Senior Applied Scientist, Automated Content Review

Shutterstock’s Content Organization must ensure the quality and integrity of all content—including images, video, 3D, and templates, both traditional and generative—at massive scale. The Asset Review Moderation AI team supports a 100+ group of Moderators, working closely with the teams that build and maintain the Universal Review Tool to provide near-real-time signals that safeguard Shutterstock’s creative marketplace. As part of this team, you will develop and refine high-precision, high-recall automated moderation systems, optimizing for minimal human annotation while maintaining impeccable standards. This work is crucial as generative AI grows and challenges our historical approaches to content moderation.

The Day-to-Day:

Develop next-generation automated review systems. Utilize advanced IR (information retrieval), neural networks, LLMs, and related ML techniques to automatically detect content—spanning images, video, 3D, and templates—that violates Shutterstock’s policies or requires deeper human review.
 

Optimize human-in-the-loop moderation. Design tools and methodologies that smartly route uncertain cases for human annotation, using your team’s annotation budget to continually increase both precision and recall.
 

Collaborate with product and engineering. Partner with platform and product teams that own the Universal Review Tool to surface relevant signals, integrate model outputs into user interfaces, and streamline moderator workflows.
 

Drive real-world impact at scale. Translate cutting-edge research into low-latency, production-ready APIs capable of handling massive volumes of assets—both static and generative—in near real-time.
 

Mentor and lead cross-functional teams. Guide junior scientists and engineers, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and rapid iteration as you advance moderation capabilities.
 

Champion ethics and integrity. Collaborate with stakeholders to design and implement responsible AI solutions that uphold Shutterstock’s reputation while protecting artists, customers, and brand partners.
 

Measure and refine success. Work backward from our primary KPI—maximise the throughput of annotation cost by driving down the time per annotation task. You will work iterating models and workflows to consistently improve performance.
 

Publish and share insights. Present findings internally and externally (e.g., at conferences or in technical talks) to reinforce Shutterstock’s leadership in ethical, high-scale AI moderation.
 

What You’ll Bring:

• Advanced degree or equivalent experience. PhD or MS in relevant fields (machine learning, IR, computer vision, NLP), with 3+ years of experience building real-world AI moderation or information retrieval systems.
   

• Deep ML expertise. Proficient in transformer-based deep learning, computer vision, or LLMs. Skilled with Python and frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow; familiarity with full-text search engines (Elasticsearch/OpenSearch/Lucene) is a plus.
   

• Production-scale know-how. Demonstrated ability to design, deploy, and maintain ML pipelines (Airflow, Kubernetes, AWS, Snowflake, etc.) that serve large volumes of content with stringent latency requirements.
   

• Strong experimentation and research background. A proven track record of iterating models against real-world data, running AB tests, and adapting to evolving requirements in a dynamic environment.
   

• Collaboration and communication skills. Able to partner seamlessly with product, engineering, and data teams to define requirements, deliver improvements, and influence key stakeholders.
   

• Passion for ethical AI and moderation. Familiarity with the challenges of content safety, compliance, and brand suitability, plus a drive to ensure that generative AI development aligns with responsible guidelines.

Why Shutterstock:

• Immediate impact on a global scale. Your innovations in automated content review will protect millions of creators, brands, and customers worldwide, especially as generative AI expands our offerings across images, video, 3D, and templates.
   

• Support for your professional growth. Enjoy a clear path for career development, backed by leadership invested in your success.
   

• Flexible work environment. Balance remote and in-office collaboration, supported by all the tools you need to excel.
   

• Competitive rewards. We offer comprehensive healthcare, wellness programs, retirement plans, and ample opportunities to continue learning and advancing.
   

At Shutterstock, we’re committed to building diverse, inclusive solutions that empower creators everywhere. We believe varied perspectives fuel the most innovative ideas. Join us and help define the future of Automated Content Review, expanding the boundaries of what’s possible with AI while ensuring our marketplace remains a safe, trusted destination for all.

Shutterstock Values

We are one team collectively focused on creating an unrivaled experience for our Customers and Contributors. Our Values represent the mindset of the employee who will thrive at Shutterstock.  If you are passionate about what you do, and want to become part of a cutting-edge technology company building industry leading products, please apply.

Shutterstock is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Suitably qualified and eligible candidates are encouraged to apply  regardless of age, color, disability, national origin, ancestry, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.

Shutterstock ensures that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.  Persons with disabilities who anticipate needing accommodations for any part of the application process may contact, in confidence, [email protected].