# Head of Research at Vals AI

- Company: Vals AI
- What the company does: Private, domain-specific benchmarks in legal, tax, and finance. Backed by a16z and Pear VC.
- Company website: https://www.vals.ai
- Type: Startups (AI role)
- Level: Principal and up
- Location: San Francisco
- Work setup: On-site
- Pay: $225K to $275K base salary per year (USD)
- Posted: 2026-06-27
- Apply by: 2026-10-08
- Apply: https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/vals-ai/ecac7c4f-7316-47b7-a57f-687640fe482d
- Page: https://www.1752.vc/careers/jobs/vals-ai-head-of-research/

## About the role

Measuring intelligence is hard, and humans haven't been particularly good at it. The proxies we've used — IQ, standardized tests, credentials — have shaped how we develop intelligence and how we value it, often in ways we later regret. AI gives us a chance to do better. The field is young enough that the methodologies for measuring what these systems can actually do are still being written, and the answers we settle on will shape what gets built, what gets deployed, and which workflows get automated next.

## What they're looking for

- A PhD in ML/NLP (in progress or completed), or equivalent industry research track record
- Deep familiarity with the LLM evaluation landscape: existing benchmarks, their failure modes, judge-model approaches, human-in-the-loop methodologies
- A bias toward research that affects what people actually deploy, rather than benchmarks that are easy to game
- Strong written and verbal communication. You'll publish, present, and talk to customers and labs
- Ability to work in-person, in San Francisco
- Learning velocity: The role encompasses a wide variety of tasks. Rather than expecting you to be an expert on Day 1, we are looking for someone who can learn new skills and technologies quickly

Tags: Engineering & Research