Manager - AI Software Engineering

About the job :

At Curriculum Associates, we believe in the potential of every child and are changing the face of education technology with award-winning learning programs like i-Ready that serve a third of the nations K8 students.

For more than 50 years, our commitment to making classrooms better places, serving educators, and supporting accessible learning experiences for all students has driven the continuous improvement of our innovative programs.

Our team of more than 2,500 employees is composed of lifelong learners who stand behind this mission, working tirelessly to serve the educational community with world-class programs and support every day.

Are you an experienced AI leader with a passion for building intelligent, impactful education solutions? Curriculum Associates is seeking a dynamic and technically skilled SW Engineering Manager- AI to lead and grow our AI/ML teams.

In this role, you will manage talented AI engineers and data scientists, guiding them in building reliable, scalable, and high-quality AI systems that empower educators and students nationwide.

The SW Engineering Manager AI is responsible for bringing new AI-powered capabilities to market and enhancing existing products by setting technical direction, coordinating risk and priorities across teams and vendors, shaping AI architecture and model strategy, managing people, and collaborating closely with product and research partners on delivery.

Responsibilities :

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of AI/ML engineers and data scientists, fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment.

• Lead AI initiatives, in partnership with Product and vendor teams, to deliver intelligent learning experiences across CA products.

• Collaborate with product managers, UX, research, and engineering stakeholders to define AI roadmaps and ensure timely delivery of features.

• Partner with Product to prioritize model functionality, technical debt, experimentation, and production issues across sprints in an agile environment.

• Drive best practices in AI development, including model quality, evaluation, explainability, documentation, and deployment.

• Develop and execute plans to scale AI systems for performance, reliability, and responsible use while addressing business needs.

• Ensure alignment of team goals with organizational objectives and promote a culture of continuous improvement.

• Identify and mitigate risks related to model performance, data quality, bias, and privacy, and provide solutions to technical challenges.

• Act as a technical leader by staying current with emerging AI trends and ensuring adoption of relevant tools and technologies.

• Research, evaluate, help select, and implement AI frameworks, platforms, and modeling approaches.

• Focus the team on success, unblock issues, escalate as needed, and build strong relationships with peers and partners.

• Streamline AI development and MLOps processes to drive efficiency and continuous delivery.

• Propose staffing plans to support annual budgeting and hiring needs.

• Support, remediate, and communicate AI production issues, model releases, and monitoring outcomes.

Qualifications :

• Strong technical background in AI/ML, data science, or applied machine learning, including experience with modern ML frameworks and pipelines.

• Experience building, deploying, and maintaining production AI systems at scale.

• Familiarity with cloud platforms and MLOps practices.

• Familiarity with responsible AI, data governance, and model evaluation best practices.

• Proven ability to coach and mentor AI practitioners at different levels of experience.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to align technical execution with business and educational priorities.

• Experience managing projects using Agile methodologies in a fast-paced environment.

• Strong desire for self-development and mentoring team members.

• Ability to work with outside vendor partners.

• Ability to build technical documentation and contribute to operational excellence.

• Passion for building technology that makes an impact in the education sector.

Preferred Qualifications :

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).

• 8 - 10+ years of experience in AI/ML or data-focused roles, with 3 - 4+ years of experience managing or leading teams.

• Experience with LLMs, NLP, or generative AI systems.

• Experience working with large-scale data platforms or SaaS products.

• Familiarity with education technology and the unique challenges of developing AI solutions for teachers and students.

Why Join Us :

At Curriculum Associates, you will be part of a mission-driven organization committed to improving education for all students.

We value creativity, diversity, and innovation in our work culture.

We offer competitive benefits, opportunities for professional growth, and the chance to make a meaningful impact on students and educators around the world.