About this opportunity
After Thought lists this Research Coordinator opportunity in los angeles, California. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
After Thought is pioneering a new paradigm within AI that builds upon the progress of the last decade of deep learning by taking advantage of overlooked ideas and techniques within other areas of AI (e.g., computational cognitive science). We believe that the greatest transformative potential of AI lies within real-world applications for critical industries (e.g., healthcare, robotics, manufacturing, finance, intelligence / strategic operations, engineering design, etc.) — this potential has not yet been unlocked and it will take new ideas to realize that potential. Our mission is to originate and execute on those new ideas in order to accelerate and amplify the near‑term impact of AI.
The Role
We're hiring a Research Coordinator to help our small, senior research team move faster and stay focused — amplifying the science through coordinated problem solving.
This is a unique role: you'll bring structure, momentum, and clarity to open‑ended research while protecting the creative ambiguity that makes breakthroughs possible. You understand how research actually works — the false starts, the pivots, the long uncertainty horizons — and you know how to keep things moving without forcing premature conclusions.
You're the operational backbone that empowers researchers to think deeply, knowing someone has their back on everything else.
About After Thought
After Thought is pioneering a new paradigm within AI that builds upon the progress of the last decade of deep learning by taking advantage of overlooked ideas and techniques within other areas of AI (e.g., computational cognitive science). We believe that the greatest transformative potential of AI lies within real‑world applications for critical industries (e.g., healthcare, robotics, manufacturing, finance, intelligence / strategic operations, engineering design, etc.) — this potential has not yet been unlocked and it will take new ideas to realize that potential. Our mission is to originate and execute on those new ideas in order to accelerate and amplify the near‑term impact of AI.
The Role
We're hiring a Research Coordinator to help our small, senior research team move faster and stay focused — amplifying the science through coordinated problem solving.
This is a unique role: you'll bring structure, momentum, and clarity to open‑ended research while protecting the creative ambiguity that makes breakthroughs possible. You understand how research actually works — the false starts, the pivots, the long uncertainty horizons — and you know how to keep things moving without forcing premature conclusions.
You're the operational backbone that empowers researchers to think deeply, knowing someone has their back on everything else.
In short: You'll help brilliant people do their best work by keeping things moving, honest, and unblocked.
What You'll Do
Keep the Team Moving
Establish and maintain a healthy operational rhythm across the team
Surface blockers early and help resolve them quickly
Ensure work stays focused and doesn't drift into distraction
Drive Clarity and Accountability
Help researchers break ambiguous goals into concrete next steps
Track commitments and follow through — with empathy and persistence
Create visibility into who's working on what, and what's next
Support Daily Operations
Run short, effective daily check-ins (10-15 min per person)
Synthesize updates across Slack, GitHub, and Notion into clear summaries
Connect people with the resources and collaborators they need
Own Systems of Record
Maintain and improve our core tools: Linear, GitHub, Notion, Weights & Biases
Keep project tracking accurate, up-to-date, and useful — not bureaucratic
Enforce process standards across the team and evolve them as we learn
Ensure systems reduce cognitive load, not add to it
Maintain and improve internally built research tools and shared repositories
Keep codebases organized, documented, and accessible to the team
Own Documentation & Knowledge Management
Maintain internal documentation in Notion — SOPs, how‑tos, onboarding guides, decision logs
Organize and curate research artifacts — papers read, prior experiments, reference materials
Build systems that make institutional knowledge searchable and accessible
Serve as the team's "research memory" — know where things are and help people find them
Keep Weights & Biases runs properly tagged, organized, and easy to navigate
Enforce naming conventions and organizational standards across data artifacts
Help Researchers Prioritize
Reduce decision fatigue by surfacing what matters most
Protect focus time by absorbing coordination overhead
Help researchers stay on track without micromanaging
Make it easy to know what to work on next
Protect Research Integrity
Track experiments, hypotheses, and decision points — you understand the scientific method
Help the team know when to double down — and when to move on
Champion intellectual honesty over narrative, hoop‑jumping, or hype
What This Role Isn't
To be clear: this isn't a traditional PM role. You won't be setting technical direction, choosing research bets, or owning roadmaps. The research team drives the "what" — you drive the "how fast" and "how smoothly."
Who You Are
You Bring
Natural energy and presence — people enjoy working with you
A bias toward action and low tolerance for unnecessary delay
The ability to hold people accountable while keeping relationships strong
Clear, direct communication skills
Comfort navigating ambiguity without forcing premature clarity
Background
We're looking for someone with roots in technical, scientific, or academic environments:
Required: Direct experience in a research lab, R&D team, or scientific organization
Experience coordinating or managing in academic, scientific, or engineering settings
Background driving execution without formal authority — you've made things happen through influence, not hierarchy
Ideal: lab management, research operations, or program coordination in a university, national lab, or frontier tech company
Required Technical Proficiency
You’ll use these tools daily — prior experience is required:
Project management: Linear, Notion, Slack
Research & ML ops: Weights & Biases, experiment tracking systems
Infrastructure: Cloud platforms (AWS/GCP), GitHub, CI/CD pipelines
Remote collaboration: Async‑first communication and distributed team workflows
Good to know: A technical or scientific background is a strong plus — you'll earn credibility faster if you speak the language. AI literacy is helpful. Strong opinions about AI strategy are not — we need someone focused on process, not direction.
You'd Be Great for This Role If You Are...
Highly disciplined — you thrive on structure, follow‑through, and doing what you said you'd do
Routine‑oriented — you find satisfaction in consistent rhythms and reliable processes
Technical but not territorial — you're comfortable with code, data, and infrastructure without needing to own the science
A people person — you genuinely enjoy helping others succeed and building trust across a team
Excited about AI research — you care about the mission, even if your role is operational
Detail‑oriented without losing the big picture — you notice the small stuff but know when it matters
Calm under ambiguity — research is messy, and you're okay with that
What Success Looks Like
The team ships faster without burning out
Researchers feel supported, not surveilled
Blockers surface early and get resolved quickly
The right work gets prioritized, and stalled work gets addressed honestly
Researchers can quickly find what they need — past experiments, decisions, context — without hunting
You become someone the team trusts and relies on
Why Join Us
You’ll be part of a small, ambitious team of smart and empathetic people backed by top‑tier investors, working on some of the most exciting problems in AI. We value original thinking, intellectual honesty, and people who care strongly both about doing great work and doing that work with great people.
This is a chance to shape how a world‑class research team operates — and to grow alongside a company at the frontier of AI.
Benefits
Healthcare, Vision, Dental, and 401(k)
Generous Travel Budget
Paid Academic and Industry Attendances
Home Office Benefit
Commuter Benefit
Gym Membership
Wellness Spend
Daily provided meals, snacks
Frequent Offsites, Onsites, and Retreats
Continuing Education
Disclaimer
After Thought AI Corp. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
Candidates and employees are always evaluated based on merit, qualifications, and performance.
We will never discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.
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Worksite address
los angeles, CA, 90079, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.