals, research methods, and evaluation design
• Proven experience managing and developing research teams - scientifically curious, technically strong, and motivated
• Able to set direction, make decisions with imperfect information, and move a team confidently forward
• Skilled in mentoring, performance management, and fostering a psychologically safe culture
• Experience turning research outcomes into concrete product value
• Strong communicator - can explain complex results to engineers, product partners, and leaders
• Experience with generative AI, LLM evaluation & fine-tuning workflows
• Track record of published research or contributions to open science
• Practical experience with production ML systems and data infrastructure