Director of Engineering, AI SQL

Snowflake1 months ago

Location

US-CA-Menlo Park

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 304,000 – 437,000

Level

Director

Role

Engineering Manager

Posted

Feb 9, 2026

Full TimeDirector

The role

Summary

Snowflake is seeking a Director of Engineering to lead their AI SQL organization, democratizing AI by integrating advanced artificial intelligence capabilities directly into SQL workflows. This role requires strong leadership experience with AI infrastructure, database systems, and team management to drive transformative initiatives in enterprise AI solutions.

What you'll do

Strategic Vision Leadership: Set the strategic vision for the AI SQL organization and drive accountability for plans and deliverables across multiple engineering teams

Technical Team Management: Hire, develop, and mentor talented senior technical leaders while managing managers in a complex organizational structure

Cross-functional Project Leadership: Drive team projects from ideation through implementation with partner teams across product, data science, and platform engineering

Product-Engineering Translation: Translate product requirements into engineering initiatives and coordinate cross-functionally with stakeholders

Innovation Culture Development: Foster a culture of creativity and innovation while ensuring practical decision-making and technical excellence

Organizational Evolution: Lead organizational structure evolution and improve engineering efficiency through process optimization and team scaling

AI Democratization Strategy: Drive initiatives to democratize AI by surfacing powerful AI functions for predictive and unstructured analytics directly in SQL

Technical Architecture Oversight: Oversee the complex AI lifecycle infrastructure that enables users to perform advanced analytics in seconds

What we look for

Technical

Database System Internals5+ years of experience leading teams to build database system internals and distributed computing platforms

LLM InfrastructureDeep experience with LLM serving, AI infrastructure, and machine learning operations at scale

Cloud-native ArchitectureExpertise in designing and implementing cloud-native solutions for enterprise AI workloads

Distributed SystemsStrong background in building highly scalable, fault-tolerant distributed systems

AI/ML Pipeline ManagementExperience with end-to-end machine learning pipelines, model deployment, and lifecycle management

Education

Advanced Computer Science DegreeAdvanced degree (MS/PhD) in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or related technical field

Technical Leadership CertificationPreferred certifications in cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and AI/ML technologies

Experience

Engineering Director Experience2+ years of engineering director experience, including managing managers and leading large technical organizations

Software Engineering Experience10+ years of software engineering experience with increasing technical leadership responsibilities

Team Building Track RecordStrong track record of recruiting, growing, and retaining high-performing technical teams

Global Collaboration ExperienceExcellent collaboration and communication skills across global organizations and distributed teams

Skills

Required skills

Engineering LeadershipProven ability to lead and scale engineering organizations of 50+ engineers

AI/ML InfrastructureDeep expertise in building and deploying large-scale AI and machine learning systems

Database SystemsExtensive experience with database internals, query optimization, and distributed data systems

Strategic PlanningAbility to set technical vision and translate business requirements into engineering roadmaps

Cross-functional CollaborationStrong partnership skills with product, data science, and business stakeholders

Nice to have

Large Language ModelsExperience with LLM training, fine-tuning, and production deployment

SQL Query EnginesBackground in SQL query engine development and optimization

Cloud Data PlatformsExperience with modern cloud data warehouse architectures

Open Source ContributionsActive contributions to AI/ML or database open source projects

Technical WritingAbility to communicate complex technical concepts through documentation and presentations

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 304,000 – 437,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Equity Compensation

Competitive stock options and equity participation in Snowflake's growth

Health Insurance

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and families

Professional Development

Learning and development budget for conferences, courses, and technical certifications

Flexible Time Off

Unlimited PTO policy to support work-life balance

Parental Leave

Extended parental leave for new parents

Remote Work Support

Home office stipend and flexible hybrid work arrangements

Retirement Benefits

401(k) matching and retirement planning resources

Innovation Culture

Access to cutting-edge AI technology and opportunity to work on transformative initiatives

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Phone/video interview with talent acquisition focusing on leadership experience and cultural fit
2
Technical Leadership Interview — Deep dive into technical background, AI/ML infrastructure experience, and architectural decision-making
3
Management Case Study — Scenario-based discussion on team scaling, conflict resolution, and organizational challenges
4
Executive Panel — Meetings with VP of Engineering and cross-functional leaders to assess strategic thinking
5
Team Interaction — Sessions with potential direct reports and peer engineering managers
6
Final Executive Interview — Discussion with senior leadership on vision alignment and long-term impact