Solutions Engineer, Partnerships

About FirstPrinciples FirstPrinciples is a non-profit research organization building AI infrastructure for discovery in fundamental science. Currently, our work focuses on building systems like Theo, the AI Physicist, which is a domain-specialized system for research in fundamental physics. We’re a fast-growing, remote-first team of builders, researchers, engineers, and thinkers working across Canada, the US, the UK, and expanding globally. What brings us together is a shared curiosity about how the universe works, and a belief that we can build systems that help us explore it more effectively. We spend our time working on questions that don’t have clear answers, like how to design AI that can reason through scientific problems, and how the scientific process as a whole might evolve. This is work that sits somewhere between creativity and rigorous thinking, and often requires comfort with ambiguity and iteration. If you’re someone who enjoys tackling big, abstract problems and exploring ideas that don’t yet have a defined path forward, you’ll likely find the work here interesting. Why This Role Exists: We’re building systems that require more than just strong internal capabilities; they depend on the right external partnerships across AI labs, infrastructure providers, and research institutions. This role exists to identify, land, and operationalize those partnerships end-to-end. That means not only driving the business development side, but also getting deep into the technical details of how each partnership actually works; from what data, tooling, or compute is exchanged, to how integrations are structured and maintained. You’ll operate at the intersection of sales, technical integration, and scientific context, working with both external partners and internal teams to ensure partnerships are not just signed, but actually usable and impactful. What You’ll Do: Identify, develop, and close strategic partnerships across AI labs, infrastructure providers, and research organizations Lead partnership conversations end-to-end, from initial outreach through negotiation and execution Own the technical structuring of partnerships, defining what is exchanged (data, compute, tooling) and how it flows between systems Work closely with engineering and research teams to translate internal needs into clear external partnership requirements Negotiate integration details at a granular level (e.g., APIs, data schemas, infrastructure constraints, usage terms) Ensure partnerships are operationalized effectively, moving from agreement to real, working integrations Build long-term relationships with partners and continuously identify opportunities to deepen collaboration Who You Are: Experience in partnerships, business development, solutions engineering, or sales engineering roles Strong technical fluency; comfortable discussing APIs, data flows, infrastructure, and system integrations Ability to bridge business and technical conversations, moving seamlessly between high-level strategy and detailed implementation Background in physics, mathematics, or a related scientific field, with an ability to engage credibly with researchers Strong negotiation skills, including the ability to work through detailed, line-by-line technical and commercial terms Comfortable operating in ambiguous, early-stage environments and shaping how partnerships are built from the ground up Motivated by working on complex, long-term problems at the intersection of science and technology Bonus: A background in Physics or another scientific domain Direct experience with scientific tool stacks and how researchers use their tools What You’ll Get: The opportunity to work on foundational problems at the intersection of AI and physics A high-trust, low-bureaucracy environment with real ownership Remote-first work with flexibility in how you structure your day Exposure to cutting-edge ideas across AI, scientific discovery, and emerging technologies A culture that values curiosity, depth of thinking, and first-principles reasoning The chance to contribute to work aimed at advancing fundamental science