Lead Applied Scientist - Legal Tech

Are you excited about working at the forefront of applied research in an industry setting? Thomson Reuters Labs in Zug is seeking scientists with a passion for solving problems using state-of-the-art information retrieval, natural language processing and generative AI.

What does Thomson Reuters Labs do? We experiment, we build, we deliver. We support the organization and our customers through applied research in informational retrieval and natural language processing. We work closely with product and domain experts to identify compelling solutions at the intersection of user needs and technical feasibility. Our team is designing the next generation of Legal Technology globally.

We drive AI innovation for Thomson Reuters’ Legal Tech Products, including CoCounsel Core, CoCounsel Drafting, Practical Law, HighQ, Legal Tracker, Document Intelligence, Contract Express, Due Diligence, and others.

Lead Applied Scientists are experts in NLP / IR / ML / GenAI, responsible for the design and delivery of AI solutions that enhance Thomson Reuters' products. They leverage information retrieval techniques, prompting workflows, model training and evaluation design to build and optimize solutions. Their work ensures AI technologies are effectively aligned with business objectives, driving product innovation and value.

As a Lead Applied Scientist, you will:

• Lead an applied research team throughout the full product development life cycle from ideation and PoC through to production scaling and feedback driven iteration.
• Be fully accountable for all research deliverables.
• Provide input to the business and Labs leadership on long‑term AI strategy.
• Lead and drive stakeholder engagement with other functions (Product, Engineering, Design).
• Develop in depth knowledge of customer problems and data.
• Maintain scientific and technical expertise in one or more relevant areas as demonstrated through product deliverables, published research, and intellectual property.
• Identify state of the art technology relevant to TR products and leverage them to create value for TR customers.
• Mentor and coach scientists and engineers on best practices and fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration and continuous learning.

You’re a fit for the role of Lead Applied Scientist if your background includes:

• PhD in a relevant discipline or Master’s plus a comparable level of experience.
• 7+ years of hands‑on experience building NLP / IR systems for commercial applications.
• Experience writing production code and ensuring well‑managed software delivery.
• Demonstrable experience translating complex problems into successful AI applications.
• Professional experience scaling yourself and leading through others, in an applied research setting.
• Outstanding communication, problem‑solving, and analysis skills.
• Collaborating with Product, Engineering and other business stakeholders in an agile manner to demonstrate value and iterate with customer feedback.
• Publications at relevant venues such as ACL, EMNLP, NAACL, NeurIPS, ICLR, SIGIR, or KDD. (Preferred)

• Hybrid Work Model: We’ve adopted a flexible hybrid working environment (2‑3 days a week in the office depending on the role) for our office‑based roles while delivering a seamless experience that is digitally and physically connected.
• Flexibility & Work‑Life Balance: Flex My Way is a set of supportive workplace policies designed to help manage personal and professional responsibilities, whether caring for family, giving back to the community, or finding time to refresh and reset. This builds upon our flexible work arrangements, including work from anywhere for up to 8 weeks per year, empowering employees to achieve a better work‑life balance.
• Career Development and Growth: By fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development, we prepare our talent to tackle tomorrow’s challenges and deliver real‑world solutions. Our Grow My Way programming and skills‑first approach ensures you have the tools and knowledge to grow, lead, and thrive in an AI‑enabled future.
• Industry Competitive Benefits: We offer comprehensive benefit plans to include flexible vacation, two…