at Unlearn
Full TimeAt Unlearn, our purpose is to advance artificial intelligence (AI) to eliminate trial and error in medicine. We are innovating advanced machine learning methods to leverage generative AI in forecasting patient outcomes, starting with the domain of clinical trials. We produce AI-generated digital twins of individual trial participants, enabling smaller and more efficient clinical trials to bring effective medicines to patients sooner.
Our innovative work in AI today will reinvent how AI is applied in medicine tomorrow — and we have a top secret plan for how to get there. We won’t be able to achieve this mission just by applying technologies created by others; the future must be invented.
Unlearn is a technology company, not a biotech company. We use computers, not pipettes. We make and use software, we don’t discover or make drugs. We believe that AI will define the future of medicine, and we aren’t deterred by naysayers or skeptics.
We come from a variety of backgrounds ranging from machine learning to marketing—but regardless of where we come from, Unlearners share some common traits:
Unlearners are ambitious; we aren’t intimidated by big, challenging goals.
Unlearners are disciplined experimenters; we break down our big goals into smaller chunks and meet as often as necessary to track our velocity and iterate quickly.
Unlearners are gritty; we never give up, setbacks just make us try harder.
Unlearners are receptive to new ideas; in fact, we hate being stuck with the status quo
Unlearners are storytellers; sharing information with each other and with the world is super important, too important to be boring. And, last but not least,
Unlearners are team-oriented; we put the mission first, the company second, the team third, and individuals last.
Headquartered in San Francisco, Unlearn was founded in 2017 by a team of world-class machine learning scientists. We have raised venture capital from top tier investors such as Altimeter, Insight Partners, Radical Ventures, 8VC, DCVC, and DCVC Bio, and recently completed our $50 million Series C in January 2024.
If our purpose and culture resonate with you, we invite you to apply.
About the Role
We are seeking a Sr. Principal Software Engineer with 10+ years of experience in building mission-critical, highly available, and scalable software solutions. This role requires strong expertise in modern software architectures, leading the design and implementation of high-performance systems. You will collaborate across teams, particularly with ML engineers and data scientists, to drive architectural decisions, optimize system design, and ensure alignment with business and engineering goals.
Responsibilities
Architect and Design Systems: Develop mission-critical, highly available, and scalable software architectures using modern frameworks.
Technical Leadership: Define and enforce best practices, coding standards, and architectural principles across teams.
Cross-Team Collaboration: Work closely with ML engineers, data scientists, and product teams to ensure seamless integration of AI/ML components into software systems.
System Optimization: Identify performance bottlenecks, improve system efficiency, and enhance overall system reliability.
ML Infrastructure & Operations: Systemize both ML training and production environments and infrastructure, ensuring seamless deployment, monitoring, and scaling of AI models.
Scalability & Security: Ensure solutions are secure, maintainable, and future-proof, considering long-term growth and evolving business needs.
Technology Strategy: Evaluate and recommend new technologies, frameworks, and tools to improve development efficiency and system performance.
Mentorship: Guide and mentor engineers, fostering a strong engineering culture and knowledge-sharing within the team.
Requirements
10+ years of experience designing and developing mission-critical, highly available, and scalable software systems.
Experience with distributed systems, cloud architecture, and microservices design.
Proven track record of working with ML/AI-driven applications and collaborating with data scientists.
Deep understanding of database systems, API design, and system security.
Proficiency in cloud platforms (AWS or GCP) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to drive complex technical initiatives.
Excellent communication skills to convey architectural decisions to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with big data processing frameworks (Spark, Kafka, etc.).
Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps best practices.
Knowledge of asynchronous programming and high-performance computing in Python.
Background in real-time or event-driven architectures.
Generous equity participation
100% company-covered medical, dental, & vision insurance plans
401k plan with matching
Flexible PTO plus company holidays
Annual company-wide break December 24 through January 1
Commuter benefits
Paid Parental Leave
Support for H1B, TN, and E-3 Visa change of employer transfers
Unlearn is an equal opportunity employer.
At Unlearn, we are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, because inclusion and diversity are essential to achieving our mission. If you’re excited about this role, and your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply nevertheless.
Yearly based
San Francisco
