Distinguished Engineer

Distinguished Engineer

San Francisco, CA; New York, NY

Job Description: Distinguished Engineer, Enterprise AI

Our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. The Enterprise AI business delivers performant, reliable, and production-grade AI applications to enterprises across all industries by providing Generative AI expertise and infrastructure.

The Role

We're seeking a Distinguished Engineer - a hands-on technical leader operating at the VP level - to shape the vision and technical roadmap of our core AI/ML infrastructure that powers enterprise AI applications. Reporting directly to the SVP of Engineering, Enterprise AI, this individual will drive long-term technical direction for our Scale GenerativeAI Platform (SGP), influence architectural decisions across the company, and partner closely with engineering and product leaders to bring advanced AI capabilities to enterprise customers.

You'll serve as a cross-organizational thought leader - setting standards for technical excellence, mentoring senior engineers, and ensuring our systems and models meet the demands of global-scale deployment. This is a rare opportunity to influence both foundational AI infrastructure and the enterprise AI applications built on top of it.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the technical strategy for Scale's AI/ML infrastructure and SGP platform, balancing short and long-term investments.
• Partner with senior engineering and product leadership to ensure scalable, secure, and performant enterprise AI systems.
• Lead architecture and design reviews across multiple teams, ensuring technical consistency and innovation.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and mentor to principal engineers and technical leads across the organization.
• Evaluate and integrate emerging technologies in AI, distributed systems, and data infrastructure to keep Scale at the frontier of innovation.
• Represent Scale externally in the AI community - through speaking engagements, partnerships, and thought leadership.
• Drive technical execution and accountability for critical cross-functional initiatives that advance Scale's enterprise AI capabilities.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience as a technical software engineering leader.
• Proven record of technical leadership at AI-native companies, hyperscalers, or equivalent high-scale environments.
• Deep technical expertise in AI/ML infrastructure, knowledge of ML models/algorithm design/implementation and their application to real-world problems; experience with GenAI preferred.
• Demonstrated success in setting technical vision and leading cross-organizational initiatives with measurable business impact.
• Experience influencing and mentoring engineering teams in complex, matrixed environments.
• Ability to communicate and collaborate effectively to create a shared sense of vision or purpose cross-team and cross-functionality.
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field preferred but not required.

Culture & Impact

At Scale, we believe that AI should amplify human potential - and our engineering culture reflects that belief. Our teams operate at the intersection of innovation, rigor, and impact, solving some of the hardest problems in AI infrastructure and deployment.

The Distinguished Engineer will play a key role in shaping how AI systems are built, deployed, and governed within enterprise environments. This role represents the highest bar of technical excellence at Scale - a trusted voice in setting direction, enabling innovation, and ensuring that our technology scales responsibly and effectively to meet the evolving needs of our customers.

You'll have the opportunity to influence company-wide strategy, contribute to industry-leading work in generative AI infrastructure, and mentor the next generation of engineering talent pushing the boundaries of what's possible with AI.

Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position and may be inclusive of several career levels at Scale; it will be determined during the interview process based on work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You'll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.

$285,200 - $356,500 USD

PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.