Engineering Director

Machine Learning

Updated on 11/30/2023

5,001-10,000 employees

Website

Web-based collaborative platform for product design

Company Overview

Figma stands out as an exemplary workplace due to its commitment to fostering a collaborative culture, its unique competitive advantage in consolidating design tools and workflows, and its industry leadership in web-based design platforms. The company's technical innovation is evident in products like FigJam, an online whiteboard that enhances team collaboration, demonstrating their dedication to improving efficiency and communication in product development. Figma's ability to simplify complex processes and facilitate teamwork across different time zones positions it as a leader in the design industry, making it an exciting and rewarding place to work.

Company Stage

M&A

Total Funding

$20.3B

Founded

2012

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Growth & Insights

Headcount

6 month growth

↑ 73%

1 year growth

↑ 288%

2 year growth

↑ 1125%

Locations

Seattle, WA, USA • San Francisco, CA, USA • Remote in USA • New York, NY...

Experience Level

Entry

Junior

Mid

Senior

Expert

Desired Skills

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

CategoriesNew

AI & Machine Learning

Requirements

5+ years of experience hiring and leading teams as an engineering leader with at least 2 years of experience managing managers
Demonstrated experience in building and leading high-performing engineering teams, with a focus on AI/ML platform development and applied research.
Deep domain knowledge and understanding of machine learning research, frameworks, data pipelines, and platform architecture.
Excellent collaboration and communication skills, able to work effectively across disciplines and levels of the organization.

Responsibilities

Provide hands-on technical leadership, guiding the ML Platform Team in building and maintaining a robust and scalable machine learning platform that supports Figma's design ecosystem.
Lead the team in exploring and conducting applied research in the domain of Language Models (LLMs) and other relevant areas of AI. Translate research findings into practical solutions that elevate Figma's design capabilities.
Develop and execute a clear technical roadmap for the ML platform, aligning with Figma's mission and business objectives. Continuously innovate and drive the adoption of AI technologies to enhance product experiences.
Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including product managers, designers, and other engineering teams to ensure seamless integration of AI capabilities into Figma's products.
Recruit, mentor, and retain a high-performing team of engineers. Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning within the ML Platform Team.
Set and maintain a high bar for technical excellence, ensuring the team follows best practices in software development, machine learning, and platform architecture.

Desired Qualifications

Strong understanding of Language Models (LLMs) and related technologies.
Experience with natural language processing and generation.

Figma is growing our team of passionate people on a mission to make design accessible to all. Born on the Web, Figma helps entire product teams brainstorm, design and build better products — from start to finish. Whether it’s consolidating tools, simplifying workflows, or collaborating across teams and time zones, Figma makes the design process faster, more efficient, and fun while keeping everyone on the same page. From great products to long-lasting companies, we believe that nothing great is made alone—come make with us!

Figma is seeking a visionary Director of Engineering to lead our Machine Learning (ML) Platform Team. This role is pivotal in driving the technical strategy and execution of our AI initiatives aimed at accelerating Figma’s mission. The Director of Engineering will be responsible for leading a small, yet highly impactful team of engineers, focusing on key product experience, applied research, and ML platform development. The ultimate goal of this team is to leverage AI to enhance design accessibility, revolutionizing the way users create and collaborate on designs.

What you’ll do at Figma:

Technical Leadership: Provide hands-on technical leadership, guiding the ML Platform Team in building and maintaining a robust and scalable machine learning platform that supports Figma’s design ecosystem.
Applied Research: Lead the team in exploring and conducting applied research in the domain of Language Models (LLMs) and other relevant areas of AI. Translate research findings into practical solutions that elevate Figma’s design capabilities.
Strategic Vision: Develop and execute a clear technical roadmap for the ML platform, aligning with Figma’s mission and business objectives. Continuously innovate and drive the adoption of AI technologies to enhance product experiences.
Collaboration: Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including product managers, designers, and other engineering teams to ensure seamless integration of AI capabilities into Figma’s products.
Team Building: Recruit, mentor, and retain a high-performing team of engineers. Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous learning within the ML Platform Team.
Technical Excellence: Set and maintain a high bar for technical excellence, ensuring the team follows best practices in software development, machine learning, and platform architecture.

We’d love to hear from you if you have:

5+ years of experience hiring and leading teams as an engineering leader with at least 2 years of experience managing managers
Demonstrated experience in building and leading high-performing engineering teams, with a focus on AI/ML platform development and applied research.
Deep domain knowledge and understanding of machine learning research, frameworks, data pipelines, and platform architecture.
Excellent collaboration and communication skills, able to work effectively across disciplines and levels of the organization.

While not required, It’s an added plus if you also have:

Strong understanding of Language Models (LLMs) and related technologies.
Experience with natural language processing and generation.

At Figma, one of our values is Grow as you go. We believe in hiring smart, curious people who are excited to learn and develop their skills. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with the points outlined in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Read more about our team:

Pay Transparency Disclosure

If based in Figma’s San Francisco or New York hub offices, this role has the annual base salary range stated below.

Job level and actual compensation will be decided based on factors including, but not limited to, individual qualifications objectively assessed during the interview process (including skills and prior relevant experience, potential impact, and scope of role), market demands, and specific work location. The listed range is a guideline, and the range for this role may be modified. For roles that are available to be filled remotely, the pay range is localized according to employee work location by a factor of between 80% and 100% of range. Please discuss your specific work location with your recruiter for more information.

Figma offers equity to employees, as well a competitive package of additional benefits, including health, dental & vision, retirement with company contribution, parental leave & reproductive or family planning support, mental health & wellness benefits, generous PTO, company recharge days, a learning & development stipend, a work from home stipend, and cell phone reimbursement. Figma also offers sales incentive pay for most sales roles. Figma’s compensation and benefits are subject to change and may be modified in the future. You may view our Pay Transparency Policy by clicking on the corresponding link.

Annual Base Salary Range (SF/NY Hub):

$280,000—$381,000 USD

At Figma we celebrate and support our differences. We know employing a team rich in diverse thoughts, experiences, and opinions allows our employees, our product and our community to flourish. Figma is an equal opportunity workplace - we are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity/expression, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.

We will work to ensure individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. If you require accommodation, please reach out to [email protected].

By applying for this job, the candidate acknowledges and agrees that any personal data contained in their application or supporting materials will be processed in accordance with the applicable candidate section of Figma’s Privacy Policy.