Note: You must apply by sending an email, see "How to Apply" below.

About Playlab

We help educators create and share AI-powered tools and learning experiences that actually advance teaching and learning.

Here's how:

First, we give educators the tools to build AI experiences that solve their specific challenges - no traditional coding required. Then, we partner with researchers to study what's working and what isn't. Finally, we use these insights to improve both our platform and the underlying AI technology, making everything work better for teachers and students.

As a nonprofit, we're creating an open ecosystem where great ideas can spread. When one teacher builds something effective, others can easily adapt it for their students. And when researchers validate what works, that knowledge helps everyone build better educational AI.

The Work

Build Novel AI Systems for Education

• Design modular AI architectures that educators can combine in unexpected ways
• Create new interaction patterns beyond traditional chatbots
• Develop systems that adapt to different learning contexts and subjects
• Turn experimental AI capabilities into reliable educational tools

Learn and Improve from Real Usage

• Build instrumentation to understand how AI affects learning outcomes
• Analyze patterns across thousands of educational AI interactions
• Design systems that get smarter from actual classroom usage
• Create feedback loops between usage data and system improvements

Push Technical Boundaries

• Architect multi-model systems that combine different AI capabilities
• Develop technologies to make AI safer and more appropriate in educational settings
• Build robust RAG systems specifically for educational content
• Design memory systems that evolve with student learning
• Create tools that help educators understand and improve AI behavior

You'll Love It Here If

• You believe we can improve society by improving education
• You care about ethics and bias in AI and how that can effect education
• You love taking new AI capabilities and making them reliable and useful
• You get excited about understanding how systems perform in the real world
• You enjoy analyzing data to drive technical improvements
• You think deeply about how to measure and improve AI systems
• You are realistic about current AI limitations while seeing massive potential
• You would enjoy working directly with educators and students

Required Experience

• 8+ years of experience in machine learning engineering, with significant work on production systems
• Deep expertise in RAG systems, LLMs, and AI infrastructure
• Experience evaluating AI models for different tasks
• Strong ability to leverage cloud infrastructure
• Excellent collaboration skills and ability to work with non-technical stakeholders
• Strong understanding of software engineering best practices and system design

Valuable Additions

• Experience with educational technology or learning systems
• Background in building AI-assisted development tools
• Knowledge of AI safety and responsible AI development
• Contributions to open-source projects

Benefits

• Competitive salary for mission-driven work
• Flexible schedule with unlimited PTO (minimum 15 days)
• Full health/dental/vision (100% employee, 80% family)
• $1,000 home office setup
• New MacBook Pro
• $100/month wellness reimbursement
• Bi-annual team retreats

How to Apply

We believe the best way to evaluate fit is to work together. Instead of coding challenges, we offer a paid contract-to-hire process:

Email careers@playlab.ai with:

• Subject line: "Staff ML Engineer"
• Brief note about your interest in Playlab
• LinkedIn profile and/or resume

Initial conversations:

• 30-minute intro with co-founder
• 60-minute technical pair programming session
• 60-minute team fit discussion

Paid 2-4 week contract (works around your current schedule)

• Work on real projects
• Get to know the team
• Evaluate mutual fit
• Receive competitive contract rates

We don't require you to leave your current role during the contract period. If there's mutual interest, we'll make a full-time offer before the contract ends.

---

We're creating entirely new ways to use AI in education - ways that can be studied, improved, and shared. If you're excited about turning cutting-edge AI into reliable tools for learning, we'd love to hear from you.