VP, Data/AI Engineering

VP, Data/AI Engineering

About SailPoint:

SailPoint is the leader in identity security for the cloud enterprise. Our identity security solutions secure and enable thousands of companies worldwide, giving our customers unmatched visibility into the entirety of their digital workforce, ensuring workers have the right access to do their job – no more, no less.

Built on a foundation of AI and ML, our Identity Security Cloud Platform, Atlas delivers the right level of access to the right identities and resources at the right time—matching the scale, velocity, and changing needs of today’s cloud-oriented, modern enterprise.

About the role:

SailPoint is on a fast-paced growth trajectory and seeks an innovative and hands-on leader to join their team as the VP, Data/AI Engineering, who will play a critical role in shaping and delivering on the future technology vision for the organization. Given the innovation agenda in the future combined with the complexity of the SailPoint platform and product portfolio, SailPoint requires a leader who has been at the cutting edge of technology with a deep architectural and technical understanding of handling massive amounts of real-time data.
The VP, Data/AI Engineering will be instrumental in building the best-in-class organization needed to support the businesses' goal of growing from $1B to $5B+ in ARR and be viewed as the clear #1 in identity, and top 3 companies in all of cybersecurity.
The VP, Data/AI Engineering will lead SailPoint’s global AI and machine learning initiatives, guiding distributed teams across multiple regions to build robust, scalable AI/ML solutions that power their products and critical business functions. The VP, Data/AI Engineering’s primary focus will be on backend and data-intensive areas, ensuring AI/ML systems are designed and deployed with the highest standards of technical excellence, performance, and scalability.
Reporting to the Head of Engineering as a member of the technical leadership for SailPoint, this role offers a unique opportunity to blend deep technical expertise with leadership skills, driving impactful change in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. The VP, Data/AI Engineering will be an inspiring people leader and a talent magnet that can attract, train, and retain best-in-class talent. They will be instrumental in creating a best-in-class team culture that aligns with SailPoint's "Four I" values.

Responsibilities:

• AI & ML Leadership: Shape the strategic vision and roadmap for AI and ML initiatives, ensuring global alignment with business goals and cutting-edge technology trends. Drive consistency and collaboration across geographically dispersed teams.
• Technical Oversight: Provide strong technical leadership in AI and ML engineering globally, particularly in areas like NLP, semantic search, summarization, and data-driven product development.
• System Architecture & Integration: Oversee the design and integration of complex AI and ML systems within their global software architecture. Ensure seamless interaction of these systems with other business-critical platforms and services across all regions.
• System Integrity & Security: Ensure the integrity, performance, and security of AI/ML systems globally. Implement best practices in data governance, model interpretability, and compliance with industry standards in all operational regions.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Drive innovation in AI and ML practices on a global scale, continuously seeking opportunities to improve their technology stack, processes, and methodologies. Encourage innovative thinking and continuous improvement with a shared sense of purpose, ensuring a cohesive team environment across regions.
• MLOps & Data Platform Collaboration: Collaborate closely with MLOps, Platform Engineering, and Enterprise Data Platform teams to develop and optimize the global AI and ML infrastructure, including MLOps pipelines, data architecture, and model lifecycle management. Leverage modern cloud-based technologies and frameworks to ensure scalability, reliability, and efficiency across different regions.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including product management, product engineering, and other business units, to align AI and ML initiatives with broader global company objectives.
• Team Leadership & Development: Lead and mentor a high-performing, globally distributed team of AI/ML engineers and data scientists. Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement, while ensuring effective communication and coordination across time zones.
• Talent Acquisition & Retention: Play a key role in hiring, training, and retaining top engineering talent worldwide. Cultivate an environment where team members are motivated, feel valued, and are encouraged to achieve their full potential, regardless of location.
• Culture Carrier: Cultivate a high-performing team culture that aligns with SailPoint's "Four I" values, focusing on attracting, retaining, and developing top talent.

Desired Outcomes:

• In partnership with the Head of Engineering and the Executive Vice President of Product & Chief Technology Officer, own the outcome for delivering against one of SailPoint's stated growth strategies by continuing to innovate and expand the portfolio infusing valuable AI & ML technology.
• Establish a best-in-class AI & ML team empowered to build cutting-edge technology and successfully delivering the AI and ML technology needed to enable SailPoint to embrace an increase in real-time streaming data.
• Elevate SailPoint's platform and product portfolio by driving innovation and infusing new technologies to be the clear leader in the identity space and a top three organization in the cybersecurity industry globally.
• Additionally, support the organization-wide goals of driving new customer growth, expand existing customer relationships, continuing to leverage and expand the network of partners and alliances, and expand the global footprint.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

The SailPoint VP, Data/AI Engineering will be an innovative, hands-on leader with a deep insight into AI & ML and deploying these effectively in data-rich environments. This leader will possess a proven track record of delivering AI & ML solutions in environments with real-time data movement and streaming data. With a comprehensive grasp of cutting-edge technologies, the VP, Data/AI Engineering will be instrumental in implementing a robust strategy that supports SailPoint’s ambitious goals of driving customer growth and solidifying its position as a leader in identity and cybersecurity. They will be adept at identifying where the team needs to be upleveled and establish a team capable of handling a tenfold increase in real-time data streaming while ensuring top-tier availability.
The VP, Data/AI Engineering will focus on fostering an environment of innovation, collaboration, and excellence. An inspiring people leader, this individual will prioritize building a best-in-class team culture that aligns with SailPoint's core values. They will attract, train, and retain top talent and effectively integrate agile methodologies to streamline development and deployment processes.

Professional Experience:

• AI & ML Leadership
  • 10+ years of experience in software engineering, with a focus on AI and ML technologies, with 5+ years managing large-scale global teams. Proven experience in leading AI and ML teams in fast-paced, high-growth technology environments with large data sets. Experienced managing and mentoring globally distributed teams, setting team priorities, establishing roadmaps, and defining key performance indicators (KPIs) in collaboration with a broader leadership team.
• AI and Data Experience
  • A proven track record of working with large amounts of data and using AI and ML to create differentiated product outcomes. Deep expertise in ML, with a strong focus on NLP, semantic search, and other advanced natural language processing techniques is critical. Experience in environments rolling out ML/GenAI solutions to the market in the last 1–2 years and building data platforms that manage real-time and streaming data at a large scale is vital. Demonstrated ability to successfully build, manage, and modernize large-scale platforms in data-rich environments and deliver enterprise-grade products and platforms in a subscription-based model.
• Technical Acumen
  • Combined with AI & ML expertise, deep experience with MLOps, data platforms (e.g., Snowflake), data pipelines (e.g., Airflow), and messaging platforms (e.g., Kafka), across multiple geographic regions is valuable. Strong background in data architecture, software architecture, and distributed systems, with experience coordinating technical efforts across global teams. Proficiency in Python, Java, SQL, and other relevant programming languages and tools. Experience in cloud-native delivery, with a deep understanding of containerization technologies such as Kubernetes and Docker, and the ability to manage these across different regions.
• Collaboration & People Leadership
  • Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to engage effectively with stakeholders at all levels of the organization across various cultures and regions. Proven ability to attract new talent and elevate existing talent. The ideal candidate will have a strong followership and can create followership among the existing team and add people from their network to the team. Should have experience leading teams of 100+.

Critical Leadership Capabilities:

• Driving Results

• Adept at making structural changes or re-engineers the team for significant measurable positive impact
• Sets benchmarks beyond standard practice to create best-in-class solutions and introduces them across an organization
• Changes substantial portions of the organization or institutes a new operating model to drive higher performance relative to the market
• Takes calculated entrepreneurial risks to introduce significant changes in the business that improve results

• Leading People

• Gives ownership to the entire team to deliver on a strategic objective
• Passes leadership responsibilities down through the organization, ensuring alignment with the overall strategy and/or direction
• Sets up forums or practices to reinforce independent and open communication among team members
• Gives the team broader visibility inside the organization, including publicly recognizing its accomplishments

Benefits and Compensation listed vary based on the location of your employment and the nature of your employment with SailPoint.

As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the SailPoint Corporate Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission, along with potential eligibility for equity participation. SailPoint maintains broad salary ranges for its roles to account for variations in knowledge, skills, experience, market conditions and locations, as well as reflect SailPoint’s differing products, industries, and lines of business. Candidates are typically placed into the range based on the preceding factors as well as internal peer equity. We estimate the base salary, for US-based employees, will be in this range from (min-mid-max, USD):

Base salaries for employees based in other locations are competitive for the employee’s home location.

Benefits Overview

1. Health and wellness coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance

2. Disability coverage: Short-term and long-term disability

3. Life protection: Life insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D)

4. Additional life coverage options: Supplemental life insurance for employees, spouses, and children

5. Flexible spending accounts for health care, and dependent care; limited purpose flexible spending account

6. Financial security: 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan with company matching

7. Time off benefits: Flexible vacation policy

8. Holidays: 8 paid holidays annually

9. Sick leave

10. Parental support: Paid parental leave

11. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Care Counselors

12. Voluntary benefits: Legal Assistance, Critical Illness, Accident, Hospital Indemnity and Pet Insurance options

13. Health Savings Account (HSA) with employer contribution

SailPoint is an equal opportunity employer and we welcome all qualified candidates to apply to join our team.  All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category protected by applicable law.  

Alternative methods of applying for employment are available to individuals unable to submit an application through this site because of a disability. Contact [email protected] or mail to 11120 Four Points Dr, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78726, to discuss reasonable accommodations.  NOTE: Any unsolicited resumes sent by candidates or agencies to this email will not be considered for current openings at SailPoint.