Scale is a vital part of bringing AI-enabled technologies to the world, from autonomous driving to drones, robots, and large language models. For example, Scale works with the world's top self-driving car and robotics ML teams as well as the largest companies in the generative AI space. 

As our customer base is growing, you will be on the front lines of our field engineering efforts for our federal AI projects, having the opportunity to meaningfully impact millions of dollars in revenue by working closely with our largest public sector customers and ensuring that they become passionate, lifelong Scale customers.

Our Field Engineers ensure customers' experiences with Scale's technology are seamless and optimized to build a successful, long-term partnership. Field Engineers partner closely with Product, Engineering, and Operations to lead existing customers through building production-grade data pipelines. We do this by knowing our customer’s use-cases inside and out, and creating the tooling and documentation needed to scalably support their growth.

Field Engineers in general are experts on Scale's products and codebase, and have general technical knowledge on web development, using APIs, and working with large volumes of data. Field Engineers are strong relationship builders, great project managers, and always fun to work with. 

The ideal person is a software engineer generalist who enjoys working with clients directly, taking ambiguous requirements and issues, and quickly designing and building sustainable solutions in close collaboration with the Product and Engineering teams. This role is at the intersection of customer delivery, product, and engineering, giving you a breadth of experience and fully leveraging both sides of your brain. If this sounds like you, we invite you to apply!

You will:

• Implement end-to-end data integrations, syncing customer’s data to Scale’s platform and back
• Work closely with our customer’s engineering teams to optimize data pipelines, including providing input towards designing API endpoints and input/output schemas
• Design, develop and maintain playbooks, internal tools, Scale’s documentation and SDKs to quickly get customers set up for long-term success
• Partner with Software Engineers and Operations to remove any technical hurdles customers may face / Debug technical issues impacting delivery and own technical escalations coming from the customer
• Be accountable for the customer’s technical experience throughout their time with Scale
• Work with AEs and PMs to identify customer-specific feature requests
• Develop technical domain expertise in areas of Large Language Models, 2D Image Annotation, and working with API integrations
• Evangelize Scale and interact with customers at major events
• Have an active TS/SCI clearance

Ideally you'd have:

• Track record of success as a hybrid customer-facing engineer or similar function, wearing multiple hats along the way
• Prior technical hands-on experience working with clients in a pre or post-sales capacity to realize business goals
• Prior experience developing with Python and JavaScript, or other modern software languages
• Strong engineering background preferably in Computer Science, Mathematics, or other quantitative fields
• Strong project management and interpersonal skills
• Presentation skills with a high degree of technical credibility when speaking with executives and front-line engineers
• High level of comfort communicating effectively across internal and external organizations
• Intellectual curiosity, empathy, and ability to operate with high velocity

Nice to haves:

• Experience in AI
• Experience working in classified environments
• Previous experience as a technical go-to-market resource
• Understanding of DevSecOps principles, including secure software delivery, infrastructure as code, and continuous integration/deployment
• Hands-on knowledge of container orchestration with Kubernetes and experience with Helm charts for application deployment
• Experience automating infrastructure and configuration management using Ansible or similar tools

Notice to applicants:

We have seen a rise in recruitment scams. Please note that outreach from Khan Academy recruiters will only come from the @khanacademy.org domain. Our team does not use Gmail or other personal accounts for contacting potential candidates. Khan Academy will never solicit money, equipment fees, or sensitive financial information at any stage of the hiring process. We also do not work with external recruiting agencies, so outreach from headhunters presenting opportunities on behalf of Khan Academy is illegitimate. Please always check the email domain and cross-reference the position with the official Khan Academy Careers page to confirm an opening is valid.

ABOUT KHAN ACADEMY

Khan Academy is a nonprofit with the mission to deliver a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere. Our proven learning platform offers free, high-quality supplemental learning content and practice that cover Pre-K - 12th grade and early college core academic subjects, focusing on math and science. We have over 181 million registered learners globally and are committed to improving learning outcomes for students worldwide, focusing on learners in historically under-resourced communities.

OUR COMMUNITY 

Our students, teachers, and parents come from all walks of life, and so do we. Our team includes people from academia, traditional/non-traditional education, big tech companies, and tiny startups. We hire great people from diverse backgrounds and experiences because it makes our company stronger. We value diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging as necessary to achieve our mission and impact the communities we serve. We know that transforming education starts in-house with learning about ourselves and our colleagues. We strive to be world-class in investing in our people and commit to developing you as a professional.

THE ROLE

We’re looking for a Staff UX Researcher to join our Design team. The heart of this role is not just conducting research, but building the high-performance engine that powers user understanding across our entire product. You will be the architect of our "People Who Do Research" (PWDR) program, empowering our Design team to conduct their own tactical research while you provide the methodological rigor, technical guardrails, and strategic oversight. We are looking for an expert who can lead our transition into AI-enhanced research operations—acting as the essential "Human-in-the-Loop" to ensure that as we accelerate our workflows, our insights remain grounded, ethical, and highly actionable.

You will play a vital role in scaling our impact, serving as a coach and consultant to product teams as they navigate the complexities of U.S. school districts. By building the playbooks and knowledge systems that turn raw data into institutional wisdom, you will help us fulfill the mission of the organization: to provide a free, world-class education to anyone, anywhere. 

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• PWDR Program leadership and enablement: Refine and scale our "People Who Do Research" program. You will empower designers and product triads to conduct high-quality tactical UXR research (both qual and quant)  by providing the playbooks, training, and mentorship necessary to maintain rigorous standards across the team.
• AI strategy and research operations: Design, propose, and manage a research tech stack (including Dovetail) powered by responsible AI. You will implement automated workflows for recruiting, synthesis, and insight distribution, serving as the UXR "Human-in-the-Loop" authority to ensure AI-generated outputs are grounded, ethical, and accurate.
• Cross-product research, synthesis, and leadership:  Act as the Design Leadership Team’s expert on customer and user profiles, end-to-end user journeys, and forward-looking research. You will synthesize insights that span multiple product surface areas to identify "connective tissue," strategic gaps, and opportunities that go beyond the scope of individual embedded researchers or designers on product teams.
• Strategic advisory and methodological governance: Serve as a high-level internal consultant, guiding teams on the selection of lean vs. rigorous methodologies. You will lead or co-facilitate complex mixed-method studies when business needs require, providing the foundational frameworks (blueprints, journey maps) that keep teams aligned with the "big picture."
• Support the design team with on-site research in schools, providing guidance and ethical scaffolding, and ensuring legal compliance. U.S. based travel up to 20%.

Responsibilities may change as business and team needs evolve.

WHAT YOU BRING

• Mastery of research methods and rigor: 12+ years of UX research experience in complex enterprise software or SaaS environments. You have a deep command of the craft that allows you to spot flaws in research design or AI-generated summaries.
• Coaching skills: Proven experience in mentorship, coaching, or building "Research Ops" programs. You find as much professional fulfillment in enabling others to do great as you do in conducting the research yourself.
• Responsible AI fluency: Deep technical curiosity regarding GenAI and LLMs, with a practical understanding of their limitations. You know how to leverage AI for speed while acting as the ultimate guardrail for quality and ethics.
• Operational architecture: A track record of building scalable systems, templates, and workflows that have successfully improved the velocity and quality of a design organization.
• Design and product fluency: A sophisticated understanding of the product development lifecycle (PDLC) and software development lifecycle (SDLC), enabling you to integrate research checkpoints into the existing workflows of designers and engineers seamlessly.
• Communication and influence: Exceptional communication skills and "executive presence," with the ability to convince cross-functional leaders of the value of democratized (yet governed) research.
• Motivated by the Khan Academy mission “to provide a free world-class education for anyone, anywhere."
• Proven cross-cultural competency skills demonstrating self-awareness, awareness of other, and the ability to adopt inclusive perspectives, attitudes, and behaviors to drive inclusion and belonging throughout the organization.

Qualities we value in ourselves, and those who join our team:

• Introspective, mature, low-ego, and emotionally intelligent
• Growth mindset, willingness to learn and to teach others
• Proactively seek out the people and info you need to move work forward and unblock yourself
• High comfort level working within a strong top-down product vision led by our CEO, Sal Khan
• Able to balance the immediate tactical needs of helping deliver and ship features with scouting ahead for what’s next
• Comfortable with ever-shifting priorities and ambiguous situations, like you’d experience in a startup
• Willing to roll your sleeves up and pitch in when a project goes off-script
• Excited about education and engaging learning experiences, deeply curious about how and why people learn

NOTE: Submitting a portfolio with your application is required. We're looking for a portfolio that highlights the parts of your background and experience that are relevant to the job description. Applications without a portfolio link or attachment (plus password if required) will not be considered.

PERKS AND BENEFITS

We may be a non-profit, but we reward our talented team extremely well! We offer:

• Competitive salaries
• Ample paid time off as needed – Your well-being is a priority
• 8 pre-scheduled Wellness Days in 2026 occurring on a Monday or a Friday for a 3-day weekend boost
• Remote-first culture - that caters to your time zone, with open flexibility as needed, at times
• Generous parental leave
• An exceptional team that trusts you and gives you the freedom to do your best
• The chance to put your talents towards a deeply meaningful mission and the opportunity to work on high-impact products that are already defining the future of education
• Opportunities to connect through affinity, ally, and social groups
• And we offer all those other typical benefits as well: 401(k) + 4% matching & comprehensive insurance, including medical, dental, vision, and life

At Khan Academy we are committed to fair and equitable compensation practices, the well-being of our employees, and our Khan community. This belief is why we have built out a robust Total Rewards package that includes competitive base salaries, and extensive benefits and perks to support physical, mental, and financial well-being.

The compensation band for this role is $152,908 - $172,022 USD annually for candidates based in the United States and $206,626 - $232,455 CAD annually for candidates based in Canada.

The pay range for this position is a general guideline only. The salary offered will depend on internal pay equity and the candidate’s relevant skills, experience, qualifications, and job market data. 

MORE ABOUT US

• Sal’s TED talk from 2011
• Sal’s TED talk from 2015
• Sal's TED talk from 2023
• Our team:  http://www.khanacademy.org/about/the-team

OUR COMPANY VALUES

Live & breathe learners

We deeply understand and empathize with our users. We leverage user insights, research, and experience to build content, products, services, and experiences that our users trust and love. Our success is defined by the success of our learners and educators.

Take a stand

As a company, we have conviction in our aspirational point of view of how education will evolve. The work we do is in service to moving towards that point of view. However, we also listen, learn and flex in the face of new data, and commit to evolving this point of view as the industry and our users evolve.

Embrace diverse perspectives

We are a diverse community. We seek out and embrace a diversity of voices, perspectives and life experiences leading to stronger, more inclusive teams and better outcomes. As individuals, we are committed to bringing up tough topics and leaning into different points of view with curiosity. We actively listen, learn and collaborate to gain a shared understanding. When a decision is made, we commit to moving forward as a united team.

Work responsibly and sustainably

We understand that achieving our audacious mission is a marathon, so we set realistic timelines and we focus on delivery that also links to the bigger picture. As a non-profit, we are supported by the generosity of donors as well as strategic partners, and understand our responsibility to our finite resources. We spend every dollar as though it were our own. We are responsible for the impact we have on the world and to each other. We ensure our team and company stay healthy and financially sustainable.

Bring out the joy

We are committed to making learning a joyful process. This informs what we build for our users and the culture we co-create with our teammates, partners and donors.

Cultivate learning mindset

We believe in the power of growth for learners and for ourselves. We constantly learn and teach to improve our offerings, ourselves, and our organization. We learn from our mistakes and aren’t afraid to fail. We don't let past failures or successes stop us from taking future bold action and achieving our goals.

Deliver wow

We insist on high standards and deliver delightful, effective end-to-end experiences that our users can rely on. We choose to focus on fewer things — each of which aligns to our ambitious vision — so we can deliver high-quality experiences that accelerate positive measurable learning with our strategic partners.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, or Veteran status. We value diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we encourage candidates from historically underrepresented groups to apply.

As part of this commitment, Khan Academy will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact careers@khanacademy.org

What You’ll be Owning:

• We are actively searching for Data Scientists, located in Hawaii, to support our team. We have varying levels of Data Scientist roles, depending on years of experience and education.
• Performs tasks associated with Big Data Platform management, utilizes skills in programming languages, develops prototype algorithms as well as algorithm refinements, and supports data visualization and analytics.  

What You Must Have:

• Bachelor’s Degree with 3 years of relevant experience OR Associates degree with 5 years of relevant experience 
• Bachelor’s Degree must be in Mathematics, Applied Mathematics Statistics, Applied Statistics, Machine learning, Data Science, Operations Research, or Computer Science or a degree in a related field (Computer Information Systems, Engineering), a degree in the physical/hard sciences (e.g. physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy), or other science disciplines with a substantial computational component (i.e. behavioral, social, or life) may be considered if it included a concentration of coursework (5 or more courses) in advanced Mathematics (typically 300 level or higher, such as linear algebra, probability and statistics, machine learning)  and/or computer science (e.g. algorithms, programming, , data structures, data mining, artificial intelligence).  College-level requirements, or upper-level math courses designated as elementary or basic do not count.  Note: A broader range of degrees will be considered if accompanied by a Certificate in Data Science from an accredited college/university.
• Relevant experience must be in designing/implementing machine learning, data science, advanced analytical algorithms, programming (skill in at least one high-level language (e.g., Python)), statistical analysis (e.g., variability, sampling error, inference, hypothesis testing, EDA, application of linear models), data management (e.g., data cleaning and transformation), data mining, data modeling and assessment, artificial intelligence, and/or software engineering. Experience in more than one area is strongly preferred
• Active TS/SCI w/poly

What Would Be Nice to Have:

• Foundations: (Mathematical, Computational, Statistical) 2. Data Processing: (Data management and curation, data description and visualization, workflow, and reproducibility)
• Modeling, Inference, and Prediction: (Data modeling and assessment, domain-specific considerations)
• Devise strategies for extracting meaning and value from large datasets. Make and communicate principled conclusions from data using elements of mathematics,
• Statistics, computer science, and application specific knowledge.
• Through analytic modeling, statistical analysis, programming, and/or another appropriate scientific method, develop and implement qualitative and quantitative methods for characterizing, exploring, and assessing large datasets in various states of organization, cleanliness, and structure that account for the unique features and limitations inherent in data holdings.
• Translate practical mission needs and analytic questions related to large datasets into technical requirements and, conversely, assist others with drawing appropriate conclusions from the analysis of such data. Effectively communicate complex technical information to non-technical audiences. Make informed recommendations regarding competing technical solutions by maintaining awareness of the constantly shifting, processing, storage and analytic capabilities and limitations.