Senior Director, AI Engineering Transformation

SharkNinja; Needham (MA); On-site; USD 225,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

HSA with company contribution

401(k) matching

Employee stock purchase program

Life and AD&D insurance

Disability insurance

Generous paid time off

Company holidays

Parental leave

Identity theft protection

Pet insurance

Pre-paid legal insurance

Backup child and eldercare days

Product discounts

Referral bonus program

Job summary

SharkNinja is seeking a Sr. Director of AI Engineering Transformation to lead the strategy and execution of AI integration across the Engineering organization.

You will own the full lifecycle from concept to production, building data foundations, deploying AI capabilities, and transforming workflows to accelerate product development with higher quality. The role requires a track record of leading large‑scale transformations, deep AI/ML fluency, and strong leadership to drive change across global

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience in AI/ML, engineering leadership, program management, data architecture, quality engineering, or technology transformation roles.
• Proven track record leading large‑scale transformation or change management initiatives, ideally in engineering, R&D, or consumer products environments.
• Deep understanding of engineering development lifecycles in a hardware or consumer electronics context, including stage‑gate processes, DVT/EVT/PVT builds, and cross‑functional launch execution.
• Proven ability to both build (hands‑on implementation) and think strategically.
• Strong business acumen: connect technical capabilities to business outcomes and communicate that connection to non‑technical stakeholders.
• Exceptional leadership skills: attract talent, build high‑performing teams, and influence without authority across a matrixed organization.
• Decisive and action‑oriented: make decisions with imperfect information, move fast, and course‑correct without hesitation.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and a high‑velocity environment where priorities shift and speed matters more than perfection.

Responsibilities

• Architect and implement a data foundation across Engineering, unifying data infrastructure and solving data silos that slow AI adoption.
• Map data assets across the organization and build ingestion pipelines to make data usable by AI systems.
• Define and execute the AI transformation roadmap across the full engineering lifecycle and identify new AI opportunities with Engineering leadership.
• Lead reimagination of program management infrastructure with AI‑powered tooling for real‑time status, accountability, and dashboards.
• Deploy AI planning intelligence by using historical engineering data to improve forecasting and reduce late‑stage surprises.
• Transform reliability and quality capabilities, failure prediction, field‑return analytics, and next‑gen AI‑powered engineering quality.
• Reimagine design/test workflows by making lessons learned and test results accessible through AI to inform future development.
• Strengthen engineering’s contribution to product requirements by surfacing relevant historical data during design and requirements processes.

Skills

AI/ML leadership

Data architecture

Program management

Engineering leadership

Change management

Cross-functional collaboration

Strategic thinking

Communication

Tools

Snowflake

AWS

Job description

Sr. Director, AI Engineering Transformation

Location: Boston, MA preferred; New York, NY acceptable (On‑site)

Reports to: VP, Chief of Staff to the CEO

Dotted Line: Chief Technology Officer / Chief Engineering Officer

Direct Reports: AI Transformation Team (AI Fellows)

Role

This is a high‑impact leadership role at the intersection of AI, engineering, product quality, and organizational transformation. You will own the strategy and execution of AI integration across SharkNinja’s Engineering organization, spanning the full development lifecycle from concept and architecture through design, validation, and production, and extending into reliability engineering, DFM/DFT, test data, and manufacturing engineering. You will build the data foundation, deploy AI capabilities, and transform workflows so engineers develop products faster, smarter, and with higher quality at every stage.

What You Will Do

Data Foundation & Infrastructure

• Architect and implement a unified data infrastructure across Engineering, resolving the fragmented, siloed data landscape that is the #1 bottleneck to AI adoption.
• Map data assets across the organization (schematics, CAD/PCB design files, test results, FMEAs, DVT/EMC results, lessons learned, field return data, quality metrics) and build ingestion pipelines that make this data usable by AI systems.
• Partner with IT and data engineering to connect Engineering’s data infrastructure to the enterprise data architecture (Snowflake, AWS).

Engineering Transformation

• Define and execute the AI transformation roadmap across the full engineering lifecycle, while continuously identifying new AI opportunities with Engineering leadership as capabilities evolve.
• Lead the reimagination of program management infrastructure, replacing manual, PowerPoint‑based workflows with AI‑powered tooling that enables real‑time program status visibility, automated accountability, and permission‑based dashboards.
• Deploy AI‑powered planning intelligence by ingesting historical engineering data to improve forecasting accuracy and reduce late‑stage surprises.
• Transform reliability and quality capabilities, failure prediction, DVT/EMC outcome analysis, field‑return pattern detection at scale, and partner with Engineering leadership to define the next generation of AI‑powered engineering quality.
• Reimagine design and test workflows by making lessons learned, test results, and FMEAs accessible through AI, so past engineering knowledge automatically informs future product development.
• Strengthen Engineering’s contribution to product requirements by building AI systems that surface relevant historical data (prior test failures, field issues, quality patterns) during the design and requirements process.

Team Building & Change Management

• Build, lead, and scale a team of AI Fellows embedded directly into Engineering teams to drive hands‑on AI adoption.
• Drive change management across large, global engineering teams with varying levels of AI fluency, focusing on director‑level and below adoption.
• Translate complex AI capabilities into practical, adoptable solutions that engineers, program managers, and cross‑functional teams actually use.
• Establish success metrics, track adoption, and report measurable outcomes to executive leadership.
• Champion a culture of experimentation: fast iteration, learning from failure, and scaling what works.

Required

• 10+ years of professional experience in AI/ML, engineering leadership, program management, data architecture, quality engineering, or technology transformation roles.
• Strong technical fluency in AI/ML and data infrastructure: evaluate tools, assess platforms, understand data pipelines, and engage in technical discussions with engineers, data scientists, and product teams.
• Proven track record leading large‑scale transformation or change management initiatives, ideally in engineering, R&D, or consumer products environments.
• Deep understanding of engineering development lifecycles in a hardware or consumer electronics context, including stage‑gate processes, DVT/EVT/PVT builds, and cross‑functional launch execution.
• Proven ability to both build (hands‑on implementation) and think strategically.
• Strong business acumen: connect technical capabilities to business outcomes and communicate that connection to non‑technical stakeholders.
• Exceptional leadership skills: attract talent, build high‑performing teams, and influence without authority across a matrixed organization.
• Decisive and action‑oriented: make decisions with imperfect information, move fast, and course‑correct without hesitation.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and a high‑velocity environment where priorities shift and speed matters more than perfection.

Strongly Preferred

• Experience at an AI‑native company or within an engineering organization where AI was core to the development process.
• Background bridging technical build teams and business stakeholders, with the ability to translate requirements in both directions.
• Experience productionalizing AI prototypes (moving from proof‑of‑concept to enterprise‑grade tools with proper back‑end infrastructure).
• Familiarity with engineering quality concepts: FMEAs, DVT, EMC/regulatory compliance, reliability testing, field‑return analytics.
• Ability to speak Mandarin.

Additional Requirements

• Travel required (domestic and international, including China manufacturing sites).
• On‑site at Boston HQ or New York office full‑time.

Why This Role Matters

SharkNinja’s CEO has made AI transformation a top company priority. This role sits at the center of a company‑wide movement to fundamentally change how the Engineering organization designs, builds, tests, and ensures the quality of its products. You will have direct visibility and support from the highest levels of the organization, and you will be in the trenches with engineering teams, building the data foundation, proving what works, scaling it, and making AI an irreversible part of how this company engineers and delivers best‑in‑class products.

Salary and Other Compensation

Annual salary range: $225,000—$250,000 USD.

Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; health savings accounts (HSA) with company contribution; 401(k) retirement plan with matching; employee stock purchase program; life and AD&D insurance; short‑term and long‑term disability insurance; generous paid time off; company holidays; parental leave; identity theft protection; pet insurance; pre‑paid legal insurance; backup child and eldercare days; product discounts; referral bonus program; and more.

Our Culture

At SharkNinja, we don’t just raise the bar—we push past it every single day. Our Outrageously Extraordinary mindset drives us to tackle the impossible, push boundaries, and deliver results that others only dream of. We empower your personal and professional growth with high‑impact Learning Programs and foster an inclusive community that encourages bold voices redefining what’s possible.

We support all associates in bringing their authentic selves to work, making an impact, and having the opportunity for career acceleration. With help from our leadership, we aim to have equity be a key component of the SharkNinja DNA.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other class protected by legislation, and local law. SharkNinja will consider reasonable accommodations consistent with legislation, and local law. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact SharkNinja People & Culture at [e-mail].