Head of Machine Learning & AI

Discord is looking for an experienced senior leader to lead ML/AI across the company! ML improves how people experience Discord, keeps people safe, and improves our understanding of the ecosystem. As Head of ML/AI, you will report directly to the VP of Data+ML and establish and drive a vision for how we use ML across the complete suite of company departments to transform our business. If you're passionate about applied ML, impact, and leading an amazing team, read on!

• Develop and implement a vision for how ML/AI is used across Discord
• Partner with team members, Product, and executives to identify opportunities to improve the user experience, keep users safe, improve internal operations, and improve our understanding of the Discord ecosystem
• Partner with our Data & ML Platform teams to identify opportunities to improve our infrastructure
• Evolve a world-class ML team of various functions that values impact, principled solutions, and innovation

• 12+ years experience in applied machine learning
• 5+ years experience leading teams and have managed a team of teams
• Experience hiring and growing senior talent, from individual contributors to leaders
• Excellent communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences, with an ability to explain complex concepts in easy-to-understand ways and navigate ambiguous environments where problems are not well-defined (and evolve quickly)
• Experience being a creative and proactive “ML entrepreneur” - working with partners across the company to identify & prioritize high-value opportunities where ML can provide unique value
• Recent experience being a “hands-on” leader - we’re looking for someone who can work with senior executives (e.g. C-suite) to plan roadmaps & strategy, while also being effective in reviewing their team’s work, brainstorm on architecture, and so on
• Proficiency with the common industry data & ML tools - e.g. Python, Vertex, Argo.
• A desire to work with amazing, passionate people who care about solving challenging problems to improve Discord.
• Last but not least - a collaborative attitude and natural curiosity.

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Bonus Points

• Passion for Discord and gaming
• Direct experience applying ML to solve both offline & online problems, with a focus on building simple solutions quickly and optimizing over time
• Experience collaborating with data science, data engineering, and product engineering teams
• Experience collaborating with platform teams to set roadmaps that improve efficiency, cost, and scale

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $373,000 to $448,000 + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include equity, or benefits.

About Us

Discord is a voice, video and text app that helps friends and communities come together to hang out and explore their interests — from artists and activists, to study groups, sneakerheads, plant parents, and more. With 150 million monthly users across 19 million active communities, called servers, Discord has grown to become one of the most popular communications services in the world. Discord was built without selling ads or user data and instead, offers a premium subscription called Nitro that gives users special perks like higher quality streams and fun customizations.

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We’re working toward an inclusive world where no one feels like an outsider, where genuine human connection is a click, text chat, or voice call away. A place where everyone can find belonging. Challenging? Heck yes. Rewarding? Double heck yes. It’s a mission that gives us the chance to positively impact millions of people all over the world. So if this strikes a chord with you, come build belonging with us!

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