AI Research Manager

Meta; Menlo Park (CA); On-site; USD 219,000 - 301,000; Full time

Job summary

Meta is seeking an AI Research Manager to lead teams of AI researchers and engineers advancing the frontier of AI. You will shape strategy, execution, and culture across large-scale ML systems, foundation models, and applied AI innovations that power Meta's products and platforms.

You will operate at the intersection of research and product impact, mentoring leaders, and fostering AI-native workflows with cross-functional collaboration, ensuring rigor, reproducibility, and measurable product

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in AI, ML, or closely related field.
• 4+ years of experience managing teams of researchers or engineers, including other people managers or technical leaders.
• Experience defining and executing AI or machine learning research strategy across multiple concurrent projects with cross-functional dependencies.
• Track record of delivering AI or machine learning systems from research through production at scale, with demonstrated product or business impact.
• Experience communicating technical AI research direction and outcomes to both technical and non-technical stakeholders through written documents and presentations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage multiple teams of AI researchers and technical leaders delivering large-scale machine learning and AI research projects with significant product impact.
• Shape and actively influence the AI research strategy and roadmap, translating long-term research goals into prioritized, executable plans.
• Drive adoption of AI tools and workflows across the team to expand delivery capacity and elevate engineering and research craft.
• Maintain hands-on technical engagement by evaluating model architectures, research directions, and technical quality using AI-assisted tools and direct contribution.
• Partner with product, design, and data science teams to ensure AI research outputs translate into measurable product improvements and user value.
• Recruit, develop, and retain AI research talent, including growing other leaders into AI-era research managers with strong technical and organizational skills.
• Proactively identify and resolve execution risks across research projects, including issues related to research vision, model quality, and team dependencies.
• Establish and maintain a high bar for AI research quality, including responsible and ethical use of AI, model evaluation rigor, and reproducibility standards.
• Represent the team's work and progress to leadership and cross-functional partners through clear written and verbal communication of research direction and outcomes.
• Contribute to broader organizational health by mentoring leaders across the AI research organization and modeling effective AI practices at scale.

Skills

AI leadership

Team management

Strategy execution

Research to production

Cross-functional collaboration

Job description

Meta is seeking an AI Research Manager to lead teams of AI researchers and engineers advancing the frontier of artificial intelligence. In this role, you will drive the strategy, execution, and culture of AI research teams working on large-scale machine learning systems, foundation models, and applied AI innovations that power Meta's products and platforms. You will operate at the intersection of research and product impact, shaping the direction of AI capabilities while fostering a team culture of technical rigor, AI-native workflows, and cross-functional collaboration.

AI Research Manager Responsibilities

• Lead and manage multiple teams of AI researchers and technical leaders delivering large-scale machine learning and AI research projects with significant product impact
• Shape and actively influence the AI research strategy and roadmap, translating long-term research goals into prioritized, executable plans
• Drive adoption of AI tools and workflows across the team to expand delivery capacity and elevate engineering and research craft
• Maintain hands-on technical engagement by evaluating model architectures, research directions, and technical quality using AI-assisted tools and direct contribution
• Partner with product, design, and data science teams to ensure AI research outputs translate into measurable product improvements and user value
• Recruit, develop, and retain AI research talent, including growing other leaders into AI-era research managers with strong technical and organizational skills
• Proactively identify and resolve execution risks across research projects, including issues related to research vision, model quality, and team dependencies
• Establish and maintain a high bar for AI research quality, including responsible and ethical use of AI, model evaluation rigor, and reproducibility standards
• Represent the team's work and progress to leadership and cross-functional partners through clear written and verbal communication of research direction and outcomes
• Contribute to broader organizational health by mentoring leaders across the AI research organization and modeling effective AI practices at scale

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in AI, machine learning, or a closely related research or engineering field
• 4+ years of experience managing teams of researchers or engineers, including experience managing other people managers or technical leaders
• Experience defining and executing AI or machine learning research strategy across multiple concurrent projects with cross-functional dependencies
• Track record of delivering AI or machine learning systems from research through production at scale, with demonstrated product or business impact
• Experience communicating technical AI research direction and outcomes to both technical and non-technical stakeholders through written documents and presentations

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to integrate AI-native tooling and workflows into team processes to accelerate research velocity and quality
• Experience leading AI research teams working on foundation models, large language models, generative AI, or multimodal learning systems
• Track record of publishing or shipping novel AI research with measurable impact on product systems or the broader research community
• Experience building and scaling AI research organizations, including recruiting and developing researchers across a range of experience levels

About Meta

Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today - beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.

Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and affirmative action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.

Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at [e-mail].

$219,000/year to $301,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits

Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta.