Senior GenAI Data Scientist

About the team and the role: 

Credit Karma is seeking a Research Data Scientist to join Credit Karma’s Data & AI organization, focusing on GenAI research. We're looking for experts in generative AI (GenAI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) with experience in large language model (LLM) alignment and fine-tuning, LLM evaluation and safety, and agentic and multi-modal modeling. The ideal candidate will share our passion for developing Credit Karma's next-generation GenAI-based financial assistant, driving innovation in LLMs to create personalized financial experiences that empower our members.

What you’ll do: 

• GenAI research and application: Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in GenAI and apply this knowledge to develop innovative solutions that drive member and business value. This includes designing and implementing novel architectures, algorithms, and techniques for LLMs, multi-modal models, and other GenAI applications
• LLM development and optimization: Design, train, and fine-tune LLMs, including data processing and curation, to mitigate biases and ensure high-quality datasets for optimized model performance. Influence efficient LLM architecture design for optimal performance, efficiency, and scalability
• Research strategy and direction: Define and drive the long-term research vision and strategy for GenAI in the organization, aligning with business objectives and goals. This includes identifying key research areas, setting ambitious goals, and developing achievable milestones
• Collaboration and communication: Effectively collaborate with and communicate complex research concepts to cross-functional teams, including engineering, product, and business stakeholders. This includes distilling research findings into actionable insights, providing technical guidance, and influencing the adoption of GenAI solutions
• GenAI thought leader: Advance expertise in GenAI through continuous learning, attending conferences, and engaging with the broader research community. Contribute to the team's knowledge base and advance the field through publications, presentations, and sharing of insights and expertise

Minimum Requirement:

• Master's degree or Ph.D. in AI, Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics, or a related field
• Publications or contributions to open-source projects in the field of GenAI or machine learning
• Research experience in industry, academia, or government settings
• Skilled in developing software for large-scale AI models and datasets
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, R, or Java
• Strong understanding of machine learning algorithms and statistical methods
• Strong experience in using AI libraries such as PyTorch or TensorFlow 
• Strong communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience in GenAI and LLM research
• 5+ years of experience in data science or machine learning roles, with a focus on GenAI, AI or NLP research 
• Familiarity with cloud platforms such as Google Cloud, AWS, or Azure
• Proven track record of leading research or technical projects and mentoring team members
• Experience in the fintech domain or related industries

Benefits at Credit Karma includes:

• Medical and Dental Coverage
• Retirement Plan
• Commuter Benefits
• Wellness perks
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick, Baby Bonding, Cultural Observance, & More)
• Education Perks
• Paid Gift Week in December

Pay Transparency Notice: Credit Karma’s mission of championing financial progress for all starts from within. That’s why we implemented role-based compensation, which ensures people who are in the same role receive the same pay with variations for geographic location only. It’s all part of a more comprehensive DEI strategy that helps level the playing field. The base salary for this role is $296,068, plus equity and benefits.