Director, Applied Science

Oracle; Dover (DE); On-site; USD 170,000 - 355,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Parental leave

Stock purchase plan

Volunteer programs

Job summary

Oracle is seeking an ML/AI researcher to lead cross-functional strategies, oversee end-to-end research programs, and drive the development of innovative ML/AI solutions. The role emphasizes collaboration with product and business teams, publication activities, and delivering production-ready capabilities.

The candidate will shape data strategy, define modeling standards, and communicate insights across the organization, while fostering a culture of research excellence and continuous learning.

Responsibilities

• -Forms partnerships with cross-functional leaders to develop strategies to identify and address strategic, critical business and product needs related to ML/AI.
• -Leads the group to set quality standards and execute the end-to-end science strategy to address multiple product and/or business problems.
• -Directs the implementation of research and development strategies for innovative products and services.
• -Directs the implementation of standards for POCs or experiments to demonstrate feasibility and secure funding.
• -Contributes to design of datasets for applied research, ensuring high-quality data.
• -Directs research programs to identify new theories, tools, and methodologies for state-of-the-art tech.
• -Defines standards for design, development, and optimization of ML/LLM/Generative AI tech.
• -Drives best practices for data, model, training, and evaluation architectures.
• -Drives the extraction of meaningful insights from data and metadata sources.
• -Guides interpretation and communication of insights across the organization.
• -Leads creation of patents, white papers, or other technical documentation.
• -Identifies improvements to group processes for efficient, bug-free code and maintainable codebase.
• -Communicates and promotes best practices for version control, code review, and deployment.
• -Reviews technical documentation for experiments, data collection, and model building.
• -Leverages resources to enable operations support and ensure timely delivery of solutions.
• -Drives cross-functional initiatives for timely deployment and integration of services.
• -Forms cross-functional partnerships to facilitate deployment of solutions into production.
• -Promotes a culture of excellence in applied research and builds domain expertise.
• -Leads publication, presentation, and review of findings and papers in top-tier venues
• -Serves as keynote speaker in conferences or panels.
• -Oversees and guides multiple teams on complex projects, timelines, and budgets.
• -Role models delegation, prioritization, and alignment with business needs.
• -Coaches others on resource adjustments in response to business changes.
• -Models collaboration to align cross-functional objectives and stakeholder expectations.
• -Drives transparency and inclusivity by incorporating diverse perspectives.
• -Shares problem-solving strategies and provides direction on root causes to prevent recurrence.
• -Coaches teams on analyzing complex data to derive solutions.
• -Pursues strategic learning opportunities and promotes knowledge sharing across the organization.
• -Creates opportunities for team members to build new skills and expertise.
• -Identifies skill-gap trends and reinforces learning culture.
• -Evaluates learning strategies and suggests improvements.
• -Empowers teams to implement ideas that improve processes and workflows.
• -Coaches teams to gain buy-in for ideas and gather feedback.
• -Prioritizes roadmap improvements to maximize ROI.
• -Drives performance and development through feedback and coaching.
• -Ensures talent strategy aligns with organizational goals.
• -Collaborates with HR on hiring and promotions.

Job description

Job Description

Forms partnerships with cross-functional leaders to develop strategies to better identify and address business and product needs, and identifies solutions to address product and/or business problems. Directs research programs end-to-end applied research: surveying state of the art, preparing high-quality datasets, running POCs/experiments, and designing, training, and optimizing ML/AI models and solution architectures. Leverages resources to enable operations support and ensure successful delivery of solutions and drive the technical strategy. Participates in the research community by publishing and presenting research findings and serving as a keynote speaker.

Responsibilities

Key Responsibilities

Solution Identification

• -Forms partnerships with cross-functional leaders to develop strategies to better identify and address strategic, critical business and product needs related to the use of machine learning (ML) and/or artificial intelligence (AI).

• -Leads the group to set quality standards and execute the end-to-end science strategy to address multiple product and/or business problems.

• -Directs the implementation of research and development strategies for innovative products and services.

Solution Development — Applied Research

• -Directs the implementation of standards for the development and piloting of research proofs-of-concept (POCs) or research experiments to demonstrate the feasibility of proposed solutions, gather supporting evidence, and secure support and funding for applied research.

• -Contributes to the design of group-wide standards for the selection and preparation of datasets for applied research. Ensures that high quality, comprehensive datasets are used across the organization.

• -Directs research programs to identify new theories, tools, and methodologies to transfer and apply state-of-the-art technologies into products and services or make advancements in the field.

Solution Development

• -Defines standards for the design, development, and optimization of machine learning models, large language models, and generative AI technologies, such as training/finetuning and computation optimizations.

• -Drives the use of best practices for the architecture of ML and AI solutions, such as data, model, training, and evaluation.

Solution Development — Articulating Research Insights

• -Drives the use of best practices to identify meaningful insights from data and metadata sources from analysis and experiments.

• -Guides the group to interpret and communicate insights and findings throughout the organization.

• -Leads the creation of patents, white papers, or other technical documentation related to applied research outcomes.

Solution Delivery — Coding and Documentation

• -Identifies improvements to group processes for the development of efficient, bug-free code from scratch, as well as the maintenance and organization of the existing codebase.

• -Communicates and promotes best practices for version control, code review, and code delivery/deployment.

• -Reviews professional documentation for technical processes (experimentation, data collection and analyses, model building).

Solution Delivery

• -Leverages resources to enable operations support and ensure successful delivery of solutions and drive the technical strategy.

• -Drives cross-functional initiatives to ensure the successful and timely delivery of solutions and integration of services.

• -Forms cross-functional partnerships to facilitate the deployment of solutions into production environments.

Building Research Capability — Research Excellence

• -Promotes a culture of excellence related to applied research technology areas.

• -Builds domain expertise within the group and ensures the group leverages best practices in applied research.

Building Research Capability — Research Community Presence

• -Leads the publication, presentation, and review of research findings and papers in top-tier conferences, research and industry outlets, etc.

• -Serves as a keynote speaker in conferences or panels.

Core Responsibilities

Planning & Execution

• -Oversees and guides multiple teams on managing complex projects or initiatives, monitoring timelines, deliverables, and budgets when applicable to ensure strategic objectives are met.

• -Serves as a role model for appropriately delegating work, setting priorities, and ensuring alignment with business needs.

• -Coaches others on adjusting resources or project timelines in anticipation of business changes.

Collaboration & Partnership

• -Role models leading cross-functional collaborative efforts to ensure alignment of expectations and strategic objectives.

• -Empowers team to build and maintain partnerships with business leaders, stakeholders, and/or customers to address barriers and contribute to organizational success.

• -Drives transparency and inclusivity by modeling actively seeking, listening to, and leveraging diverse perspectives.

Problem Solving

• -Shares problem-solving strategies across teams, providing oversight on complex operational and/or technical issues, as needed.

• -Coaches teams on analyzing highly complex data and/or information to identify solutions to ambiguous issues and provides direction on identifying root causes to prevent recurrence of issues.

Continuous Learning

• -Pursues strategic learning opportunities to maintain expertise and apply best practices at the organizational level.

• -Creates opportunities for team members and leaders to build their expertise in new areas, coaching them to build innovative skills.

• -Identifies skill gap trends across the organization, and upholds a culture that places significant emphasis on sharing knowledge and pursuing learning opportunities that advance the organization.

• -Evaluates efficiency of learning strategies and recommends adjustments as needed.

Continuous Improvement

• -Empowers team to own the development and implementation of ideas that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of processes, protocols, and workflows across the department.

• -Coaches teams to gain buy-in for ideas and to seek feedback on approaches and methods for continued improvement.

• -Prioritizes and reviews the roadmap of improvement initiatives to ensure alignment with strategic direction and maximize return on investments.

Performance and Development

• -Serves as a role model for driving performance across teams through tailored feedback and coaching in alignment with performance management processes, guidelines, and expectations.

• -Drives consistency in the application of talent development procedures and socializes performance expectations across the organization.

• -Ensures that individual development goals are aligned with organizational strategic initiatives.

• -Collaborates with HR to implement talent strategy through hiring and promotion processes.

Disclaimer

Certain U.S. based or U.S. customer or client-facing roles may be required to comply with applicable requirements, such as immunization/occupational health mandates, and/or drug testing requirements.

Range and benefit information provided in this posting are specific to the stated locations only

US: Hiring Range in USD from: $169,800 to $355,400 per annum. May be eligible for bonus, equity, and compensation deferral.

Oracle maintains broad salary ranges for its roles in order to account for variations in knowledge, skills, experience, market conditions and locations, as well as reflect Oracle’s differing products, industries and lines of business.

Candidates are typically placed into the range based on the preceding factors as well as internal peer equity.

Oracle US offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes the following:

1. Medical, dental, and vision insurance, including expert medical opinion

2. Short term disability and long term disability

3. Life insurance and AD&D

4. Supplemental life insurance (Employee/Spouse/Child)

5. Health care and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts

6. Pre-tax commuter and parking benefits

7. 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan with company match

8. Paid time off: Flexible Vacation is provided to all eligible employees assigned to a salaried (non-overtime eligible) position. Accrued Vacation is provided to all other employees eligible for vacation benefits. For employees working at least 35 hours per week, the vacation accrual rate is 13 days annually for the first three years of employment and 18 days annually for subsequent years of employment. Vacation accrual is prorated for employees working between 20 and 34 hours per week. Employees working fewer than 20 hours per week are not eligible for vacation.

9. 11 paid holidays

10. Paid sick leave: 72 hours of paid sick leave upon date of hire. Refreshes each calendar year. Unused balance will carry over each year up to a maximum cap of 112 hours.

11. Paid parental leave

12. Adoption assistance

13. Employee Stock Purchase Plan

14. Financial planning and group legal

15. Voluntary benefits including auto, homeowner and pet insurance

The role will generally accept applications for at least three calendar days from the posting date or as long as the job remains posted.

As part of Oracle’s onboarding process and consistent with applicable law, US-based employees are required to complete identity verification, which involves the collection and processing of their biometric information. Accommodations to this requirement may be granted following an individualized assessment.

About Us

Only Oracle brings together the data, infrastructure, applications, and expertise to power everything from industry innovations to life-saving care. And with AI embedded across our products and services, we help customers turn that promise into a better future for all. Discover your potential at a company leading the way in AI and cloud solutions that impact billions of lives.

True innovation starts when everyone is empowered to contribute. That’s why we’re committed to growing a workforce that promotes opportunities for all with competitive benefits that support our people with flexible medical, life insurance, and retirement options. We also encourage employees to give back to their communities through our volunteer programs.

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Oracle is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and protected veterans’ status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Oracle will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records pursuant to applicable law.