Why This Job is Featured on The SaaS Jobs
Applied ML leadership roles are becoming a defining layer of modern SaaS, particularly as enterprise software vendors embed LLM capabilities into core workflows rather than treating AI as an add-on. This Machine Learning Manager position sits in that intersection: translating frontier-model capabilities into dependable, customer-facing systems that can be deployed in real production environments. The remit spans applied research, productization, and customer delivery—an increasingly common shape for AI-first SaaS companies serving developers and enterprises.
From a SaaS career perspective, the role offers durable leverage: building repeatable ML platforms, setting evaluation and reliability standards, and aligning technical roadmaps with customer outcomes. Managing an Applied ML function also develops the operating skills that matter in subscription software—prioritization across multiple stakeholders, creating reusable components that reduce marginal delivery cost, and establishing processes that scale beyond individual heroics.
This role tends to fit leaders who enjoy being close to both the technology and the customer problem, and who are comfortable guiding teams through ambiguity while keeping delivery quality high. It will resonate with managers who want to remain technically credible, partner tightly with Product, and treat deployment constraints as first-class design inputs rather than afterthoughts.
The section above is editorial commentary from The SaaS Jobs, provided to help SaaS professionals understand the role in a broader industry context.
Job Description
Who are we?
Our mission is to scale intelligence to serve humanity. We’re training and deploying frontier models for developers and enterprises who are building AI systems to power magical experiences like content generation, semantic search, RAG, and agents. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI.
We obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. We like to work hard and move fast to do what’s best for our customers.
Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are passionate about their craft. Each person is one of the best in the world at what they do. We believe that a diverse range of perspectives is a requirement for building great products.
Join us on our mission and shape the future!
Why Join Us?
At Cohere, we’re not building AI for novelty—we’re solving real, hard problems for enterprise customers. Join us if you’re excited about working at the intersection of frontier AI and practical impact.
We are looking for a Machine Learning Manager to help lead our Applied ML team in building and delivering cutting-edge AI solutions tailored for enterprise customers. This is a high-impact leadership role that combines strategic direction, technical oversight, and customer collaboration. You’ll manage a world-class team of ML engineers focused on building scalable, production-grade systems—working across modalities and domains such as reasoning, code, RAG, tools, and agents.
The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in AI/ML, a strong track record of building and mentoring high-performing teams, and the ability to turn complex technical capabilities into real business outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
Define and drive the long-term vision for the Applied ML team in alignment with Cohere’s product and business goals.
Shape the roadmap for custom model development, fine-tuning, and advanced implementations that address nuanced enterprise challenges.
Collaborate closely with executive leadership to prioritize high-impact initiatives and strategic customer engagements.
Team Management
Lead and grow a high-performing team of ML engineers through hiring, coaching, and mentorship.
Foster a culture of ownership, innovation, and continuous learning.
Establish and evolve team processes to maximize productivity and execution speed.
Product & Technical Innovation
Partner with Product to define and deliver novel, scalable ML solutions that differentiate Cohere in the market.
Guide the development of reusable frameworks and abstractions that streamline deployment across customer use cases.
Oversee performance optimization and evaluation of models in real-world enterprise environments.
Customer Engagement
Ideal Candidate Profile
Experience
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related field (Master’s or PhD preferred).
8+ years in AI/ML, including several years in technical leadership roles.
Proven success leading large ML teams and delivering complex AI solutions at scale.
Experience with enterprise deployments, including custom model development and fine-tuning.
Technical Expertise
Deep understanding of LLMs, their training, deployment, and real-world constraints.
Hands-on experience with RAG pipelines, agentic systems, and multi-modal applications.
Proficiency in ML frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
Familiarity with modern cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and ML infrastructure best practices.
Strategic & Business Acumen
Communication & Leadership
Exceptional communicator, capable of aligning technical execution with business goals.
Experienced mentor who inspires excellence, collaboration, and growth in technical teams.
If some of the above doesn’t line up perfectly with your experience, we still encourage you to apply!
We value and celebrate diversity and strive to create an inclusive work environment for all. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to providing equal opportunities. Should you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please submit an Accommodations Request Form, and we will work together to meet your needs.
Full-Time Employees at Cohere enjoy these Perks:
🤝 An open and inclusive culture and work environment
🧑💻 Work closely with a team on the cutting edge of AI research
🍽 Weekly lunch stipend, in-office lunches & snacks
🦷 Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget to take care of your mental health
🐣 100% Parental Leave top-up for up to 6 months
🎨 Personal enrichment benefits towards arts and culture, fitness and well-being, quality time, and workspace improvement
🏙 Remote-flexible, offices in Toronto, New York, San Francisco, London and Paris, as well as a co-working stipend
✈️ 6 weeks of vacation (30 working days!)
