SharkNinja is a global product design and technology company, with a diversified portfolio of lifestyle solutions. Powered by two trusted brands, Shark and Ninja, the company has a proven track record of bringing disruptive innovation to market. Headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts with more than 3,600 associates, SharkNinja sells products at key retailers, online and offline, and through distributors around the world. Overview The Director of ML and AI leads SharkNinja’s enterprise-wide machine learning strategy, delivery, and operations. This role partners with the AI Product Manager to translate business priorities into scalable AI systems that deliver measurable business impact. The Director builds and manages high-performing ML engineering and MLOps teams, sets standards for responsible AI, and ensures SharkNinja’s AI platforms are secure, reliable, and cost-effective. The role is accountable for leveraging Capex investments to deliver high-return AI capabilities and for managing key partnerships and vendor relationships to accelerate delivery. Responsibilities Strategy & Vision - Define and own the ML/AI strategy aligned with enterprise objectives, balancing near-term value and long-term scalability. Partner with AI Product Management on roadmap prioritization and resource allocation. Serve as executive advisor on AI/ML trends, vendor landscape, and technology adoption. ML Engineering & Delivery - Lead development of production-grade ML systems (predictive models, recommendation engines, generative AI apps). Build reusable components (feature stores, vector databases, evaluation frameworks). Ensure models meet KPIs for accuracy, latency, cost, and business impact. Directly manage the allocation of Capex funds to maximize ROI in platforms, tooling, and engineering capacity. ML Ops & Platform Standards - Establish enterprise MLOps practices (CI/CD, automated testing, monitoring, retraining). Define standards for data quality, model observability, prompt/version management, and reproducibility. Partner with Security, Legal, and Data Governance to enforce safety, privacy, and compliance. Build vs. Buy - Lead technical due diligence and financial modeling for AI/ML investments. Collaborate with Product Management on vendor evaluations and build vs. buy decisions. Publish decision logs with risks and contingency plans. Cross-Functional Integration - Partner with Platform, Data Engineering, and Enterprise MDM to ensure AI solutions are built on trusted, standardized data. Lead technical design for API-first and event-driven integrations across ERP, CRM, and eCommerce systems. Partners & Vendors - Own relationships with key AI/ML technology vendors and service providers. Negotiate contracts, SLAs, and deliverables. Run proofs of value and ensure third-party contributions meet enterprise standards. Build strategic alliances with cloud providers, model vendors, and consultancies to accelerate delivery. Talent & Culture - Recruit, mentor, and retain ML engineers, data scientists, and MLOps specialists. Foster a culture of experimentation, transparency, and measurable impact. Qualifications Required: 7 years in applied machine learning and AI leadership roles. Proven record delivering enterprise-scale ML solutions tied to measurable outcomes. Deep expertise in ML engineering, data science, and MLOps. Hands-on experience with cloud AI/ML stacks (AWS, Azure, GCP), modern data platforms (Snowflake, dbt), and vector search/RAG. Demonstrated ability to lead build vs. buy evaluations and present recommendations to executives. Strong executive communication and stakeholder leadership. Preferred Qualifications Experience in consumer goods, retail, or eCommerce optimization (e.g., Amazon marketplace, ad spend optimization). Experience with Salesforce Cloud suite and customer data platforms. Exposure to LLMOps frameworks, guardrail tooling, and prompt engineering. Familiarity with regulatory compliance and data privacy in AI systems. 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. If you thrive on breaking out of your swim lane, you’ll be right at home. What We Offer We offer competitive health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, employee stock purchase options, wellness programs, SharkNinja product discounts, and more. We empower your personal and professional growth with high impact learning programs featuring bold voices redefining what’s possible. When you join, you’re not just part of a company—you’re part of an outrageously extraordinary community. Together, we won’t just launch products—we’ll disrupt entire markets. Equity & Inclusion Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vital to our global success. We value every unique voice and believe blending diverse skills strengthens SharkNinja’s innovation. We support all associates in bringing their authentic selves to work, with career acceleration opportunities. We are committed to equity as a key component of 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. We 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 accommodations@sharkninja.com None of the hiring team will have access to your responses in the U.S. Standard Demographic Questions section; participation is optional and used to support our diversity and inclusion goals. For more information about data handling, please review our Candidate Privacy Notice. J-18808-Ljbffr