ServiceNow

Senior Applied Research Scientist

ServiceNow • $120K — $150K *
Toronto, ON M3C 0E3In-Person
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Today
Be an Early Applicant
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 4+ years experience in production software systems emphasizing reliability and scalability
  • Hands-on experience shipping generative AI products with user dependency
  • Deep understanding of large language models, including context constraints and failure modes
  • Proficient in prompt engineering: versioning and evaluating prompts systematically
  • Proven history of designing and deploying evaluation frameworks for production AI systems
  • Awareness of cost and efficiency considerations in model routing and inference
  • Strong fundamentals in distributed systems, API design, and testing standards
  • Ability to thrive in dynamic, startup-like AI environments

Responsibilities

  • Design and build the execution harness for multi-step agent workflows
  • Ensure system reliability, focusing on fault tolerance and throughput
  • Instrument the harness for better observability of agent behavior
  • Develop robust prompt management systems for consistent agent performance
  • Own evaluation frameworks that assess agent quality and drive improvements
  • Integrate with leading large language models and manage production cost and latency
  • Provide technical leadership through architecture oversight and code reviews
  • Define system boundaries for agent logic and establish design standards

Benefits

  • Flexible working arrangements with remote options
  • Trust-based work culture that emphasizes autonomy
  • Opportunities for professional growth in a high-growth AI environment
  • Access to cutting-edge projects at the intersection of AI and enterprise software
  • Participation in a globally scaled organization with a strong focus on innovation
Full Job Description
Job Description

About the Team

The Agentic Engineering org at ServiceNow is the customer-obsessed engineering group that builds a conversational AI experience that turns enterprise intent into completed work. We advance how enterprise AI reasons, remembers, and executes.

The Agent Orchestration team - the team you'll join - owns the execution core: the agent harness, orchestration runtime, multi-agent coordination, memory management, and the evaluation frameworks that ensure agents behave correctly in production. Every autonomous action Otto promises depends on what this team ships.

By joining our team, you'll be at the forefront of our AI transformation journey, backed by the global scale of ServiceNow and the agility of a high-growth environment. We are looking for world-class talent to help us extend agentic AI to every employee across every corner of the business.

What You'll Do

As a Senior Applied Research Scientist, you will own significant parts of the agent harness - the infrastructure layer that enables AI agents to reason over real enterprise data, take action across workflows, and run safely at Fortune 500 scale.
  • Harness engineering: Design and build the agent execution harness - the orchestration layer that routes inputs, manages context, invokes tools, handles retries, and surfaces execution state across multi-step agentic workflows
  • Reliability at scale: Own the runtime's fault tolerance, latency, and throughput; design for enterprise workflows that cannot fail silently or non-deterministically
  • Observability: Instrument the harness with tracing, cost attribution, and latency visibility so the team can reason about agent behavior in production and catch failures before customers do
  • Prompt infrastructure: Build prompt management systems - versioning, templating, and systematic evaluation - that keep agent behavior stable across model updates and configuration changes
  • Eval engineering: Design and own evaluation frameworks (unit evals, integration evals, production monitors) that measure agent quality, catch regressions, and drive data-informed decisions
  • LLM integration: Integrate with and abstract over frontier LLMs, managing model routing, fallback strategies, cost, and latency tradeoffs in production
  • Technical leadership: Raise the technical bar through architecture decisions, code reviews, and coaching - particularly on agentic design patterns and production AI discipline.
  • System boundary design: Define where agent logic lives - what's a tool call, a sub-agent, a hardcoded path, or a human escalation - and establish those design standards across the team


Qualifications

To be successful in this role you have:
  • 4+ years building production software systems with a strong track record on reliability, performance, and scalability
  • Hands-on experience shipping generative AI products - not just integrating LLM APIs or building prototypes, but owning AI-powered features that production users depend on
  • Solid depth in how large language models work: failure modes, context constraints, and how prompt design shapes model behavior at scale
  • Practical prompt engineering experience: systematically designing, versioning, and evaluating prompts across model updates or A/B evaluation cycles
  • A real track record in eval engineering - not just familiarity, but a portfolio of evaluation suites designed, shipped, and used to drive quality decisions in production AI systems
  • Cost and efficiency awareness at the system level: experience reasoning about model routing, inference cost, and latency tradeoffs in production
  • Strong software engineering fundamentals: distributed systems, API design, and testing discipline
  • Comfort operating in fast-moving, ambiguous, startup-like AI product environments

Nice to Have
  • Experience with multi-agent coordination patterns (A2A, MCP)
  • Familiarity with agent frameworks (LangChain, LlamaIndex, or similar)
  • Prior experience shipping AI systems in enterprise software
  • Experience with AI observability tooling (tracing, cost tracking, LLM-specific monitoring)
  • Familiarity with cloud-native infrastructure, service observability, logging, monitoring, reliability engineering, and production troubleshooting


Additional Information

Work Personas

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

About ServiceNow

ServiceNow provides cloud-based solutions that define, structure, manage, and automate services for enterprise operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and other countries. The company offers service management solutions, including incident, problem, change, request, and cost management as well as service catalogs; and IT, HR, facilities, and field service management solutions. It also provides IT operations management solutions covering service mapping, delivery, and assurance solutions; business management solutions such as financial management, project portfolio suite, vendor performance management, and performance analytics as well as governance, risk, and compliance; and application development services.

ServiceNow Careers

Join the dynamic team at ServiceNow, a global leader in digital workflow solutions, where innovation and leadership converge to shape the future of work. At ServiceNow, we offer more than just job opportunities; we provide a platform for professional growth and a chance to be part of a culture that values diversity, creativity, and continuous learning.

Work You’ll Do

Embark on a career journey with ServiceNow and contribute to the world’s leading enterprises' digital transformation. Our team is at the forefront of developing cutting-edge technologies that improve how people work. With ServiceNow, you will use your skills to impact businesses and industries profoundly, driving efficiency and innovation.

Join Our Market-Leading Team

ServiceNow is not just another technology company. We are a team that thrives on diversity and leadership, fostering an inclusive environment that promotes growth and development. Our commitment to diversity training ensures that every team member can achieve their potential.

Innovative Work

ServiceNow is home to more than 10,000 dedicated professionals who lead the charge in digital workflows and enterprise solutions. As part of our team, you will engage in projects that merge technology with practical applications, creating revolutionary products that advance how services are delivered and managed.

Career Development

At ServiceNow, your career trajectory is filled with boundless opportunities. We support your growth with robust training programs, leadership development courses, and access to global challenges. Whether you are looking for an internship, full-time position, or leadership role, ServiceNow equips you with the tools to excel.

Be Part of a Great Team

Working at ServiceNow means being part of a community that values teamwork and innovation. Our collaborative environment encourages networking and sharing ideas, making our workplace vibrant and dynamic. The benefits of joining ServiceNow extend beyond comprehensive health and wellness; they include fostering professional connections and friendships that last a lifetime.

Explore Job Opportunities and Internships

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a recent graduate, ServiceNow offers a range of employment options to suit your career goals. From internships that provide real-world experience to full-time positions that challenge you to leverage your expertise, we are committed to hiring the best talent.

Stay Connected

Join Our Team Search open positions that match your skills and interests. At ServiceNow, we look for passionate, curious, and solution-driven team players. Explore the possibilities that await you at a company that is committed to your professional success.

Keep Up to Date

Stay ahead with career tips, insider perspectives, and industry-leading insights you can put to use today—all from the people who work here.

Job Alert Emails

Customize your subscription to receive job alerts, the latest news, and insider tips tailored to your preferences. Discover the exciting and rewarding career opportunities that await at ServiceNow.

ServiceNow Careers

Empowering professionals to achieve more, ServiceNow is where careers are future-proofed, and ambitions are realized. Join us in our journey of growth and innovation.
Learn more about ServiceNow
Size
16,881 employees
Market Cap
$76.5 billion
Industry
Information Technology
Net Income
$118.5 million
Founded
2004
5 Year Trend
+33.5%
Revenue
$4.5 billion
NASDAQ
NOW
* Ladders Estimates

Similar Jobs

Ad banner background

Get Ready For Your
Next Interview

More Jobs at ServiceNow

More Information Technology Jobs

Find similar Senior Applied Research Scientist jobs:

NationwideToronto, ON