Director of AI/ML Engineering

Job Description:

The Director of AI/ML Engineering will lead the technical strategy, system architecture, and daily operations of a small but high-impact team building AI-powered product capabilities. They will lead a group of Machine Learning Engineers and partner closely with product, ML Ops, and research teams to scale our LLM-based infrastructure and accelerate delivery of features like Iris. This is a hands-on leadership role that requires strong technical depth, sound architectural judgment, and the ability to operate effectively in a dynamic environment. The ideal candidate is energized by solving meaningful problems and bringing clarity to complex spaces.

Who you’re committed to being:

• You enjoy learning and are open to new ways of doing things.

• You are not afraid to be yourself, experiment, make mistakes and learn from them, ask questions, or voice your concerns.

• When communicating you are self-aware, insightful, and proactive.

• You are a team member first and individual contributor second. You are aware that high-performing teams are only as strong as their weakest link.

• You believe in continuous improvement and request frequent feedback from others.

What you’ll do:

• Lead the technical roadmap and architectural direction for AI/ML systems, including LLM infrastructure, retrieval pipelines, and generative workflows

• Manage and mentor a team of engineers; set technical direction and ensure operational excellence

• Oversee day-to-day team operations and delivery; ensure progress, accountability, and timely execution across projects

• Partner closely with the product manager to align engineering execution with product strategy and business priorities

• Collaborate with ML Ops on performance, cost, and scaling; understanding of operational tradeoffs is essential

• Work with the AI Architect from Research & Innovation on long-term planning, prototyping, and tool evaluation

• Translate strategy into clear technical plans and influence budget or prioritization discussions based on business value

• Guide development practices to ensure stability, scalability, and long-term maintainability of ML systems

Experience you’ll bring:

• Technical strategy and roadmap ownership – Demonstrated ability to define and drive the technical direction for complex AI/ML systems, aligning with business and product goals

• Architecture and systems design – Proficient in designing scalable backend systems, including LLM orchestration, retrieval pipelines (e.g., RAG), and ML service infrastructure

• AI/ML infrastructure at scale – Familiarity with modern ML stack components, including model serving, prompt orchestration, vector stores, and cost/performance optimization

• Operational delivery and execution leadership – Proven experience leading engineering teams to deliver high-impact features with accountability for scope, timeline, and stability

• Team leadership and people management – Experience managing engineers, providing technical mentorship, and creating a collaborative, high-performance team environment

• Cross-functional collaboration – Skilled at partnering with product managers, ML Ops, and research teams to define priorities, resolve tradeoffs, and drive shared outcomes

• Technical decision-making under ambiguity – Comfortable leading in dynamic environments, setting direction with incomplete inputs, and balancing short-term needs with long-term vision

• Strong written and verbal communication – Able to synthesize complex technical topics and present them clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Requirements:

• 7+ years of experience in engineering, with at least 3–5 years leading teams in AI/ML, backend systems

• 3+ years of direct people management experience, with a proven track record of growing and mentoring engineering talent

• Experience owning technical strategy, architecture, and execution in a cross-functional environment

• Prior work in AI/ML infrastructure or production-scale systems involving LLMs, recommendation, or content retrieval preferred

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field required; advanced degree (MS/PhD) preferred but not required with strong industry experience

• LLM-powered product development – Hands-on experience building or integrating large language models into real-world user-facing systems

• Exposure to research or R&D collaboration models – Experience working with research teams or on long-horizon planning and technical feasibility evaluation

• This is a remote role; however, applicants located within 45 miles of our Westlake/Dallas, TX office should expect to work on-site Tuesday through Thursday, with remote flexibility on Mondays and Fridays. This approach enables more effective collaboration, quicker decision-making, and a stronger culture, while still providing flexibility.

Why you’ll love working here:

• We’re a blended workplace, where team members work remotely or in a hybrid setup depending on their role and location

• We’re mission driven and guided by our culture pillars

• We have a strong commitment to diversity and belonging

• We cultivate a culture of trust, autonomy, and collaboration

• We’re lifelong learners and champion team member growth and advancement

• We’ve got you covered - team member benefits include competitive compensation packages, medical coverage, unlimited PTO and Summer Fridays, wellness reimbursements, Pluralsight subscription, professional development funds and more.

About us:

Pluralsight provides the only learning platform dedicated to accelerating the technology skills and capabilities of today’s tech workforce. Thousands of companies, government organizations and individuals around the world rely on Pluralsight to support critical technology skill development in areas that are crucial to innovation including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, software development, and machine learning. Pluralsight provides highly curated content developed by vetted technology experts, industry leading skill assessments, and hands on, immersive learning experiences designed to help individuals skill-up faster.

This role is primarily performed in an office or home office setting and involves standard computer-based work.

EEOC & Accommodations Statement:

 Bring yourself. Pluralsight is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with EEOC guidelines and local laws.

If you need an accommodation to apply, interview, or perform essential job functions, please visit the bottom of our website to learn how to request an accommodation. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our DEIB Report.  

Pay Transparency:

The US base salary range for this role is $166,600 – $231,300 USD. Actual compensation will depend on location, skills, experience, and other factors. Additional benefits and bonuses may apply. Applications must be submitted within 90 days after the initial posting date to be considered.

Recruiting Scam Notice:

Please be aware of recruiting scams. We’ll only contact you from an @pluralsight.com email or verified channels. We never ask for sensitive personal info or payments as part of the hiring process. All openings are posted on our Careers page.

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