Director of AI

Vectra AI, Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Healthcare Packages

Global Wellness Days

Employee Assistance Programs

Parental Leave

Fertility Assistance

Job summary

Vectra AI is looking for a strategic Director of AI in San Jose, California, to lead AI and data engineering teams. You will shape AI initiatives and partner with various departments to implement cutting-edge AI capabilities in cybersecurity.

The role requires 3+ years of leadership experience in AI/ML and an advanced degree in a relevant field. This position offers benefits such as unlimited PTO, healthcare packages, and parental leave.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in a leadership role managing engineers or AI teams.
• 8+ years of experience building, scaling, and deploying AI/ML systems.
• Strong foundation in machine learning, data architecture, and AI tooling.

Responsibilities

• Lead AI and data engineering teams to execute AI strategy.
• Guide architectural decisions for scalable AI/ML systems.
• Mentor and develop technical talent within the team.

Skills

Leadership in AI/ML

AI strategy development

Hands-on ML frameworks

Cloud platforms expertise

Collaboration and communication

Education

Advanced degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Job description

• We’re looking for a strategic and inspired Director of AI to lead our AI and data engineering teams, drive our AI strategy, and serve as a resident expert within the organization
• You will shape the vision and execution of AI and machine learning initiatives across our platform, champion best-in-class architecture and engineering practices, and partner broadly with product, engineering, and business leadership to unlock the next wave of AI-driven capabilities in cybersecurity
• This individual will focus on creating and operationalizing AI strategy while scaling team capabilities and ensuring high ROI from AI investments
• Define, evolve, and execute Vectra’s AI strategy in alignment with business and product goals
• Evangelize AI vision and strategy to executives, cross-functional partners, and external stakeholders
• Translate long-term AI goals into actionable roadmaps with clear priorities and measurable outcomes
• Lead a team of cross-functional executives responsible for driving Gen AI initiatives in their organizations through a ‘hub-and-spoke model.’
• Lead and grow high-performing teams of AI engineers, machine learning engineers, and data engineers
• Mentor and develop technical talent; foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning
• Set performance targets and build career paths for team members
• Work closely with Engineering, Product, Data Science, Security Research, and Go-to-Market functions to embed AI across Vectra’s platform and solutions
• Partner with executive leaders to conduct “build vs buy” assessments, prioritize programs, conduct feasibility assessments, document requirements and deliver technical programs assessments,
• Technical Excellence
• Guide architectural decisions for scalable AI/ML systems, MLOps, data pipelines, model governance, and deployment frameworks
• Drive best practices for experiment tracking, monitoring, retraining, and model lifecycle management
• Stay abreast of AI advancements — especially in machine learning, deep learning, generative models, and large-scale distributed systems — and determine how to bring relevant innovation into production
• Ensure responsible, secure, and ethical use of AI — especially given the sensitive nature of cybersecurity data
• Establish governance frameworks for model quality, bias mitigation, and compliance with internal and external standards
• Define and track key performance indicators for AI initiatives (e.g., model accuracy, operational efficiency, cost impact, and business value delivered)
• Report on progress, blockers, and outcomes to senior leadership

Benefits

• Unlimited PTO
• Healthcare Packages
• Global Wellness Days
• Employee Assistance Programs
• Parental Leave
• Fertility Assistance

Qualifications

• 3+ years in a leadership role managing engineers, data practitioners, or AI/ML teams
• Proven track record shaping AI strategy that influences product and business outcomes
• 8+ years of experience building, scaling, and deploying AI/ML systems in production environments in Engineering or IT organizations
• Hands‑on experience with modern ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch), cloud platforms, and data infrastructure
• Strong foundation in machine learning, data architecture, distributed systems, and AI tooling
• Track record of deploying models at scale with attention to reliability, performance, and monitoring
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate across functions and lead in a high‑growth environment
• Comfortable operating at both strategic and tactical levels
• Excellent communicator with ability to articulate complex technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, or a related field preferred