About Appen
Appen is a leader in AI enablement for critical tasks such as model improvement, supervision, and evaluation. To do this we leverage our global crowd of over one million skilled contractors, speaking over 180 languages and dialects, representing 130 countries. In addition, we utilize the industry's most advanced AI-assisted data annotation platform to collect and label various types of data like images, text, speech, audio, and video.
Our data is crucial for building and continuously improving the world's most innovative artificial intelligence systems and Appen is already trusted by the world's largest technology companies. Now with the explosion of interest in generative AI, Appen is helping leaders in automotive, financial services, retail, healthcare, and governments the confidence to deploy world-class AI products.
At Appen, we are purpose driven. Our fundamental role in AI is to ensure all models are helpful, honest, and harmless, so we firmly believe in unlocking the power of AI to build a better world. We have a learn-it-all culture that values perspective, growth, and innovation. We are customer-obsessed, action-oriented, and celebrate winning together.
At Appen, we are committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
We are seeking a seasoned, strategic, and hands-on Director of AI with a particular passion for Large Language Models (LLM) to lead our global, distributed team of Data Scientists and Machine Learning Engineers.
The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in AI, Data Science, and applied Machine Learning, with a focus around Generative AI. As a key member of our leadership team, you will work closely with the highest-level company executives, influencing and navigating the strategic direction of the company.
Your role as an exemplary practitioner will involve driving the design and deployment of cutting-edge generative models and AI solutions, as well as mentoring the team.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, mentor, and manage a global, distributed team of Data Scientists/Machine Learning Engineers.
- Work closely with company executives to influence and steer the strategic direction of the company's AI initiatives, with a particular focus on generative AI.
- Drive the design, development, and deployment of cutting-edge generative models and AI solutions.
- Foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and improvement within the team.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand business requirements and guide the team to provide data-driven solutions.
- Effectively communicate complex quantitative analyses and AI strategies to executive stakeholders and non-technical team members.
Required Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field. Advanced degree preferred.
- 8+ years of industry experience in AI, Machine Learning, and Data Science with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
- Proven experience in leading, managing, and mentoring high-performing data science teams.
- Deep knowledge and hands-on experience in Machine Learning, Data Science, and particularly Generative AI.
- Proficiency in Python and familiar with libraries like Pandas, Numpy, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch etc.
- Knowledge of SQL or similar database management systems.
- Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.
- Demonstrated leadership skills with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, startup-like environment, navigating complex decisions and driving impactful outcomes.
- Proven experience with Large Language Models (LLM).
- Excellent problem-solving skills, strategic thinking, and a proactive approach to challenges.
- Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts to a non-technical audience and influence top-tier executives.
Preferred Qualifications- Extensive experience with generative models such as GANs, and techniques like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN).
- Extensive experience in building, deploying, and managing production-ready generative models and machine learning models.
- Proven track record of successfully delivering generative AI projects from inception to deployment.
- Demonstrated ability to effectively lead and work in a distributed, global team setting.
- Proven experience in strategic planning and business development, with the ability to drive AI initiatives that align with the company's strategic goals.
Appen is the global leader in data for the AI Lifecycle with more than 25 years’ experience in data sourcing, annotation, and model evaluation. Through our expertise, platform, and global crowd, we enable organizations to launch the world’s most innovative artificial intelligence products with speed and at scale. Appen maintains the industry’s most advanced AI-assisted data annotation platform and boasts a global crowd of more than 1 million contributors worldwide, speaking more than 235 languages. Our products and services make Appen a trusted partner to leaders in technology, automotive, finance, retail, healthcare, and government. Appen has customers and offices globally.
