AI research engineer role at Bending Spoons.

At Bending Spoons, we’re striving to build one of the all-time great companies. A company that serves a huge number of customers, where team members grow to their full potential, and which functions at unparalleled levels of effectiveness and efficiency. A company that creates value for shareholders at an extraordinary rate while adhering to high ethical standards.

To achieve this objective, we execute the following strategy: We acquire a digital business with untapped potential, make it as successful as we can by leveraging our platform—our expertise, technologies, data, brand, talents, and culture—and invest the proceeds into building a more powerful platform and acquiring new businesses.

Responsibilities

• Power digital products with AI. Work with product teams to identify high‑impact opportunities where AI can transform the user experience for millions—and then build the solutions to make them happen. Drive the process from possibility to production, delivering code that’s robust, reproducible, and built for scale.
• Explore ways to push the boundaries of our AI capabilities. Stay at the bleeding edge of AI by investigating new models, techniques, and research. Learn fast across new domains, share findings with the team, and turn breakthrough ideas into production systems that deliver real‑world impact.
• Refine data foundations for exceptional results. Own the full data lifecycle—from acquisition and labeling to loading and management—to ensure our models are trained on clean, high‑quality datasets that power top‑performing systems.
• Own your impact, end‑to‑end. Set smart priorities, manage execution, and consistently deliver high‑quality results, even in ambiguous or fast‑changing environments. Balance technical depth with strong ownership, growing your skills while delivering meaningful contributions.

Qualifications

• Reasoning ability. Given the necessary knowledge, you can solve complex problems. You think from first principles, structure your ideas sharply, resist biases, and take care of the details that matter.
• Drive. You’re extremely ambitious in everything you do—and your initiative, effort, and tenacity match the intensity of your ambition. You feel deeply responsible for your work and hold yourself to a high, rising bar.
• Team spirit. You give generously, support the best idea, and are reliable, honest, and transparent. You’re always happy to help your team.
• Proficiency in English. Read, write, and speak proficiently in English.

Benefits

• Incredibly talented, entrepreneurial teams. Work in small, result‑oriented, autonomous teams alongside some of the brightest people in your field.
• An exceptional opportunity for growth. We hire individuals of outstanding potential and place them in ideal positions. Spooners in their 20s lead products worth hundreds of millions of dollars; you could soon play an essential role in major projects.
• Competitive pay and equity. Typical salaries range from £85,797 to £250,512 in London and €66,065 to €188,848 elsewhere in Europe, depending on experience and impact. Permanent contracts may include discounted equity. Relocation to Italy affords a 50% tax cut.
• All the benefits. Flexible hours, remote working, unlimited learning support, top‑of‑market health insurance, relocation package, generous parental support, and a yearly retreat.

Commitment & contract: Permanent or fixed‑term, full‑time or part‑time.

Location: Milan (Italy), London (UK), Madrid (Spain), Warsaw (Poland) or remote in selected countries.

Selections process: If you pass our screening, you will take tests designed to assess your problem‑solving approach, followed by a series of interviews. We set the bar high and will not extend an offer until we’re convinced we’ve found the right candidate. The role may stay open for months or be reposted.

Bending Spoons is an equal‑opportunity and affirmative action employer. We consider any applicant and provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities—just let us know through the form.

Before you apply: If you’ve applied before but didn’t receive an offer, we recommend waiting at least one year before applying again.

Bending Spoons is a demanding environment. We’re extremely ambitious and hold ourselves—and one another—to high standards. This leads to extraordinary learning, achievement, and career growth, but requires significant commitment.

To help you ramp up quickly, we recommend spending your first few months working from our Milan office, regardless of your long‑term work location. We’ll support you with generous travel and accommodation assistance. After that, you can work from Milan, London, or remotely from approved countries based on the offer.

If the role speaks to you and you’re excited to give your best, we’d love to hear from you. Apply now—we can’t wait to meet you.