Principal Product Manager, Vision AI

Toast; Costa Mesa (CA); Remote; USD 190,000 - 304,000; Full time

Job summary

Toast is seeking a Principal Product Manager for Vision AI to define and build computer vision and camera-powered products across Enterprise Drive-Thru. You will own the Vision AI roadmap, from discovery to scale, collaborating with software, AI, hardware, and restaurant operations to identify opportunities and invest strategically.

You will work across teams to shape hardware, software, and AI initiatives, lead customer research, and guide partners on build-vs-buy decisions.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of Product Management experience owning complex products or multi-team initiatives from strategy through scale.
• Experience delivering AI-enabled products, machine learning systems, computer vision applications, or adjacent emerging technologies.
• Proven ability to take ambiguous opportunities from discovery through prototype, pilot, commercialization, and scale.
• Experience building for large, complex customers while balancing individual needs with scalable investments.
• Ability to partner with Engineering and Hardware teams on architecture, integrations, AI systems, and trade-offs.
• Ability to balance customer impact, performance, scalability, and economics when defining product direction.
• Experience conducting deep customer discovery, field research, and pilots with strategic customers.
• Experience evaluating technology vendors and making build-vs-buy-vs-partner decisions.
• Strong communication skills and ability to align senior stakeholders around a product vision.

Responsibilities

• Own the Vision AI product vision and long-term roadmap including vehicle detection, identification, tracking, timing, and new camera-powered experiences.
• Lead zero-to-one development from discovery to commercialization and scaling in ambiguous problem spaces.
• Shape Enterprise Drive-Thru strategy by understanding multi-location restaurant brands and opportunities beyond Vision AI.
• Define the hardware ecosystem to support Vision AI and Drive-Thru products (cameras, media players, networking, digital boards).
• Lead customer research and field validation in restaurants to translate insights into strategy.
• Evaluate camera systems, computer vision platforms, AI vendors, and architectural approaches; decide build vs. buy vs. partner, cloud vs. edge.
• Collaborate with GTM on packaging, pricing inputs, pilots, and rollout strategies to drive enterprise growth.
• Influence Engineering, Design, Hardware Operations, Security, Legal, Sales, Product Marketing, and leadership to align around strategy.
• Embrace AI-first development to accelerate discovery and create new value for restaurants and guests.

Skills

Product leadership

AI/ML experience

Zero-to-one leadership

Enterprise product

Technical fluency

Strategic decision making

Customer research

Vendor strategy

Leadership

Job description

This Role can be based in California OR Remote in CST.

Toast creates technology to help restaurants and local businesses succeed in a digital world, helping business owners operate, increase sales, engage customers, and keep employees happy.

Toast serves hundreds of multi‑unit brands, including Caribou Coffee, Firehouse Subs, Tacos Palenque, Choice Hotels, Craveworthy Brands, WaBa Grill, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Papa Gino's & D'Angelo, Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill, and The Human Bean. As part of the Enterprise Drive‑Thru team, you'll help build the next generation of technology for some of the largest restaurant brands in the industry. You can read more on our Toast for Enterprise page and Toast Drive‑Thru page.

Drive‑thrus are at the forefront of restaurant AI innovation. We're looking for a Principal Product Manager, Vision AI to define and build computer vision and camera‑powered products at Toast, including vehicle intelligence, operational analytics, and new AI‑powered restaurant experiences.

Vision AI will be your primary focus, with broader influence across Enterprise Drive‑Thru. You'll work across software, AI, hardware, and restaurant operations to identify opportunities, make strategic investments, and bring new products from concept to scale.

About this roll* (Responsibilities)

• Own the Vision AI product vision and strategy. Define the long‑term roadmap for capabilities including vehicle detection, identification, tracking, timing, operational intelligence, and new camera‑powered experiences.
• Drive zero‑to‑one product development. Lead discovery, prototyping, pilots, commercialization, and scaling of new AI and drive‑thru products in highly ambiguous problem spaces.
• Help shape Enterprise Drive‑Thru strategy. Develop a deep understanding of large, multi‑location restaurant brands and identify opportunities where Toast can build differentiated solutions beyond Vision AI.
• Own hardware‑enabled experiences. Define the hardware ecosystem required to support Vision AI and Drive‑Thru products, including cameras, media players, networking, digital menu boards, and emerging technologies.
• Lead customer research and field validation. Spend time with Enterprise customers and in restaurants understanding operational workflows, validating solutions, and translating insights into product strategy.
• Drive technology and partner decisions. Evaluate camera systems, computer vision platforms, AI vendors, and architectural approaches. Lead trade‑offs across build vs. buy vs. partner, cloud vs. edge, performance, cost, complexity, scalability, and customer value.
• Drive commercialization and adoption. Partner with GTM teams on packaging, positioning, pricing inputs, pilots, and rollout strategies that drive customer outcomes and Enterprise growth.
• Lead across the organization. Influence Engineering, Design, Hardware Operations, Security, Legal, Customer Care, Sales, Product Marketing, and senior leadership to align teams around strategy and execution.
• Embrace AI‑first product development. Use AI tools to accelerate discovery and execution while identifying new ways AI can create value for restaurants and guests.

What You'll Need To Thrive (Requirements)

• Product leadership experience. 8+ years of Product Management experience owning complex products, significant product areas, or multi‑team initiatives from strategy through scale.
• AI and emerging technology experience. Experience delivering AI‑enabled products, machine learning systems, computer vision applications, or adjacent emerging technologies.
• Zero‑to‑one leadership. Proven ability to take ambiguous opportunities from discovery through prototype, pilot, commercialization, and scale.
• Enterprise product experience. Experience building for large, complex customers while balancing individual customer needs with scalable product investments.
• Technical fluency. Ability to partner deeply with Engineering and Hardware teams on architecture, integrations, AI systems, and technical trade‑offs.
• Strategic decision making. Ability to balance customer impact, performance, scalability, operational complexity, development investment, and economics when defining product direction.
• Customer obsession. Experience conducting deep customer discovery, field research, and pilots with strategic customers.
• Vendor and partner strategy. Experience evaluating technology vendors and making build vs. buy vs. partner decisions.
• Leadership and influence. Strong communication skills and demonstrated ability to align senior stakeholders and cross‑functional teams around a product vision.

Special Sauce* (Nice to Haves)

• Experience with computer vision, camera systems, video analytics, or machine learning products, especially real‑time video.
• Experience building products that combine software and hardware.
• Familiarity with AI model evaluation, experimentation, and performance measurement.
• Experience in restaurant, retail, hospitality, automotive, transportation, or other operationally complex environments.
• Familiarity with drive‑thru operations or multi‑location restaurant technology.
• Technical background or deep experience partnering with Engineering on architecture, AI infrastructure, or hardware/software integrations.

AI at Toast

At Toast, one of our company values is that we're hungry to build and learn. We believe learning new AI tools empowers us to build for our customers faster, more independently, and with higher quality. We provide these tools across all disciplines, from Engineering and Product to Sales and Support, and are inspired by how our Toasters are already driving real value with them. The people who thrive here are those who embrace changes that let us build more for our customers; it’s a core part of our culture.

Our Total Rewards Philosophy

We strive to provide competitive compensation and benefits programs that help to attract, retain, and motivate the best and brightest people in our industry. Our total rewards package goes beyond great earnings potential and provides the means to a healthy lifestyle with the flexibility to meet Toasters’ changing needs. Learn more about our benefits at https://careers.toasttab.com/toast-benefits.

The base salary range for this role is listed below. The starting salary will be determined based on skills, experience, and geographic location. In addition to base salary, our total rewards components include cash compensation (overtime, bonus/commissions if eligible), equity, and benefits. You can learn more about how we align pay with local labor markets in our Geographic Pay Zone Philosophy.

Zone A

$190,000—$304,000 USD

Zone B

$165,000—$264,000 USD

Zone C

$149,000—$238,000 USD

How Toast Uses AI In Its Hiring Process

Throughout the hiring process, our goal is to get to know you. We use AI tools to support our recruiters and interviewers with tasks like note‑taking, summarization, and documentation of interviews to ensure they can be fully focused on your conversation. All hiring decisions are made by people. We ask that you complete interviews and assessments on your own, without real‑time AI tools, recording, or transcription bots, unless we tell you otherwise in advance. To learn more: https://careers.toasttab.com/ai-in-hiring

Our Approach to Hybrid Working

We embrace a hybrid work model that fosters in‑person collaboration while valuing individual needs. Our goal is to build a strong culture of connection as we work together to empower the hospitality community, regardless of location. Please visit the Locations page on our career site to learn more about our in‑office expectations by region: https://careers.toasttab.com/locations-toast

People Are the Secret Ingredient in Our Recipe for Success

At Toast, our employees are our secret ingredient—when they thrive, we thrive. The restaurant industry brings together people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and we value that same breadth at Toast. We strive to build a culture grounded in authenticity, respect, and humility, where every Toaster has a real opportunity to grow, contribute, and do their best work—raising the bar in delivering exceptional experiences for our customers and each other.

Toast is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive hiring process. As part of this commitment, we strive to provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities to enable them to access the hiring process. If you need an accommodation to access the job application or interview process, please contact [e-mail].

For roles in the United States, it is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.