Director, AI Foundations Engineering (2 Openings)

Ladders; United States; On-site; USD 195,000 - 361,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, life, and disability benefits

401(k) with company match

Generous paid time off

Performance-based incentives and (equ)

Job summary

Ladders is seeking a Director, AI Foundations Engineering to shape scalable AI foundations across the enterprise, partnering with product, data, and technology teams to define standards, operating models, and governance that support reliable delivery.

The role will drive modernization efforts, build reusable capabilities, and lead cross‑functional teams to deliver AI products with long‑term platform value from an entirely remote US base.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred in a related field.
• 8+ years of AI engineering experience with product strategy experience.
• Experience translating business needs into scalable AI solutions.
• Strong cross-functional leadership across multiple teams.
• Experience coaching and developing product managers.
• Excellent strategic, analytical, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of AI foundations for scalable use cases.
• Define and implement engineering standards and development practices.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to align platform capabilities with enterprise needs.
• Oversee engineering teams creating reusable tools and components for AI products.
• Drive modernization and integration efforts with AI capabilities.
• Monitor operations and user feedback for continuous optimization.
• Establish operating models and governance for AI delivery.

Skills

AI engineering

Cross-functional leadership

Product strategy and delivery

Stakeholder engagement

Coaching product managers

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

For our client, we are seeking a Director, AI Foundations Engineering (2 Openings) to join the team of a leader in the Pharmaceuticals & Biotech space.

This leader will shape the engineering foundation that enables scalable AI use cases across the enterprise. The role will partner closely with product, data, and technology teams to define standards, operating models, and governance that support reliable delivery. It will also drive modernization efforts and help build reusable capabilities that improve execution, adoption, and long-term platform value.

Location: Remote - US based candidates only, no visa sponsorship available

Compensation: $194,600 – $361,400 annually

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of AI foundations for scalable use cases
• Define and implement engineering standards and development practices
• Partner with cross-functional teams to align platform capabilities with enterprise needs
• Oversee engineering teams in creating reusable tools and components for AI products
• Drive modernization and integration efforts with AI capabilities
• Monitor operations and user feedback for continuous optimization
• Establish effective operating models and governance for AI delivery

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred in a related field
• 8+ years of AI engineering experience with a proven track record in product strategy and delivery
• Experience in AI and data-focused product environments, translating business needs into scalable solutions
• Strong cross-functional leadership abilities to collaborate effectively across multiple teams
• Experience managing and developing product managers, with strong coaching skills
• Excellent strategic, analytical, and communication skills for stakeholder engagement

Benefits

• Comprehensive health, life, and disability benefits package
• 401(k) with company contribution and match
• Generous time off including vacation, personal days, and holidays
• Performance-based cash incentives and potential annual equity awards

Our client is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every qualification—your background could be exactly what this team needs.