Staff Research Engineer

GitHub is the world’s leading platform for agentic software development — powered by Copilot to build, scale, and deliver secure software. They are looking for talented, experienced polymaths to join them as a Staff Research Engineer, where you will work closely with a small group of researchers to explore the future of software development and create prototypes that inform GitHub’s leadership and roadmap.

Responsibilities:

• Problem Framing and Solution Implementation: Research Engineers are makers who turn ambitious ideas into reliable prototypes. You will take loosely defined concepts and figure out how to make them real, scoping bets wisely and delivering value quickly. You will push AI capability limits, exploring what’s almost possible today and anticipating what will be common soon
• Data Preparation and Feature Identification: Exploration spans many technologies, requiring comfort reading source code, picking up new stacks, and identifying the technical pieces needed to build prototypes. You will operate as a generalist with deeper knowledge in some areas; hybrids thrive here, though specialists are also considered. You will help shape the data, signals, and features needed to support evolving prototypes
• Coordination-: GitHub Next runs on ideas, and strong communication drives team health and execution. You will collaborate to determine what work needs doing, split responsibilities, and move projects forward. Applies deep understanding of research approaches used across the team, organization, and industry to leverage (and not reinvent) solutions. Brings new technology and approaches into production by applying long-term research efforts to solve immediate product needs
• Providing Consultation & Expertise: Builds and develops collaborative relationships within and outside the organization to share expertise and create business impact. Acts as a subject matter expert and provides consultative expertise to individuals across the organization in ascertaining technical feasibility of AI ideas/opportunities
• Product and Strategy: Assesses feasibility, builds small prototypes to prove viability, and engages in end-to-end AI development lifecycle (e.g., researching, prototyping, minimum viable product, product, improvement iterations, and maintenance). Provides guidance to less experienced team members conducting open-ended exploration without clear specs or pre-determined scope to inform feasibility considerations As agents take over more code generation, your value comes from judgment, creativity, and shaping high‑impact ideas