Head of Data & AI

AERDF

$150K — $180K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Strong experience in data science or applied AI/ML with real-world product deployments.
  • Ability to contribute hands-on while providing leadership and mentorship.
  • Deep knowledge of machine learning, AI, and data infrastructure design.
  • Proven track record in developing reusable data models and technical frameworks.
  • Experience with software engineering teams to integrate AI into production products.
  • Understanding of the AI development lifecycle including data processing and deployment.
  • Skills in building collaborative technical foundations across diverse teams.

Responsibilities

  • Lead development of reusable data modeling approaches and technical infrastructure.
  • Build shared libraries and open-source frameworks for educational prototypes.
  • Transform bespoke implementations into generalizable solutions across products.
  • Identify new technical approaches to de-risk innovation processes.
  • Ensure data science initiatives support shared goals within the AugmentED ecosystem.
  • Integrate research-grade models into the core platform with the engineering team.
  • Manage a team of 3-6 data science consultants and foster a collaborative culture.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to shape the future of education.
  • A mission-driven, collaborative culture.
Full Job Description
Summary
AugmentED, an AERDF-supported AI and education initiative, seeks a Head of Data + AI to lead the strategy and technical foundations that power our research and products. You'll build the reusable data models, infrastructure, and AI frameworks that underpin our R&D efforts, translate research into scalable tools and platforms, and lead collaborations across internal teams and university partners. We're looking for a hands-on technical leader with deep expertise in AI and data science, experience turning cutting-edge research into reusable technologies, and a passion for creating technology that expands opportunity in education.

Key Responsibilities

Data Science Leadership:
  • Lead the development of reusable data modeling approaches and robust technical infrastructure.
  • Build out the shared libraries, models, and open-source frameworks upon which our educational prototypes are built.
  • Transform bespoke or lab-based implementations into generalizable solutions across multiple products.
  • Identify new technical approaches that de-risk innovation and accelerate the R&D process.
  • Ensure data science initiatives accelerate our shared goals and technical consistency across the AugmentED ecosystem.
Infrastructure & Platform Development:
  • Partner closely with the engineering team to integrate research-grade models into the core AugmentED platform.
  • Ensure that data modeling approaches are architected to be modular and deployable within the platform infrastructure established by the engineering team.
Team Leadership & Collaboration:
  • Grow and manage a high-performing team of 3-6 data science consultants (a mix of grad students, postdocs, and faculty).
  • Foster a culture of excellence, equity, and collaborative problem-solving.
  • Serve as a technical bridge, facilitating effective collaborations between AugmentED teams, university researchers, and educators.
What We're Looking For
Required Qualifications
  • Strong experience as a data scientist or applied AI/ML leader who has designed and deployed data models, algorithms, and AI systems that power real-world products.
  • Desire to be both a hands-on contributor and a technical leader, providing guidance, mentorship, and direction across a distributed network of researchers, engineers, and technical contributors.
  • Deep knowledge of machine learning, AI, statistics, and modern data infrastructure, with experience designing extensible data architectures and technical foundations for future growth.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead the development of reusable data models, algorithms, and technical frameworks that extend beyond a single project or use case.
  • Experience partnering closely with software engineering teams to productionize AI and data science work, ensuring models integrate into scalable, reliable user-facing products.
  • Strong understanding of the end-to-end AI development lifecycle, including data pipelines, model development, evaluation, deployment, monitoring, and the technical tradeoffs required for production systems.
  • Experience building and maintaining technical foundations that enable collaboration across research, engineering, and product teams, including defining requirements, communicating technical constraints, and aligning stakeholders around a shared technical vision.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience in educational research, learning science, or ed-tech environments.
  • Experience partnering with academic researchers, universities, or interdisciplinary research teams.
Essential Qualities
  • Commitment to education equity and social impact.
  • Strategic thinking balanced with hands-on technical abilities.
  • Skilled communicator who can collaborate effectively with academic research partners.
  • Strong growth mindset and comfort with uncertainty.
What We Offer
  • Opportunity to shape the future of education.
  • Competitive salary relative to other nonprofits and comprehensive benefits.
  • A mission-driven, collaborative culture.
Ready to Transform Education?
If you're excited to design the future of learning by uniting the strengths of teachers and AI, we want to hear from you! Join us at AugmentED as we shape the future of learning together.

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