Technical Program Manager Director, Pre-Training & Agents Lead

About us

Artificial Intelligence could be one of humanity’s most useful inventions. At Google DeepMind, we’re a team of scientists, engineers, machine learning experts and more, working together to advance the state of the art in artificial intelligence. We use our technologies for widespread public benefit and scientific discovery, and collaborate with others on critical challenges, ensuring safety and ethics are the highest priority.

Snapshot

The Gemini program encompasses a wide range of initiatives, pushing the boundaries of AI capabilities. This includes: pre-training of a diverse range of models (large-scale, efficient on-device, and open-source); and the development of sophisticated agents that can interact with the world and perform complex tasks. The team's work is critical for powering various Gemini applications and contributing to the broader AI community. Due to the high computational cost, complex dependencies, and the strategic importance of these initiatives, meticulous planning, execution, and cross-functional collaboration are paramount. As the Senior Technical Program Manager (Director level), you will lead a team of TPMs and be responsible for the overall success of Gemini's Pre-training and Agents programs.

The role

As the Senior Technical Program Manager (Director level) for Gemini Pre-training and Agents, you will lead and manage a team of Technical Program Managers, overseeing the planning, execution, and delivery of all pre-training and agent development initiatives. This includes pre-training of large-scale models, on-device small models, and models intended for open-source release, as well as all aspects of agent development. 

You will be responsible for defining the overall program strategy, developing roadmaps, managing dependencies across multiple teams (including research, engineering, product, legal, and communications), and ensuring the efficient and timely delivery of high-quality pre-trained models and agent capabilities. 

This role requires a deep technical understanding of machine learning, model training techniques (including those specific to on-device and open-source contexts), agent-based systems, exceptional leadership and organizational skills, and the ability to influence and drive alignment across diverse teams within Google DeepMind and potentially with external partners. You will be a key strategic partner to leadership across multiple areas.

Key responsibilities

• Program Leadership & Strategy: Lead the overall Gemini programs for Pre-training and Agents, defining the program strategy, goals, and roadmap for all areas. This includes pre-training across large-scale, on-device, and open-source models, and the development of agents. Ensure alignment between these programs and with overall Gemini objectives.
• Team Leadership & Management: Lead, manage, and mentor a team of Technical Program Managers, responsible for their performance, professional development, and overall team success. This team will likely have TPMs focused on different areas (pre-training with different model types, and agents).
• Program Planning & Execution: Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of all initiatives, including: large-scale model pre-training; on-device small model pre-training; pre-training of models for open-source release; and agent development projects. Ensure all are completed on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards.
• Risk Management: Proactively identify and mitigate program-level risks across all areas, anticipating potential roadblocks and developing contingency plans.
• Process Improvement & Automation: Drive the development and implementation of repeatable processes and automated workflows to improve the efficiency and scalability across all program areas.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with research scientists, engineers, product managers, infrastructure teams, legal, and communications across all program areas to ensure alignment on goals, priorities, and dependencies. Facilitate effective communication and collaboration across all involved teams, including potential external partners for open-source initiatives.
• Resource Management & Optimization: Oversee the allocation and utilization of resources (compute, personnel, budget) across all program initiatives, ensuring efficient use and minimizing waste.
• Stakeholder Management: Provide regular updates to senior leadership on program progress, risks, and key decisions for all areas.
• Documentation: Ensure comprehensive documentation of processes, plans, and program status for all areas.
• Program Closure: Make strategic decisions regarding program continuation or closure (for all initiatives), based on viability and alignment with GDM objectives.
• Team Support: Foster a culture of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement within the TPM team.

About you

In order to set you up for success as a Senior Technical Program Manager at Google DeepMind, we look for the following skills and experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Extensive experience as a Technical Program Manager Director, with a proven track record of successfully leading and delivering complex, large-scale programs at an executive level.
• Proven and extensive experience leading and managing a team of technical professionals, including performance management and career development.
• Deep technical understanding of machine learning principles and practices, particularly in the area of model pre-training. Strong understanding of techniques and considerations specific to training large models, on-device models, and models for open-source release is highly desirable. Strong understanding of agent-based systems and related technologies is also highly desirable.
• Extensive experience with managing large-scale compute resources and optimizing resource utilization. Experience managing programs with diverse resource needs (e.g., high-performance computing for large models, specialized hardware for on-device models) is a plus.
• Exceptional communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills. Able to influence and drive alignment across diverse teams and at all levels of the organization, including external partners.
• Superior organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and make strategic decisions under uncertainty.
• Proven ability to proactively identify, analyze, and solve complex problems.

In addition, the following would be an advantage:

• Master's or PhD in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience working with large models and pre-training techniques. Experience with on-device model pre-training and optimization. Experience with open-source software development and community management. Experience with agent development, reinforcement learning, or related fields.
• Experience with computing platforms (e.g., Google Cloud Platform).
• Familiarity with automation tools and scripting languages (e.g., Python).
• Experience with different project management approaches and a demonstrated ability to adapt to evolving project requirements.

Application deadline: 12pm GMT Thursday 4th April 2024 

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