Manager, Applied Ai/ml, Data Science & Engineering

Autodesk Autodesk · Enterprise · AMER - Canada - Ontario - Toronto - University Ave, AMER - Canada - British Columbia, MB +4 · Remote

Manager for an applied AI/ML and data science team, focusing on building AI-enabled systems and platform capabilities. The role involves leading senior individual contributors, defining evolving processes in a fast-changing technical environment, and fostering adaptability and technical rigor in a globally distributed team.

What you'd actually do

  1. Manage and grow a team of senior and principal-level engineers and data scientists working on applied AI/ML-enabled systems, data products, and platform capabilities
  2. Create clarity in ambiguous technical and organizational environments by helping the team define priorities, execution plans, decision points, and success criteria
  3. Build operating rhythms that work across India, Europe, and North America, including effective async communication, meeting discipline, handoff practices, and documentation norms
  4. Partner closely with senior technical ICs to translate strategy and ambiguous opportunities into scoped initiatives, milestones, and measurable outcomes
  5. Help the team navigate rapidly changing AI/ML engineering practices, including evolving norms around prototyping, evaluation, production readiness, quality, governance, and operational ownership

Skills

Required

  • Experience managing technical teams in engineering, applied AI/ML, data science, data platforms, or adjacent domains
  • Ability to lead senior and principal-level ICs without needing to be the deepest expert in every area
  • Strong understanding of modern software, data, and AI/ML delivery practices, with enough technical depth to ask good questions, identify risks, and facilitate sound decisions
  • Comfort operating in environments where processes are still forming, changing, or being actively redefined
  • High adaptability and curiosity about how AI/ML is changing engineering practice, team structure, delivery models, and quality expectations
  • Strong cross-functional leadership skills, especially in ambiguous initiatives involving engineering, data science, infrastructure, QA, product, and business stakeholders
  • Excellent written communication, including planning docs, status updates, decision summaries, stakeholder updates, and async team communication
  • Excellent verbal communication, including facilitation, coaching, conflict resolution, and executive or cross-functional updates
  • Experience working with globally distributed teams, especially across India, Europe, and North America
  • Strong project and execution management skills, including planning, dependency tracking, prioritization, and risk management
  • A generalist mindset and willingness to engage across areas such as DevOps, AWS/cloud operations, data systems, infrastructure, quality, and delivery planning
  • Demonstrated ability to create team focus and accountability without over-prescribing solutions or slowing down strong ICs

Nice to have

  • AI/ML evaluation practices

What the JD emphasized

  • fast-changing technical environment
  • evolving norms around prototyping, evaluation, production readiness, quality, governance, and operational ownership
  • rapidly changing AI/ML engineering practices
  • ambiguous technical and organizational environments
  • applied AI changes how software and data products are built

Other signals

  • managing applied AI/ML-enabled systems
  • defining new ways of working for AI teams
  • navigating rapidly changing AI/ML engineering practices