Senior Manager - AI Engineering
Job Description: Lead AI engineering teams to design, build, and deploy AI-powered products that align with strategic business objectives and deliver measurable commercial value. Develop and execute AI engineering strategies and product roadmaps, balancing near-term delivery with long-term capability growth. Oversee end-to-end solution delivery — from concept through production — ensuring rigorous testing, validation, and QA for scalable, reliable AI systems. Partner cross-functionally with Product, Architecture, and Operations teams to integrate AI capabilities into existing systems; translate technical concepts into plain language for non-technical stakeholders. Champion AI adoption across the organization, driving a culture of innovation and agile best practices while expanding an AI-first mindset enterprise-wide. Engage senior leadership to shape AI use cases, articulate the capabilities and limitations of AI solutions, and ensure delivered products meet customer needs and compliance standards. Required Qualifications 10+ years of software engineering experience with 4+ years managing and growing engineering teams, including a proven track record of leading teams through multiple release cycles. Demonstrated hands-on experience designing, implementing, and launching AI-powered products in production — with clear examples of taking AI/ML initiatives from concept to commercially deployed solution. Deep understanding of where AI creates business value and where it doesn't; ability to apply AI to the right problems, set realistic expectations, and guide teams toward the most effective solution for each challenge. Strong engineering and system design skills, with proficiency in one or more major programming languages and the ability to guide teams on coding best practices and scalable architecture. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills; able to translate complex AI concepts into clear business terms and build consensus across diverse teams and leadership levels. Proven ability to own AI engineering delivery — managing timelines, resources, and risks while maintaining iterative, transparent execution in line with agile methodology.
Preferred Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field; Master's or Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or Data Science preferred. Hands-on familiarity with LLM concepts and techniques, including prompt engineering, temperature tuning, and model behavior management. Experience with RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) architectures and agentic AI workflows. Familiarity with Azure AI Foundry and orchestration frameworks such as LangGraph and Semantic Kernel. Experience with cloud-native MLOps, CI/CD pipelines, and containerization (Docker/Kubernetes) in Azure environments. Equivalent combination of education, training, and relevant professional experience accepted in lieu of a formal degree. Other Qualifications The Winning Way behaviors that all Vertex employees need in order to meet the expectations of each other, our customers, and our partners.
- Communicate with Clarity - Be clear, concise and actionable. Be relentlessly constructive. Seek and provide meaningful feedback.
- Act with Urgency - Adopt an agile mentality - frequent iterations, improved speed, resilience. 80/20 rule – better is the enemy of done. Don’t spend hours when minutes are enough.
- Work with Purpose - Exhibit a “We Can” mindset. Results outweigh effort. Everyone understands how their role contributes. Set aside personal objectives for team results.
- Drive to Decision - Cut the swirl with defined deadlines and decision points. Be clear on individual accountability and decision authority. Guided by a commitment to and accountability for customer outcomes.
- Own the Outcome - Defined milestones, commitments and intended results. Assess your work in context, if you’re unsure, ask. Demonstrate unwavering support for decisions.
COMMENTS: The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals in this position. Other functions may be assigned, and management retains the right to add or change the duties at any time. Pay Transparency Statement: US Base Salary Range: $159,600.00 - $207,500.00 Base pay offered to new hires may vary based upon factors including relevant industry and job-related skills and experience, geographic location, and business needs.* The range displayed does not encompass the full potential of the role, which allows for further growth and career progression. In addition, as a part of our total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Vertex Bonus Plan (VOB), a role-specific sales commission/bonus, and/or equity grants. Learn more about Life at Vertex and connect with your recruiter for more details regarding Vertex's compensation and benefit programs. *In no case will your pay fall below applicable local minimum wage requirements.