Machine Learning Researcher, Multimodal LLMs

bland· Engineering
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📍 San FranciscoFullTime💰 USD 140K–250K/yr

About this role

Machine Learning Researcher, Multimodal LLMs

Location: San Francisco, CA or Remote (US)

About Bland

At Bland.com, our mission is to empower enterprises to build AI phone agents at scale. Voice is quickly becoming the primary interface between businesses and their customers, and we are building the models and infrastructure that make those interactions feel natural, reliable, and genuinely human.

We’ve raised $65M from leading investors including Emergence Capital, Scale Venture Partners, Y Combinator, and founders of Twilio, Affirm, and ElevenLabs.

The Role

We are looking for someone to contribute to the development of our next-generation multimodal LLM stack, combining speech, text, tools, and real-time reasoning into a single unified system. You’ll be responsible for building industry-leading conversational AI models that power Bland's agent, and taking them all the way from idea to production.

At Bland, we're not just thinking about text modeling. You will define how our agents listen, think, and act in real time, integrating streaming audio, tool execution, and dynamic context into a single coherent system. You will take ideas from research through production systems serving millions of calls per day.

What Makes You a Great Fit

Strong LLM / Multimodal Background

  • Experience with LLMs, multimodal models, or speech-language systems

  • Deep understanding of prompting, fine-tuning, and alignment techniques

  • Familiarity with neural audio codecs and modern multimodal LLM techniques

Fast Experimental Loop

  • You can go from idea → dataset → experiment → conclusion in days

  • You know how to design experiments that actually answer the question

Product Intuition

  • Strong sense for what makes an interaction feel natural vs robotic

  • Ability to translate abstract modeling ideas into user-facing improvements

Builder Mentality

  • You take ownership from research through deployment

  • You thrive in ambiguous, fast-moving environments

  • You care about impact, not just elegance

How You Show Up

  • You think in systems, not just models

  • You obsess over latency, correctness, and real-world behavior

  • You are comfortable discarding ideas quickly when data disagrees

  • You push toward simple abstractions for complex problems

Bonus Points

  • Experience with real-time voice systems or conversational AI

  • Background in tool-using agents or agent frameworks

  • Experience with multimodal datasets (audio + text + actions)

  • Contributions to LLM or speech-related research or open source

Compensation & Benefits

  • Competitive salary: $180,000 – $260,000

  • Meaningful equity

  • Full healthcare, dental, vision

  • Office in Jackson Square, SF

  • High autonomy, high impact

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary for the Machine Learning Researcher, Multimodal LLMs role at bland?
The listed salary for this Machine Learning Researcher, Multimodal LLMs position at bland is USD 140K–250K/yr. This is an FullTime role.
Where is the Machine Learning Researcher, Multimodal LLMs position at bland located?
This Machine Learning Researcher, Multimodal LLMs role at bland is based in San Francisco. The position is listed as on-site or hybrid. Check the full job description or apply directly to confirm the work arrangement.
Is the Machine Learning Researcher, Multimodal LLMs role at bland full-time or part-time?
This is listed as a FullTime position. It is posted as a Machine Learning Researcher, Multimodal LLMs role in the Engineering department at bland.
Which team or department does the Machine Learning Researcher, Multimodal LLMs at bland belong to?
This Machine Learning Researcher, Multimodal LLMs position is part of the Engineering department at bland. See the full job description for more information about the team structure and responsibilities.
How do I apply for the Machine Learning Researcher, Multimodal LLMs position at bland?
Click the "Apply Now" button on this page. You will be redirected to bland's official application portal hosted on ashby where you can submit your application directly.
When was the Machine Learning Researcher, Multimodal LLMs job at bland posted?
This Machine Learning Researcher, Multimodal LLMs position at bland was posted on Apr 21, 2026. Apply as soon as possible — early applications are often reviewed first.
Machine Learning Researcher, Multimodal LLMs
bland · 💰 USD 140K–250K/yr
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You'll be redirected to bland's official application page on Ashby ATS.