Director, Applied AI

Location: Seattle, Washington, United States

Department: Engineering Strategy & Operations

Who we are

The real world is the next frontier, and at Metropolis, we are creating the artificial intelligence to make it responsive. We are pioneering the Recognition Economy — a future where mundane repetition disappears and being known unlocks access, comfort, and belonging everywhere you go. From transforming parking into a seamless drive-in, drive-out experience for millions of Members to expanding our intelligence layer across retail and hospitality, we are building a world that feels instinctive and magical. The future isn’t coming; it’s here, and we need builders, innovators, and problem solvers to help us create it.

Who you are

Metropolis is seeking a Director of Applied AI to lead our newly formed Applied AI organization and architect an AI-first operating model from the ground up. You are a technical leader with a rare blend of engineering depth, organizational influence, and a relentless instinct for shipping production-ready systems. Reporting to senior leadership, you will define where AI creates the most leverage across our business—including finance, operations, and GTM—and build the high-performing team of AI Engineers and Process Analysts required to make that vision a reality. Your success will be measured by your ability to partner cross-functionally to redesign core processes, eliminating friction and delivering tangible outcomes in time savings and cost impact.

What you'll do

• Own the Applied AI roadmap by identifying high-leverage opportunities to rebuild business processes across finance, operations, revenue, and GTM 
• Hire, develop, and lead a team of AI Engineers and Process Analysts while establishing a culture of fast iteration 
• Partner deeply with functional leaders to understand current work flows and design AI-first solutions to eliminate friction 
• Set standards for how the team designs, evaluates, and deploys AI workflows, including prompt systems and LLM integrations 
• Establish metrics for each process transformation and hold the team accountable to time savings, error reduction, and cost impact 
• Serve as the internal authority on applied AI capabilities, tooling trends, and emerging best practices 
• Present strategy, progress, and results to senior leadership and the executive team

What we're looking for

• 7+ years of experience in software engineering, AI/ML, or technical product leadership 
• At least 2 years leading teams that shipped AI-powered systems in production
• Maintain deep hands-on familiarity with LLMs, agentic workflows, and AI automation tooling such as OpenAI, LangChain, and vector databases
• Demonstrate strong engineering skills and the ability to credibly review and guide technical decisions
• Show a track record of driving organizational change through technology and ensuring tools are adopted for sustained impact
• Apply experience working across functional boundaries to redesign processes with strong instincts for change management
• Utilize excellent communication skills to distill complex AI concepts for a non-technical executive audience
• Maintain a bias toward shipping by moving fast and setting clear expectations for high standards

Our Stack

• Languages + Frameworks: TypeScript, React, Scala (principally), Java (limited)
• Datastores: MySQL, PostgreSQL, Snowflake
• Cloud: AWS
• Version control: Git & GitHub
• AI Tooling: Copilot on GitHub and Claude Code
• Observability: Datadog

4 Days in Office: Metropolis values in-person collaboration to drive innovation, strengthen culture, and enhance the Member experience. Our corporate team members hold to our office-first model, which requires employees to be on-site at least four days a week, fostering organic interactions that spark creativity and connection

When you join Metropolis, you'll join a team of world-class product leaders and engineers, building an ecosystem of technologies at the intersection of parking, mobility, and real estate. Our goal is to build an inclusive culture where everyone has a voice and the best idea wins. You will play a key role in building and maintaining this culture as our organization grows. The anticipated base salary for this position is $225,000.00 USD to $265,000.00 USD annually. The actual base salary offered is determined by a number of variables, including, as appropriate, the applicant's qualifications for the position, years of relevant experience, distinctive skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location of residence and/or place of employment. Base salary is one component of Metropolis' total compensation package, which may also include access to or eligibility for healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, a lucrative stock option plan, bonus plans, and more. #LI-RR1 #LI-Onsite