Via
Head of AI Research Product
New York, New York. Posted a month ago
The role
The Head of AI Research Product will lead the intersection of applied machine learning research and product innovation for rider and transit operations platforms. This role involves innovating with lighthouse customers, conducting original applied research, and driving the productization of proven methods into the core platform.
What you will do
- Build and lead Via's AI research product function and define the roadmap.
- Design and deploy reinforcement learning systems for routing, pooling, and dispatching.
- Pioneer AlphaGo-style machine learning for transit using deep reinforcement learning and tree search.
- Develop weighted ensemble models and multi-objective optimization frameworks.
- Invent personalization systems for the rider mobile experience.
- Research and productize behavioral incentive models.
- Partner with lighthouse transit agencies to co-develop and validate novel AI approaches.
- Establish rigorous experimentation infrastructure to measure model impact.
Required qualifications
- MS or PhD in a quantitative field: machine learning, operations research, statistics, applied mathematics, or a related discipline.
- Deep hands-on proficiency in ML: reinforcement learning, supervised and unsupervised methods, probabilistic modeling, and optimization.
- Experience partnering with engineering teams to move models from research into production at scale.
- Track record of working with external customers or partners to iterate on novel solutions in ambiguous, real-world conditions.
- Comfort operating across research, product, and commercial contexts.
Nice to have
- Experience with AlphaGo-style approaches (self-play, Monte Carlo tree search, policy/value networks)
- Experience with large-scale real-time inference systems
Benefits
- Comprehensive health coverage
- Low-cost dental and vision plans
- 401(k) with a generous company match and vesting
- Fully paid parental leave for new parents, with extended leave options
- Mental health benefits
- Pet insurance
- Other wellness perks
- 20 days of paid time off (PTO) annually
About the company
Via is a global leader in smart transportation, using technology to revolutionize mobility worldwide. The company aims to transform individual daily commutes and reduce the environmental cost of transit systems.