Senior Engineering Manager - Cortex AI Functions at Snowflake

Snowflake is revolutionizing the enterprise AI landscape by converging cutting-edge research with large-scale engineering capabilities into a unified platform. The Cortex AI Functions team is at the heart of this endeavor, taking responsibility for innovating, deploying, and refining Snowflake's most advanced AI technologies.

As a Senior Engineering Manager within the Cortex AI Functions team, you will be crucial in leading and mentoring a talented group of engineers and researchers, shaping the future of AI within Snowflake. This role requires a unique blend of technical expertise, leadership skills, and a passion for driving innovation from the research lab to production environments.

Role Overview

This pivotal role is ideal for an individual who thrives in both the theoretical and practical worlds of AI. You will be responsible for guiding foundational research, influencing model architecture direction, and spearheading engineering teams to deliver robust, production-ready AI systems that impact thousands of customers. The Cortex AI Functions team offers a rare opportunity to set scientific vision while also ensuring the successful deployment of AI solutions at scale.

A Day in the Life

Your day-to-day activities as a Senior Engineering Manager will be diverse and challenging, encompassing both strategic leadership and tactical execution. Here's a glimpse of what you can expect:

• Team Leadership and Mentoring: Providing guidance, feedback, and career development support to a team of engineers, researchers, and managers. Fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Strategic Planning and Execution: Partnering with researchers, engineers, and product managers to define execution plans, allocate resources effectively, and align on milestones for timely delivery of AI features and platform capabilities.
• Recruiting and Talent Acquisition: Identifying, attracting, and hiring top-tier talent to support the rapid growth of the AI Functions team.
• Technical Guidance and Oversight: Participating in the design and implementation of new features and products, ensuring adherence to best practices and architectural principles.
• Problem-Solving and Issue Resolution: Utilizing your experience and problem-solving skills to prevent and investigate production issues, ensuring the reliability and performance of AI systems.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Engaging in cross-team discussions and initiatives to advance the broader group's vision and goals.
• Innovation and Research: Staying abreast of the latest advancements in AI research and identifying opportunities to incorporate them into Snowflake's platform.

Why Warsaw, Poland?

Warsaw is a vibrant and growing technology hub, offering a unique blend of historical charm and modern innovation. Snowflake's presence in Warsaw provides access to a diverse pool of talented engineers and researchers, as well as a supportive ecosystem for AI development. The city boasts a high quality of life, with affordable living costs, excellent transportation infrastructure, and a thriving cultural scene. Choosing to work in Warsaw means joining a dynamic and innovative community while enjoying a fulfilling personal life.

Career Path

This role provides a clear path for career advancement within Snowflake. Successful performance as a Senior Engineering Manager can lead to opportunities for further leadership roles, such as Director of Engineering or VP of Engineering. Alternatively, you may choose to specialize further in a specific area of AI, becoming a Principal Engineer or Research Scientist. Snowflake is committed to providing its employees with ample opportunities for growth and development.

Salary and Benefits

Snowflake offers a competitive salary and benefits package that is commensurate with experience and qualifications. While the specific salary range for this role is not publicly disclosed, it will be discussed during the interview process. In addition to salary, Snowflake provides a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, and vision)
• Paid time off (vacation, sick leave, and holidays)
• Employee stock options
• Retirement plan (401k with company match)
• Professional development opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements
• Parental leave
• Wellness programs
• Employee assistance program
• Commuter benefits
• Relocation assistance (if applicable)

Innovation Culture

Snowflake fosters a culture of innovation, collaboration, and impact. Employees are encouraged to challenge the status quo, experiment with new ideas, and push the boundaries of what's possible. The company is committed to providing its employees with the resources and support they need to succeed, including access to cutting-edge technology, mentorship programs, and ongoing training opportunities. Working at Snowflake means being part of a team that is passionate about making a difference in the world.

How to Apply

If you are a highly motivated and experienced engineering leader with a passion for AI, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity. To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter through the Snowflake careers website. Be sure to highlight your relevant skills and experience, and explain why you are a good fit for this role.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is Snowflake's approach to AI? Snowflake is redefining enterprise AI by unifying frontier research and huge-scale engineering into a single, cohesive platform.
2. What is the Cortex AI Functions team responsible for? The Cortex AI Functions team is responsible for inventing, publishing, and productionizing Snowflake's most advanced AI technologies.
3. What are some of the innovations created by the Cortex AI Functions team? Innovations include Arctic-TILT, Arctic-Extract, and the broader Cortex AI Functions, along with advancements in text understanding, extraction architectures, and retrieval augmentation.
4. What kind of engineering does the Cortex AI Functions team own? The team builds the high-performance serving layers, microservice architectures, data pipelines, and reliability frameworks that allow our models to operate at enterprise scale.
5. What are the key responsibilities of the Senior Engineering Manager? The key responsibilities include championing developer productivity, managing a team of engineers and researchers, recruiting talent, and partnering with product managers.
6. What qualifications are required for this role? The qualifications include 5+ years of software engineering management experience, 2+ years managing other managers, and a track record of managing talented engineers.
7. What skills are important for this role? Important skills include software engineering management, AI/ML, team leadership, recruiting, product management, and project management.
8. What benefits does Snowflake offer? Snowflake offers a competitive salary, comprehensive health insurance, paid time off, employee stock options, and a retirement plan.
9. What is the career path for this role? This role provides a clear path for career advancement within Snowflake, with opportunities for further leadership roles or specialization in AI.
10. What is the work environment like at Snowflake? Snowflake fosters a culture of innovation, collaboration, and impact, encouraging employees to challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of what's possible.