Senior AI Engineering Manager

Duolingo; New York (NY); On-site; USD 220,800 - 331,200; Full time

Job summary

Duolingo is seeking an experienced AI Research Engineering Manager to lead its Language Learning team in New York. The role involves managing a team of engineers and driving the development of innovative machine learning solutions to enhance user learning experiences. The ideal candidate will have a robust background in AI and proven team leadership experience.

In this role, you'll work on large-scale machine learning projects, mentor team members, and contribute to strategic decisions. Join Duolingo in transforming education for millions of users worldwide.

Qualifications

• Experience leading and managing teams of software engineers.
• Strong background in training and fine-tuning machine learning models.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage a full-stack team of frontend, backend, and AI research engineers.
• Contribute to the development of various machine learning models.
• Mentor team members and drive strategic decision-making.

Skills

Leadership

Machine Learning

Data-Driven Decision Making

Team Management

Mentoring

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Education

Advanced degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Our mission at Duolingo is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. Itâs a big mission, and thatâs where you come in!

At Duolingo, youâll join a team that cares about finding innovative solutions to complex technical problems, running countless experiments (300+ at a time!) with our massive user base to make data-driven decisions, and educating our users and employees alike. Youâll have limitless learning opportunities, mentorship and collaboration with world‑class minds, and a variety of projects with large scopes â while doing work thatâs both fun and meaningful.

Join our life‑changing mission to develop education for our half a billion (and growing!) learners around the world.

About the role

We are looking for an experienced AI Research Engineering Manager to join our Duolingo Language Learning team. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record leading multidisciplinary teams, including AI research engineers. They will have extensive experience across various machine learning techniques, including large language models, personalization, recommender systems, and experimentation. They will be comfortable working at all levels of the ML stack, including feature engineering, developing training data, fine‑tuning, reinforcement learning, quality evaluations, deployment, and monitoring. On the Language Learning team, weâre building the AI systems that support the core learning features of Duolingo, improving the learning experience and helping our learners build healthy, productive habits. Given the broad set of AI domains, broad experience in AI/ML is highly desirable.

You will

• Manage a full‑stack team of frontend, backend, and other AI Research engineers, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Contribute to the development and training of a variety of machine learning models, including large‑scale neural networks.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to understand their needs, to align the modelsâ outputs with company objectives.
• Participate in and help drive strategic product and business decision‑making as a member of the Language Learning leadership group.
• Attract, grow, and retain diverse engineering talent; provide clear expectations, coaching, and career development, and build a healthy, inclusive team culture.
• Stay up‑to‑date with the latest developments in machine learning and apply this knowledge to drive advancements in our projects.
• Mentor team members, providing guidance and support in their professional development.
• Ensure the delivery of high‑quality, scalable, and efficient machine learning solutions.

You have

• Experience leading, managing, and building a team of software engineers, with demonstrated ability to hire, develop, and retain talent.
• Proven experience as an AI research engineer, for example, in LLMs, bandits, computer vision, or related fields.
• Strong background in training and fine‑tuning large models in an applied setting.
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field with a focus on machine learning or artificial intelligence, or equivalent experience.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across engineering, product, design, and data; clear written specs and status updates.
• Technical depth sufficient to guide architecture and implementation trade‑offs, evolve quality standards, and mentor engineers on best practices.
• Deep understanding of machine learning concepts, frameworks, and best practices.

Salary Range: $220,800—$331,200 USD

Duolingo is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

By applying for this position your data will be processed as per Duolingo Applicant Privacy Notice.

We will do everything we can within reason to make sure that your interview takes place in an environment that fairly and accurately assesses your skills. If you need assistance or accommodation, please contact [e-mail].