Director of Machine Learning & Artificial Intelligence
Thorn· Engineering
Hybrid (Remote US-based)$188k - $302.5kfull-timePosted 3w ago
About the role
Director role leading Thorn's ML & AI strategy and team, reporting to the CTO, with responsibility for integrating ML into Thorn’s products, ensuring responsible AI practices, and collaborating across Engineering, Product, BDSI, and external partners in a remote-first environment.
Responsibilities
- Shape and lead Thorn’s Machine Learning and AI strategy in partnership with Build leadership, Product, and cross-functional stakeholders, evolving technical direction as emerging technologies, research, customer needs, and child safety considerations change.
- Identify promising ML and AI technologies and approaches, translating research and experimentation into investment and product/technology decisions.
- Support the Technical Innovation Roadmap through exploration, prototyping, de-risking, and validation of new technical capabilities to advance mission impact.
- Ensure ML systems meet privacy, security, responsible AI, regulatory compliance, reliability, and operational excellence standards, including oversight of sensitive datasets and CSAM reporting processes.
- Partner with BDSI to inform the technical research roadmap and connect research questions with product needs.
Qualifications
- Significant experience leading ML, AI, Data Science, or related technical teams responsible for production capabilities at meaningful scale.
- Strong technical judgment across modern ML/AI, ability to guide direction and translate research into practical capabilities and strategy.
- Deep understanding of AI/ML applications, content detection technologies, and software development.
- Experience developing and operating ML capabilities with attention to reliability, evaluation, monitoring, privacy, security, and responsible AI.
- Proven ability to lead, develop, and retain high-performing technical teams, including coaching leaders and contributors.
Skills
Required:Machine Learning & AI leadershipCross-functional collaboration
Benefits
- Broad range of benefits provided by Thorn (see careers page)
Last updated Sep 30, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
About Thorn
Will you help protect childhood joy?
We builds tools to defend children from grooming, sextortion and more. We're on a mission to eliminate child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) from the internet.
child safetychild sexual abuseCSAMonline groomingsextortionAI-Generated CSAMchild protection
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