Sr Engineering Manager - Advanced AI (Applied ML, LLMs, Deep Learning)

Target • Brooklyn Park, MN

4d • $132,000 - $238,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Target’s Advanced AI team builds end-to-end AI/ML systems that create meaningful business value across the enterprise. These systems may be powered by LLMs, classical machine learning, or deep learning models and are designed as scalable, reliable, production-grade applications, including agentic architectures where they add clear value. As a Sr Engineering Manager for Advanced AI, you will lead a full-stack engineering team responsible for building, deploying, and maintaining high-quality AI/ML applications. Your team will include AI/ML Engineers, Full-Stack Software Engineers and Data Engineers working closely with Applied Data Scientists, Product partners, platform teams, security teams and business stakeholders. You will guide technical decisions across architecture, infrastructure, data, APIs, application design, reliability, observability, and security, while ensuring solutions comply with Target’s enterprise requirements for infrastructure, platform architecture, security, data handling, and operational readiness. You will also help define and evolve the technical roadmap for AI applications, balancing speed, quality, scalability, maintainability and business impact. This role requires strong coaching and talent development, including mentoring engineers across AI/ML engineering, full-stack software engineering and data engineering. You will manage multiple stakeholders and leader expectations by creating clarity around priorities, risks, tradeoffs, dependencies and outcomes. You will also stay current with developments in AI, machine learning, LLMs, agentic systems, and enterprise AI patterns, helping the team apply relevant advances thoughtfully. A successful Sr Engineering Manager in this role will help develop, own, and maintain multiple scalable AI applications that create measurable business value. Core responsibilities of this job are articulated within this job description. Job duties may change at any time due to business needs.

Requirements

• 4-year degree or equivalent industry experience
• 7+ years of engineering experience including hands-on software development experience
• 3+ years of experience managing engineering teams with a strong track record of delivering complex, cross-functional technology initiatives
• Experience leading or working closely with teams of Data Scientists, AI/ML Engineers, Software Engineers and Data Engineers
• Strong technical understanding of modern AI/ML application development including building and operating end-to-end systems in production (ML Ops)
• Demonstrated experience with LLM-powered applications, agentic architectures, applied machine learning systems, data-intensive applications, or intelligent automation solutions
• Strong proficiency with Python programming
• Experience designing, building and operating scalable APIs, services, data pipelines, applications and data platforms
• Strong understanding of cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, observability, reliability engineering, secure software development and enterprise technology standards
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to engineers, applied data scientist, stakeholders and Sr leadership
• Demonstrated ability to manage ambiguity, align stakeholders, influence technical direction and drive clarity across competing priorities
• Passion for coaching, mentoring, talent development, and building inclusive, high-performing global engineering teams
• Successful track record of working in large enterprise technology ecosystems leading complex technology teams
• Deep understanding of agile development processes and methodology including continuous integration and delivery, with a mindset of building incrementally and delivering business value quickly

Nice To Haves

• Experience with additional languages such as Java, Kotlin, Go, TypeScript, or similar a plus

Responsibilities

• Lead a full-stack engineering team responsible for building, deploying, and maintaining high-quality AI/ML applications.
• Guide technical decisions across architecture, infrastructure, data, APIs, application design, reliability, observability, and security.
• Ensure solutions comply with Target’s enterprise requirements for infrastructure, platform architecture, security, data handling, and operational readiness.
• Define and evolve the technical roadmap for AI applications, balancing speed, quality, scalability, maintainability and business impact.
• Develop, own, and maintain multiple scalable AI applications that create measurable business value.
• Coach and mentor engineers across AI/ML engineering, full-stack software engineering and data engineering.
• Manage multiple stakeholders and leader expectations by creating clarity around priorities, risks, tradeoffs, dependencies and outcomes.
• Stay current with developments in AI, machine learning, LLMs, agentic systems, and enterprise AI patterns, helping the team apply relevant advances thoughtfully.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health benefits and programs (medical, vision, dental, life insurance)
• 401(k)
• Employee discount
• Short term disability
• Long term disability
• Paid sick leave
• Paid national holidays
• Paid vacation

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: Associate degree