Senior Director, Software Engineering (Machine Learning)

Who you are

You have over 15 years of experience in Machine Learning, AI, or related technical domains — you've successfully led teams and projects that leverage advanced technologies to drive business outcomes. Your leadership skills are complemented by a deep understanding of the machine learning lifecycle, from model development to deployment. You are adept at hiring and mentoring world-class engineers, fostering a culture of innovation and experimentation within your teams.

You possess a strong background in both traditional machine learning techniques and modern transformer-based models — you understand the nuances of balancing investments in these areas to meet business needs. Your experience includes collaborating with cross-functional teams, including product, risk, and compliance, to champion AI adoption in products and services.

You thrive in environments that require strategic vision and tactical execution — you can set a clear direction for machine learning initiatives while ensuring alignment with broader business goals. Your ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders is a key strength, enabling you to advocate for AI-driven solutions effectively.

Desirable

Experience with financial services or fintech is a plus, as is familiarity with regulatory considerations in AI applications. You are passionate about creating honest financial products that improve consumer experiences and are excited about the potential of machine learning to transform the industry.

What you'll do

As the Senior Director of Software Engineering at Affirm, you will set the vision for Machine Learning and AI across the organization — you will take ownership of the core model development lifecycle, ensuring that your team delivers impactful solutions in underwriting, fraud detection, servicing, and personalization. You will lead the hiring process for top-tier machine learning modelers and software engineers, building a team that excels in both technical skills and collaborative spirit.

You will work closely with product and business leadership to identify opportunities for AI adoption in existing and new products — your role will involve balancing investments in traditional machine learning and transformer-based models to meet the evolving needs of the business. You will evolve the machine learning platform to support increasing demands, focusing on training, tuning, and serving AI models efficiently.

You will establish a robust yet agile machine learning development lifecycle, fostering a culture of experimentation and rapid iteration — your leadership will encourage teams to embrace failure as a learning opportunity, driving innovation and continuous improvement. You will collaborate with a variety of cross-functional partners, ensuring that machine learning initiatives align with business objectives and regulatory requirements.

What we offer

At Affirm, you will be part of a mission-driven organization that is committed to reinventing credit — you will have the opportunity to make a significant impact on how consumers interact with financial products. We offer a competitive compensation package, including salary and benefits that reflect your experience and contributions. Join us in creating a more honest and friendly financial landscape, where machine learning plays a pivotal role in delivering value to our customers.