Sr. Manager, AI & Machine Learning

AI AT ZAPIER At Zapier https://zapier.com/about, we build and use automation every day to make work more efficient, creative, and human. So if you’re using AI tools while applying here - that’s great! We just ask that you use them responsibly and transparently. Check out our guidance on How to Collaborate with AI During Zapier’s Hiring Process https://zapier.com/l/jobs/ai-at-zapier, including how to use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or others during our hiring process - and when not to. Job posted: 2/20/2026 Location: North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (Preferred Time Zone EST, PST, CST, MST) List of countries we can't hire from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VzesvLsgVG2RDRPtGvBF8CbcB9ZA-Hsddg0P2ildBb8/edit HI THERE! Are you ready to lead a dynamic and innovative team at the forefront of AI and Machine Learning? We’re thrilled to invite you to join the Data team at Zapier as a Senior Manager, Machine Learning & AI. You’ll play a critical role in shaping our AI & ML strategy, guiding the development and deployment of cutting-edge models, platforms, and tools, and empowering teams across Zapier to leverage AI & ML effectively. Your leadership will be instrumental in scaling our AI/ML capabilities and outcomes—balancing platform enablement work (that helps product teams build with AI/ML faster and more safely) with applied delivery work (that ships high-impact AI/ML solutions directly and through reusable AI/ML data products). You’ll partner closely with senior leaders across Product and Engineering to ensure our AI/ML investments deliver tangible business value and align with our overall company goals. - Our Commitment to Applicants https://zapier.com/jobs/our-commitment-to-applicants/ - Culture and Values at Zapier https://zapier.com/jobs/culture-and-values-at-zapier/ - Zapier Guide to Remote Work https://zapier.com/learn/remote-work/ - Zapier Code of Conduct https://zapier.com/jobs/zapier-code-of-conduct/ - Diversity and Inclusivity at Zapier https://zapier.com/jobs/working-on-diversity-and-inclusivity/ ABOUT YOU - You have 8+ years of experience in Machine Learning and AI with a track record of leading teams and projects that deliver high-impact solutions. You have experience leading the end-to-end lifecycle of ML projects, from ideation to deployment and monitoring, and are familiar with the challenges and opportunities in scaling ML/AI systems. - You possess strong leadership and strategic planning skills. You’ve successfully led technical teams - both engineers and managers - through ambiguity, set clear goals, and driven your organization to meet them. You have a knack for aligning AI/ML strategies with business objectives and can effectively communicate the value of these technologies to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. - You have deep technical expertise in ML/AI, including a strong understanding of model development, evaluation, data pipeline optimization, and deployment strategies. You’re well-versed in AI/ML frameworks and tools, and you can guide teams in selecting the right technologies and methodologies for each project—especially when balancing speed, safety, reliability, and cost. - You have a solid foundation in data and software engineering. You understand the importance of clean, reproducible code and are familiar with best practices in data engineering, MLOps/LLMOps, and CI/CD pipelines. - You operate at a portfolio level with strong product and business thinking: you proactively identify high-leverage opportunities for AI/ML (not just respond to known problems), translate them into a clear roadmap with measurable user and business outcomes, and build the cross-functional alignment and operating mechanisms needed to deliver impact at scale—communicating effectively with stakeholders across Product, Engineering, and beyond. - You understand that perfect is the enemy of good. You will default to action by initially shipping solutions that simply work and work simply while iterating as needed. - You are a coach at heart: You understand that leading a team is about coaching and mentoring people on stakeholder management, communication and other soft skills and you’re comfortable redirecting people gracefully when they could be on a better path. - You have helped people develop their career plans: You understand how to help people find their strengths and give them opportunities to grow and develop them. THINGS YOU’LL DO Zapier is a fast-growing and remote-first company, so you’ll get experience on many different projects to support our stakeholders. Here are some things you might get to help our teams with: • Lead and manage teams of AI & Machine Learning Engineers to deliver high-impact AI/ML initiatives that drive business value and align with company goals. • Own, execute, and iteratively evolve Zapier’s AI/ML strategy—ensuring our models, platforms, and tooling are scalable, reliable, and aligned with business needs, and continuously refining direction based on learnings, stakeholder input, and measurable outcomes. • Coach and guide your teams in the development and deployment of machine learning models and AI-enabled systems, providing technical expertise and strategic direction while maintaining a high bar for safety, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify opportunities for AI/ML to enhance our products and services, and to drive the integration of AI capabilities across the organization—whether through direct engagements with product teams or by enabling product teams via shared platforms and tools. • Foster a culture of innovation within the AI/ML org, encouraging experimentation and the adoption of new technologies and methodologies while keeping delivery pragmatic and value-focused. • Communicate AI/ML strategy, tradeoffs, and results with clarity—aligning stakeholders, accelerating decisions, and making measurable progress visible across the company. • Design and continuously run the operating rhythms that keep AI/ML execution predictable - regular prioritization and roadmap alignment, clear quality and launch bars, and tight cross-team coordination - so we consistently ship near-term wins while compounding long-term leverage through reuse and enablement. Our stack is best summed up by: Databricks, AWS(S3), Python/ Typescript, Kafka. HOW TO APPLY At Zapier, we believe that diverse perspectives and experiences make us better, which is why we have a non-standard application process designed to promote inclusion and equity. We're looking for the best fit for each of our roles, regardless of the type of companies in your background, so we encourage you to apply even if your skills and experiences don’t exactly match the job description. All we ask is that you answer a few in-depth questions in our application that would typically be asked at the start of an interview process. This helps speed things up by letting us get to know you and your skillset a bit better right out of the gate. Please be sure to answer each question; the resume and CV fields are optional. Education is not a requirement for our roles; however, if you receive an offer, you will need to include your most recent educational experience as part of our background check process. After you apply, you are going to hear back from us—even if we don’t see an immediate fit with our team. In fact, throughout the process, we strive to never go more than seven days without letting you know the status of your application. We know we’ll make mistakes from time to time, so if you ever have questions about where you stand or about the process, just ask your recruiter! Zapier is an equal-opportunity employer and we're excited to work with talented and empathetic people of all identities. Zapier does not discriminate based on someone's identity in any aspect of hiring or employment as required by law and in line with our commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging and Equity. Our code of conduct https://zapier.com/jobs/zapier-code-of-conduct provides a beacon for the kind of company we strive to be, and we celebrate our differences because those differences are what allow us to make a product that serves a global user base. Zapier will consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, consistent with applicable laws. Zapier prioritizes the security of our customers' information and is dedicated to adhering to all applicable data privacy laws. You can review our privacy policy here https://zapier.com/legal/data-privacy. Zapier is committed to inclusion. As part of this commitment, Zapier welcomes applications from individuals with disabilities and will work to provide reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodations are needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact jobs@zapier.com. APPLICATION DEADLINE: The anticipated application window is 30 days from the date job is posted, unless the number of applicants requires it to close sooner or later, or if the position is filled. Even though we’re an all-remote company, we still need to be thoughtful about where we have Zapiens working. Check out this resource https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VzesvLsgVG2RDRPtGvBF8CbcB9ZA-Hsddg0P2ildBb8/edit for a list of countries where we currently cannot have Zapiens permanently working.