Research Engineer Jobs in San Francisco, CA

Research Engineer jobs in San Francisco concentrate in biotech, AI, and semiconductor hardware, with demand running highest in Mission Bay, SoMa, and the Financial District. Employers actively hiring include Anthropic, OpenAI, and HUD. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.

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Overview

Open roles319+
Top employerAnthropic
Work type53% Hybrid
Top credentialBachelor's
Companies hiring61

Showing 5 of 319+ Research Engineer jobs

Research Engineer / Scientist, Reinforcement Learning
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Added 3d ago
Research Engineer / Scientist, Reinforcement Learning
HARVEY
San Francisco, California
Clinical Trials
Laboratory Research
Research & Academia
$230k - $450k/yr
Hybrid

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Research Engineer, Infrastructure
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Added 3d ago
Research Engineer, Infrastructure
HARVEY
San Francisco, California
Data Engineering
Data Science
Data Science & Analytics
$230k - $450k/yr
Hybrid

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Research Engineer / Scientist, Data & Evals
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Added 3d ago
Research Engineer / Scientist, Data & Evals
HARVEY
San Francisco, California
Data Engineering
Data Science
Data Science & Analytics
$230k - $450k/yr
Hybrid

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Member of Technical Staff - ML Research Engineer, Pre-Training Data
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Added 3d ago
Member of Technical Staff - ML Research Engineer, Pre-Training Data
Liquid AI
San Francisco, California
Business Development
Procurement & Purchasing
Supply Chain
Hybrid
Bachelor of Science

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Research Engineer / Research Scientist, Human Flourishing
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Added 5d ago
Research Engineer / Research Scientist, Human Flourishing
OpenAI
San Francisco, California
Biotech & Life Sciences
Clinical Trials & Medical Research
Data Science
Research & Academia
$380k - $500k/yr
51-200

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Research Engineer Job Market in San Francisco

Who's Hiring

  • Anthropic50
  • OpenAI31
  • HUD29
  • Together AI14
  • MERCOR12

Top Industries Hiring

  • Science & Research36
  • Technology & Software31
  • Artificial Intelligence10
  • Banking & Financial Services2
  • Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals2

Research Engineer Jobs in San Francisco: Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a research engineer job in San Francisco?

Target San Francisco's strongest hiring clusters: biotech and life sciences firms anchored in Mission Bay, AI and machine learning labs in SoMa, and hardware and semiconductor companies in the broader Bay Area corridor. A portfolio of published research, open-source contributions, or a graduate degree from a Bay Area institution carries real weight here. Applying directly to a company's research team, rather than through a generic job board, tends to move faster in this market.

Which companies hire research engineers in San Francisco?

Companies currently hiring research engineers in San Francisco include Anthropic, OpenAI, and HUD, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Francisco's employer mix skews toward technology labs, biotech startups, and large enterprise research divisions, with a notable concentration of both early-stage and publicly traded firms actively building research headcount.

Are there remote research engineer jobs in San Francisco?

Yes, though availability depends heavily on the type of work: computational and software-focused research roles tend to be remote-friendly, while wet-lab, hardware, and instrumentation roles are almost always on-site. About 74% of research engineer openings tied to San Francisco are remote or hybrid as of November 2026. AI, data science, and modeling roles within San Francisco companies are the most likely to offer fully remote arrangements.

How can I get a research engineer job in San Francisco with little or no experience?

The most realistic entry path is through a graduate research role or a university lab partnership, given how closely San Francisco employers recruit from UC San Francisco, UC Berkeley, and Stanford. Entry-level titles like associate research engineer or research associate are common at Mission Bay biotech firms and SoMa AI startups. Internship-to-hire pipelines at mid-size tech companies are another reliable route, and open-source project contributions can substitute for formal work history in software-heavy research teams.

Which industries hire the most research engineers in San Francisco?

Most research engineer openings in San Francisco sit in Science & Research, Technology & Software, and Artificial Intelligence, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. San Francisco's density of venture-backed biotech companies in Mission Bay and AI-focused technology firms in SoMa makes those two sectors the primary engines of local research engineering demand.

See All 319+ Research Engineer Jobs in San Francisco

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