Applied Scientist

The Opportunity

Join Adobe Firefly’s Applied Science & Machine Learning (ASML) group and help advance AI-powered content generation. In this role, you’ll work closely with a collaborative team to refine and compress large-scale AI models. Your work will impact millions of users.

Our mission is to build inclusive, high-performing teams and create an environment where new ideas can come from anyone—including you.

The Adobe Firefly Applied Science & Machine Learning (ASML) group is looking for an Applied Scientist / Machine Learning Engineer with experience in post-training and distillation of large generative AI models. In this role, you will help improve the quality, efficiency, and scalability of generative models for images and video.

You’ll partner with researchers and engineers to build and refine post-training pipelines, including supervised fine-tuning (SFT), preference optimization, and model distillation. Your work will help adapt large, complex models into efficient production systems.

As part of this team, you’ll contribute to the performance and scalability of Firefly’s generative AI systems and help deliver new creative capabilities to millions of users. You’ll collaborate across data, modeling, and infrastructure teams to bring post-training improvements into production.

Job Responsibilities

• Develop and run distillation pipelines to transfer capabilities from large teacher models to efficient student models
• Apply and improve post-training methods, including supervised fine-tuning (SFT), preference optimization (DPO/GRPO), and reward-based learning
• Build tools and infrastructure for teacher rollout generation, data pipelines, and training workflows
• Design and run experiments to improve model quality, efficiency, and instruction alignment
• Partner with research scientists to translate ideas into scalable pipelines and production-ready systems
• Evaluate models using automated metrics and human feedback to guide improvements
• Optimize models for deployment, including compression and inference performance
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (data, research, and product) to integrate improvements into Adobe Firefly

What You Need to Succeed

• MS or PhD in Computer Science or a related field
• Experience with machine learning algorithms and model distillation techniques
• Strong programming skills in Python or similar languages
• Experience training and optimizing AI models

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with large-scale data pipelines
• Familiarity with Adobe products

#FireflyGenAI

About Adobe

Adobe empowers everyone to create through innovative platforms and tools that unleash creativity, productivity and personalized customer experiences. Adobe’s industry-leading offerings including Adobe Acrobat Studio, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Creative Cloud, Adobe Experience Platform, Adobe Experience Manager, and GenStudio enable people and businesses to turn ideas into impact, powered by AI and driven by human ingenuity.

Our 30,000+ employees worldwide are creating the future and raising the bar as we drive the next decade of growth. We’re on a mission to hire the very best and believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. At Adobe, we believe that great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. The next big idea could be yours. 

Let’s Adobe together

At Adobe, we believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. Learn more about Adobe life, including our values and culture, focus on people, purpose and community, Adobe for All, comprehensive benefits programs, the stories we tell, the customers we serve, and how you can help us advance our mission of empowering everyone to create.

Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Learn more.

Adobe aims to make our Careers website and recruiting process accessible to any and all users. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation to navigate our website or complete the application process, email accommodations@adobe.com or call +1 408-536-3015. 

AI Use Guidelines for Interviews:
Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording tools during live interviews is not permitted unless explicitly invited by the interviewer or approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation. If these tools are used inappropriately or in a way that misrepresents your work, your application may not move forward in the process.

At Adobe, we empower employees to innovate with AI — and we look for candidates eager to do the same. As part of the hiring experience, we provide clear guidance on where AI is encouraged during the process and where it’s restricted during live interviews. See how we think about AI in the hiring experience.

 

Expected Pay Range:

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several  U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $120,700 -- $238,600 annually. Pay within this range varies by work location and may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process.

 

In California, the pay range for this position is $164,800 - $238,600 In Washington, the pay range for this position is $146,300 - $211,850

At Adobe, for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC = base + commission), and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans.  Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP).

In addition, certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.

State-Specific Notices:

California:

Fair Chance Ordinances

Adobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.

Colorado:

Application Window Notice

If this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting), the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time, in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location, no specific application window applies, and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.

Massachusetts:

Massachusetts Legal Notice

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.