Director, Applied AI

Metropolis•New York, NY

7d•$225,000 - $265,000•Onsite

About The Position

Metropolis is seeking a Director of Applied AI to lead our newly formed Applied AI organization and architect an AI-first operating model from the ground up. You are a technical leader with a rare blend of engineering depth, organizational influence, and a relentless instinct for shipping production-ready systems. Reporting to senior leadership, you will define where AI creates the most leverage across our business—including finance, operations, and GTM—and build the high-performing team of AI Engineers and Process Analysts required to make that vision a reality. Your success will be measured by your ability to partner cross-functionally to redesign core processes, eliminating friction and delivering tangible outcomes in time savings and cost impact.

Requirements

7+ years of experience in software engineering, AI/ML, or technical product leadership
At least 2 years leading teams that shipped AI-powered systems in production
Maintain deep hands-on familiarity with LLMs, agentic workflows, and AI automation tooling such as OpenAI, LangChain, and vector databases
Demonstrate strong engineering skills and the ability to credibly review and guide technical decisions
Show a track record of driving organizational change through technology and ensuring tools are adopted for sustained impact
Apply experience working across functional boundaries to redesign processes with strong instincts for change management
Utilize excellent communication skills to distill complex AI concepts for a non-technical executive audience
Maintain a bias toward shipping by moving fast and setting clear expectations for high standards

Responsibilities

Own the Applied AI roadmap by identifying high-leverage opportunities to rebuild business processes across finance, operations, revenue, and GTM
Hire, develop, and lead a team of AI Engineers and Process Analysts while establishing a culture of fast iteration
Partner deeply with functional leaders to understand current work flows and design AI-first solutions to eliminate friction
Set standards for how the team designs, evaluates, and deploys AI workflows, including prompt systems and LLM integrations
Establish metrics for each process transformation and hold the team accountable to time savings, error reduction, and cost impact
Serve as the internal authority on applied AI capabilities, tooling trends, and emerging best practices
Present strategy, progress, and results to senior leadership and the executive team