Head of AI Research and Development (Remote - US)

Join Tether and Shape the Future of Digital Finance
At Tether, we’re not just building products, we’re pioneering a global financial revolution. Our cutting-edge solutions empower businesses—from exchanges and wallets to payment processors and ATMs—to seamlessly integrate reserve-backed tokens across blockchains. By harnessing the power of blockchain technology, Tether enables you to store, send, and receive digital tokens instantly, securely, and globally, all at a fraction of the cost. Transparency is the bedrock of everything we do, ensuring trust in every transaction.

Innovate with Tether
Tether Finance: Our innovative product suite features the world’s most trusted stablecoin, USDT, relied upon by hundreds of millions worldwide, alongside pioneering digital asset tokenization services.
But that’s just the beginning:Tether Power: Driving sustainable growth, our energy solutions optimize excess power for Bitcoin mining using eco-friendly practices in state-of-the-art, geo-diverse facilities.
Tether Data: Fueling breakthroughs in AI and peer-to-peer technology, we reduce infrastructure costs and enhance global communications with cutting-edge solutions like KEET, our flagship app that redefines secure and private data sharing.
Tether Education: Democratizing access to top-tier digital learning, we empower individuals to thrive in the digital and gig economies, driving global growth and opportunity.
Tether Evolution: At the intersection of technology and human potential, we are pushing the boundaries of what is possible, crafting a future where innovation and human capabilities merge in powerful, unprecedented ways.

Why Join Us?
Our team is a global talent powerhouse, working remotely from every corner of the world. If you’re passionate about making a mark in the fintech space, this is your opportunity to collaborate with some of the brightest minds, pushing boundaries and setting new standards. We’ve grown fast, stayed lean, and secured our place as a leader in the industry.
If you have excellent English communication skills and are ready to contribute to the most innovative platform on the planet, Tether is the place for you.
Are you ready to be part of the future?

About the job

At Tether, we're committed to making advanced AI technologies more accessible. Thanks to its investment in AI infrastructure, starting from Northern Data, Tether is now in a prime position to tackle ambitious AI projects. Our goal is to build the next generation of AI models, leading innovation in AI, through an accessible, transparent and privacy preserving approach.

This role is uniquely positioned to oversee the creation and optimization of AI solutions across the spectrum from large-scale models designed for advanced applications to smaller, highly performant models tailored for efficiency on edge devices such as mobile phones and laptops. Your leadership will guide our team in pushing the boundaries of AI, making high-performance AI technologies accessible and efficient for personal use while setting new industry standards for innovation and utility.

What You'll Do:

• Lead the development and execution of our strategy for creating multimodal AI models that set new industry standards.
• Build and nurture a team of AI experts, fostering an environment of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Spearhead collaborations with other departments to ensure our AI models are effectively integrated into market-driven solutions.
• Represent Tether in the AI community, sharing our work and learning through open contributions, speaking engagements, and publications.

Requirements

• A PhD or Master's degree in Computer Science, AI, Machine Learning, or a related field, complemented by a solid track record in AI R&D.
• Experience building a LLM or other large models from scratch including writing model code, gathering training data, optimizing training and inference.
• Strong experience in NLP, computer vision, and multimodal learning, proficient in TensorFlow, PyTorch, JAX and CUDA toolkit.
• Demonstrated leadership in managing diverse, high-performing teams, with an emphasis on mentorship and collaborative success.
• Advanced knowledge of distributed and high-performance computing systems.
• Excellent programming skills in Python, C++, JavaScript or similar.