Applied AI Manager: Distilled Models

United States Digital Space LLC; Paris (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

Datadog is seeking a Manager I in Applied AI to lead a team of engineers and applied scientists focused on cost-efficient, secure AI capabilities. You will define technical direction, pair with product and research partners, and drive end-to-end AI delivery from research to production.

You will mentor engineers, evaluate AI systems rigorously, and promote a product-informed approach to prioritize bets and accelerate customer impact.

Qualifications

• A people-focused manager with experience leading and mentoring engineers, able to develop strong engineering talent in a fast-moving domain.
• A technical leader with deep expertise in one or more areas of AI or machine learning: large language models, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), semantic search, agentic systems, deep learning, or NLP.
• Well-versed in evaluation methodologies for AI systems, both offline benchmarks and online metrics.
• A strong product instinct: able to anchor early-stage work in concrete customer problems, define success criteria before writing code, and actively contribute to shaping product direction alongside product and research partners.
• Experience taking AI products from 0 to 1 is strongly valued: able to bring structure to early-stage work by scoping clear hypotheses, moving quickly toward signal, and making deliberate decisions about what to pursue, pivot, or stop.
• BS/MS/PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent professional experience

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of engineers and applied scientists focused on cost-efficient specialized models and AI security capabilities
• Shape the team's bets from initial framing through broader adoption with clear success criteria
• Own end-to-end delivery of high-quality AI systems from early research to production-grade reliability
• Navigate shipping AI-powered products, balancing quality, latency, cost, and safety; establish evaluation pipelines to measure quality and detect drift
• Contribute to cross-team collaboration and knowledge sharing across the broader AI organization
• Support career growth for engineers through coaching, feedback, and fostering experimentation and learning

Skills

People management

AI/ML expertise

Product instincts

Evaluation methods

Hiring & coaching

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Machine Learning, CS, Engineering, or related field

Job description

Datadog is seeking a Manager I in Applied AI to lead a team of engineers and applied scientists focused on cost-efficient, secure AI capabilities. You will define technical direction, pair with product and research partners, and drive end-to-end AI delivery from research to production.

You will mentor engineers, evaluate AI systems rigorously, and promote a product-informed approach to prioritize bets and accelerate customer impact.