Manager, Technical Program Management (Search & AI Foundations)

Airbnb
United States
21 days ago

Role details

Contract type
Permanent contract
Employment type
Full-time (> 32 hours)
Experience level
Expert
Experience required
8 years minimum
Compensation
$232,000.0 - $282,000.0
Working hours
Regular working hours

Tech stack

A/B Testing Artificial Intelligence Big Data Decision Support Systems Iterative and Incremental Development Machine Learning Recommender Systems Large Language Models AI Platforms Machine Learning Operations

Job description

Lead and mentor TPMs to deliver AI platform initiatives across search relevance, recommendation systems, and ML infrastructure. Align stakeholders, define measurable success criteria, manage risks and dependencies, drive execution, and present outcomes to senior leadership. Partner with ML, infrastructure, and product teams to shape technical direction and accelerate data-driven AI initiatives. The summary above was generated by AI

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

The Community You Will Join:

Airbnb’s mission is to create a world where people can Belong Anywhere. As we grow to achieve that mission, we’re looking to add a technical, hands-on, and mission-driven Senior Manager of Technical Program Management (TPM) for the Infrastructure team to lead AI Platforms initiatives spanning Search Relevance, Machine Learning Infrastructure (MLI), and Search Knowledge Infrastructure (SKI). This person will partner with our engineering & product teams to build/enhance data-driven decision making across multiple areas in Airbnb. They will partner closely with senior ICs and engineering directors across Airbnb on processes, strategy and execution.

In this role, you will collaborate closely with the Machine Learning (ML) engineers, infrastructure engineers and product managers from across Airbnb to develop holistic solutions that ensure a vibrant and equitable marketplace.

The Search Relevance, Machine Learning Infrastructure (MLI), and Search Knowledge Infrastructure (SKI) teams power the ranking, recommendations, model infrastructure, and search intelligence capabilities that make up a core part of Airbnb’s AI Platforms, including: Search Ranking for Stays, Experiences, and Services, Home Page Recommendations, Search Bar AutoSuggest and Autocomplete, Marketing Technology, and the ML infrastructure and platform capabilities that support them. The team also creates the fabric for personalization and the underlying model infrastructure, used both on and off platform for Airbnb. We collaborate with many teams including Search Infrastructure, Guest and Host Experiences, MDX, Marketing, CS, and Trust, and many more.

We are looking for a candidate with a robust technical background who deeply understands the problem space, drives requirements, and leverages their AI/ML expertise to resolve strategic challenges that align with Airbnb’s larger goals.

The Difference You Will Make:

Our team of TPMs demonstrate ownership, apply skills in whatever combination necessary, and make order out of chaos to achieve the desired outcome. We work hard to ensure teams understand what they have to deliver and by when. We are responsible for aligning teams, identifying or highlighting dependencies, recognizing and resolving ambiguity, setting expectations, anticipating risk, identifying and removing roadblocks, and ensuring the desired business goals are achieved. We are looking for people who share our passion for tackling complexity head-on while building a world class team of Technical Program Managers.

A Typical Day:

  • Shape and influence the technical direction of projects, ensuring we meet stakeholder needs while maintaining high-quality standards. Rapidly prototype and validate project ideas through iterative development cycles, adapting as necessary based on insights and data.
  • Balance broad, outcome-driven thinking with attention to critical details, exercising sound judgment to prioritize where deep focus is necessary to ensure successful execution.
  • Define and secure stakeholder alignment on clear, measurable success criteria to accelerate AI initiatives. Regularly assess risks and opportunities, and devise proactive mitigation strategies to maintain momentum and project success.
  • Maintain transparent and effective communication channels to keep stakeholders informed of progress, developments, and challenges.
  • Expertly present outcomes and updates to senior leadership, clearly and comprehensively articulating trade-offs, risks, and emerging opportunities., The VP of Agentic Systems will lead data science research and development, focusing on AI systems to enhance cybersecurity operations, requiring strong leadership and collaboration across technical teams.

Requirements

  • 13+ years in technical program management function, with at least 8 years of experience leading and mentoring a team of TPMs, creating a culture of inclusiveness and sustainability
  • Demonstrated experience in search relevance, natural language search, and recommendation systems. Experience with applying GenAI/LLM technologies on search is a plus.
  • Demonstrated ability to work through ambiguity to detailed solutions. You can take a vague problem, crisply frame the challenge, identify a path forward, and drive an initiative over the finish-line.
  • Self-motivated, proactive and proven ability to adapt well and work with teams having different operating cadences.
  • Sound business judgment, a proven ability to influence others, strong analytical skills, and a track record of taking ownership, leading data driven analyses, and influencing results
  • Experience with ML models, LLMs, LRMs, feature development, model testing and resource management to support the development of AI-powered product experiences.
  • Familiar with A/B testing, incremental delivery and deployment.
  • Ability to ramp up quickly and learn new technologies with minimal lag time.
  • Excellent written and oral business communication and people skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders.

Benefits & conditions

Our job titles may span more than one career level. The actual base pay is dependent upon many factors, such as: training, transferable skills, work experience, business needs and market demands. The base pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. This role may also be eligible for bonus, equity, benefits, and Employee Travel Credits. Pay Range $232,000-$282,000 USD, An Hour Ago Remote or Hybrid 87K-120K Annually Mid level 87K-120K Annually Mid level Big Data * Food * Hardware * Machine Learning * Retail * Automation * Manufacturing Lead end-to-end recruitment for enabling functions: partner with hiring managers, source active and passive candidates, manage candidate experience, assess and close hires, build talent pools, and drive continuous improvement and SLA performance alongside TA leads and coordinators. Mondelēz International

Sr. Talent Advisor, Enabling Functions

An Hour Ago Remote or Hybrid 97K-134K Annually Senior level 97K-134K Annually Senior level Big Data * Food * Hardware * Machine Learning * Retail * Automation * Manufacturing Lead end-to-end recruitment for enabling functions: partner with hiring managers, source active and passive talent, manage candidate experience, support offers and internal moves, build talent pools, coach managers, and drive continuous improvement and SLA/quality metrics in collaboration with BU TA and People Experience leads.

What you need to know about the Colorado Tech Scene

With a business-friendly climate and research universities like CU Boulder and Colorado State, Colorado has made a name for itself as a startup ecosystem. The state boasts a skilled workforce and high quality of life thanks to its affordable housing, vibrant cultural scene and unparalleled opportunities for outdoor recreation. Colorado is also home to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, helping cement its status as a hub for renewable energy innovation.

Key Facts About Colorado Tech

  • Number of Tech Workers: 260,000; 8.5% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
  • Major Tech Employers: Lockheed Martin, Century Link, Comcast, BAE Systems, Level 3
  • Key Industries: Software, artificial intelligence, aerospace, e-commerce, fintech, healthtech
  • Funding Landscape: $4.9 billion in VC funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
  • Notable Investors: Access Venture Partners, Ridgeline Ventures, Techstars, Blackhorn Ventures
  • Research Centers and Universities: Colorado School of Mines, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Denver, Colorado State University, Mesa Laboratory, Space Science Institute, National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Gottlieb Institute

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