
Technical Director for AI Functions
Snowflake · Bellevue, WA
- On site
- Full-time
- $370,500 / year
- Bellevue, WA
Job highlights
- Lead AI Functions product portfolio development.
- Shape AI strategy and product roadmap.
- Build and mentor high-performing engineering teams.
- Work with cutting-edge LLM technology.
- Drive innovation in enterprise AI solutions.
About the role
Technical Director AI Functions
At Snowflake, we are powering the era of the agentic enterprise. To usher in this new era, we seek AI-native thinkers across every function who are energized by the opportunity to reinvent how they work. You don’t just use tools; you possess an innate curiosity, treating AI as a high-trust collaborator that is core to how you solve problems and accelerate your impact. We look for low-ego individuals who thrive in dynamic and fast-moving environments and move with an experimental mindset — who rapidly test emerging capabilities to discover simpler, more powerful ways to deliver results. At Snowflake, your role isn't just to execute a function, but to help redefine the future of how work gets done.
We're looking for a Technical Director to join our leadership team in AI Functions product portfolio, a hybrid director/principal engineer role at the forefront of AI-powered analytics. Join our Leadership team in AI Functions Product Portfolio.
Our mission is to democratize AI by surfacing powerful AI functions directly in SQL for analyzing structured and unstructured data, with minimal configuration. We handle the full AI lifecycle behind the scenes, so data analysts, engineers, and scientists can build data transformation pipelines with AI using the most sophisticated building blocks seamlessly within their existing SQL workflows.
The AI Functions product portfolio represents one of the most strategic and impactful product surfaces within Snowflake, bringing together two of the company’s core strengths: its industry-leading ability to process massive volumes of data and its growing capability to make that data AI-ready. By embedding advanced AI and LLM-powered functions directly into SQL, this portfolio transforms Snowflake from a data platform into an intelligent data system—where structured and unstructured data can be seamlessly prepared, enriched, and analyzed using AI at scale. This convergence enables customers to operationalize AI within their existing workflows, unlocking faster insights, more powerful applications, and a fundamentally new way to interact with data.
IN THIS ROLE AT SNOWFLAKE, YOU WILL:
- Create and own architecture and design, influence our product roadmap, and identify new initiatives that push Snowflake's technology forward for our customers
- Set the strategic vision for the team and drive accountability for plans and deliverables
- Solve real business needs at scale by applying strong software engineering and analytical problem-solving skills
- Drive team projects from ideation through implementation in partnership with cross-functional teams
- Foster a culture of creativity and innovation while ensuring sound, practical decision-making
- Lead organizational structure evolution and improve engineering efficiency
- Hire, develop, and mentor senior technical leaders
- Manage, Grow, and Mentor the teams that have a significant impact on the success of the overall Snowflake product.
WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU IF YOU HAVE:
- Advanced degree in Computer Science
- 10+ years of software engineering experience with recent hands-on experience
- 2+ years of engineering director experience, including managing managers
- Deep experience with AI infrastructure and LLMs
- Experience building large-scale query processing or distributed systems
- Strong track record of recruiting and growing technical teams
- Excellent collaboration and communication skills across global organizations
WHY JOIN OUR TEAM AT SNOWFLAKE?
Join us at the forefront of AI innovation where you'll lead transformative initiatives that shape the future of data and artificial intelligence. You'll have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge LLM technology while building and mentoring high-performing engineering teams. Our culture promotes innovation, technical excellence, and collaborative problem-solving, offering you the platform to make a significant impact on enterprise AI solutions.
Snowflake is growing fast, and we are scaling our team to help enable and accelerate our growth. We are looking for people who share our values, challenge ordinary thinking, and push the pace of innovation while building a future for themselves and Snowflake. How do you want to make your impact?
Snowflake is growing fast, and we’re scaling our team to help enable and accelerate our growth. We are looking for people who share our values, challenge ordinary thinking, and push the pace of innovation while building a future for themselves and Snowflake.
How do you want to make your impact?
For jobs located in the United States, please visit the job posting on the Snowflake Careers Site for salary and benefits information: careers.snowflake.com
The following represents the expected range of compensation for this role:
The estimated base salary range for this role is $304,000 - $437,000.Additionally, this role is eligible to participate in Snowflake’s bonus and equity plan.
The successful candidate’s starting salary will be determined based on permissible, non-discriminatory factors such as skills, experience, and geographic location. This role is also eligible for a competitive benefits package that includes: medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; 401(k) retirement plan; flexible spending & health savings account; at least 12 paid holidays; paid time off; parental leave; employee assistance program; and other company benefits.
To comply with pay transparency requirements and other statutes, you can notify us if you believe that a job posting is not compliant by completing this form.
Key skills/competency
- Technical Director
- AI Functions
- Snowflake
- AI Infrastructure
- LLMs
- SQL
- Distributed Systems
- Product Roadmap
- Team Leadership
- Software Engineering
Skills & topics
- Technical Director
- AI Functions
- Snowflake
- AI
- LLM
- SQL
- Distributed Systems
- Software Engineering
- Leadership
- Product Management
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight AI, LLM, distributed systems, and leadership experience.
- Craft a compelling cover letter: Showcase your understanding of Snowflake's mission.
- Prepare for technical interviews: Brush up on AI infrastructure and SQL.
- Demonstrate leadership: Be ready to discuss managing managers and growing teams.
- Research Snowflake's culture: Align your values with their emphasis on innovation.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is the primary focus of the Technical Director AI Functions role at Snowflake?
- The Technical Director AI Functions role at Snowflake focuses on leading the AI Functions product portfolio, which aims to democratize AI by embedding powerful AI functions directly into SQL for analyzing data.
- What kind of technical background is required for this Technical Director position?
- Candidates need an advanced degree in Computer Science, 10+ years of software engineering experience (with recent hands-on work), 2+ years of engineering director experience managing managers, and deep expertise in AI infrastructure and LLMs.
- What are the key responsibilities of the Technical Director at Snowflake?
- Key responsibilities include defining the strategic vision, owning architecture and design, influencing the product roadmap, driving team projects, fostering innovation, and managing/mentoring engineering teams and technical leaders.
- How does Snowflake leverage AI and LLMs in its product portfolio?
- Snowflake integrates advanced AI and LLM-powered functions directly into SQL, transforming its data platform into an intelligent system that allows seamless data preparation, enrichment, and analysis at scale.
- What is the expected compensation for the Technical Director AI Functions role?
- The estimated base salary range for this role is $304,000 - $437,000 annually, with eligibility for Snowflake’s bonus and equity plan, plus a competitive benefits package.
- What kind of impact can a Technical Director AI Functions make at Snowflake?
- The role offers the chance to lead transformative initiatives at the forefront of AI innovation, shaping the future of data and AI, and making a significant impact on enterprise AI solutions.
- What is Snowflake's approach to AI and its role in their products?
- Snowflake views AI as a high-trust collaborator, emphasizing AI-native thinking and integrating advanced AI and LLM capabilities directly into their SQL workflows to empower users.
- What are the benefits of working at Snowflake in this role?
- Benefits include working with cutting-edge LLM technology, building and mentoring high-performing teams, a culture of innovation and technical excellence, and the opportunity to significantly impact enterprise AI solutions.