Sr. Manager, Machine Learning
Adobe · San Francisco, California, United States · $161K–$318K/yr
Software Development · 10,001+ employees
About the role
Lead a team of ML engineers to build model, agent, and inference systems for a new AI-first web product. Drive architectural decisions regarding model routing, latency, and safety while managing the end-to-end ML production stack.
What they look for
Requirements
Requires a BS/MS in Computer Science with 10+ years of software/ML engineering experience and 3+ years of leadership experience. Must have deep technical expertise in LLM stacks, model serving, or AI evaluation infrastructure.
Full description
The Opportunity
Changing the world through digital experiences is what Adobe's all about. We give everyone — from emerging artists to global brands — everything they need to design and deliver exceptional digital experiences.
We are building a new-generation, AI-first web application in the rapidly emerging "vibe coding" category — where users describe intent in natural language and an intelligent assistant collaborates with them to design, generate, and refine on the web. This is a strategic, greenfield bet, and we are hiring a Senior Manager, Machine Learning Engineering to lead the ML engineering team behind it in the US.
This is an outstanding opportunity for a hands-on technical leader who wants to build a senior ML engineering team from the ground up, set the technical direction for the agentic and model-serving systems that sit at the core of the product, and ship to real users early and often. You will work alongside product, design, applied research, and partner engineering teams across Adobe, and play a pivotal role in defining how AI-native creative tools get built at Adobe.
What you'll do
- Lead a team of machine learning engineers building the model, agent, and inference systems that power a new AI-first web product — set the bar, the operating rhythm, and the culture.
- Partner closely with product management, design, and applied research to translate product intent into a credible ML roadmap; balance speed and quality to ship iteratively to real users.
- Drive the right architectural calls for an agent-native product — model and tool routing, latency and cost, evaluation and telemetry, safety and trust — in partnership with the broader Adobe AI platform.
- Own production excellence for the ML stack: reliability, performance, observability, and a tight loop from field signal back into evaluation.
- Play a pivotal role in attracting, hiring, onboarding, and retaining exceptional engineers through mentorship, and grow them professionally and personally.
- Encourage collaboration and shared accomplishments by maintaining an environment that values partnership and celebrates achievements.
- Rely on a combination of data and your instincts to make informed decisions and drive the team's progress quickly; your ability to balance speed and quality will be instrumental in achieving our goals.
- Champion engineering excellence, contributing to the architecture of the product and ensuring it is built with high quality and a great user experience in mind.
What you'll need to succeed
- BS or MS in Computer Science or equivalent experience.
- 10+ years of experience in software / ML engineering, with a demonstrated understanding of software development principles, practices, and methodologies.
- 3+ years leading engineering teams, including managing senior ICs; a track record of hiring and growing high-performing teams in the US market.
- Strong technical depth in ML engineering — at least one of: modern LLM / agent application stacks, model serving and inference optimization, retrieval and tool-use systems, or evaluation infrastructure for AI products.
- Background shipping AI-powered features in customer-facing web products; comfortable reasoning about both the model side and the application side of the stack.
- Proven ability to drive consensus on requirements, ensure timely decision-making, provide guidance, prioritize tasks, and optimize scope and time.
- Excellent social and communication skills; able to effectively communicate ideas and influence others across product, design, research, and engineering — including across geographies and timezones.
- Passion for learning, sharing of new ideas, and creative thinking to provide innovative solutions to challenges.
- Embrace generative and AI-assisted coding and architectural patterns, and be eager to learn and adapt as development tools continue to evolve.
- Thrive in a fast-paced, agile environment.
- Ideal but not required: prior experience with creative tools, design systems, code generation, or developer-facing AI products.
About Adobe
Adobe empowers everyone to create through innovative platforms and tools that unleash creativity, productivity and personalized customer experiences. Adobe’s industry-leading offerings including Adobe Acrobat Studio, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Creative Cloud, Adobe Experience Platform, Adobe Experience Manager, and GenStudio enable people and businesses to turn ideas into impact, powered by AI and driven by human ingenuity.
Our 30,000+ employees worldwide are creating the future and raising the bar as we drive the next decade of growth. We’re on a mission to hire the very best and believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. At Adobe, we believe that great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. The next big idea could be yours.
Let’s Adobe together
At Adobe, we believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. Learn more about Adobe life, including our values and culture, focus on people, purpose and community, Adobe for All, comprehensive benefits programs, the stories we tell, the customers we serve, and how you can help us advance our mission of empowering everyone to create.
Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Learn more.
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AI Use Guidelines for Interviews: Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording tools during live interviews is not permitted unless explicitly invited by the interviewer or approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation. If these tools are used inappropriately or in a way that misrepresents your work, your application may not move forward in the process.
At Adobe, we empower employees to innovate with AI — and we look for candidates eager to do the same. As part of the hiring experience, we provide clear guidance on where AI is encouraged during the process and where it’s restricted during live interviews. See how we think about AI in the hiring experience.
Expected Pay Range:
Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $160,900 -- $317,775 annually. Pay within this range varies by work location and may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process.
In California, the pay range for this position is $219,500 - $317,775
At Adobe, for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC = base + commission), and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans. Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP).
In addition, certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.
State-Specific Notices:
California:
Fair Chance Ordinances
Adobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.
Colorado:
Application Window Notice
If this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting), the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time, in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location, no specific application window applies, and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.
Massachusetts:
Massachusetts Legal Notice
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.