Model PM jobs analyzed: 76% want evals skills, only 2% ask for a PhD, median base $345K
aakashgupta · x · 2026-11-11
The author read all 46 open Model PM job posts — the best-paid PM roles, with a median posted base of $345K. Findings:
- 76% ask for evals/benchmarks/quality metrics
- 63% want direct work with researchers; 61% want a grasp of model training
- 52% involve training data/labeling; 50% want user feedback turned into model priorities
- 46% involve model launches; only 28% require a technical degree and only 2% (one post) a PhD
- Median ask: 5 years PM experience; only 8 of 46 ask for Python/SQL
Three takeaways: evals beat credentials; half the roles frame the PM as the user's voice inside research; the PhD has nearly vanished. Microsoft's Principal PM posting for Copilot post-training is typical — the job is translating qualitative judgments ("too hedgy," "refused when it shouldn't have") into evaluation sets: judgment written down as evals.
Related event: Model PM Is the Highest-Paid PM Role, Analysis of 46 Job Postings Shows(3 posts)→
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