Vice President, AI & Machine Learning Engineering, Santa Clara

Company Description

It all started when engineer Fred Luddy wrote code that automated a tedious task for his coworker, Phyllis. She cried tears of joy. That moment inspired Fred to build a company that could do that for everyone—freeing people from busywork so they could focus on meaningful work. Today, ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. Our ServiceNow AI platform brings together any AI, any data, and any workflow— helping 85% of the Fortune 500® work smarter, faster, and better. We're building an AI-native culture where technology and talent are unstoppable together. And we're just getting started.

Join us to put AI to work for people.

Job Description

At ServiceNow, we're building the AI control tower for business reinvention. We are seeking an exceptional VP of AI & Machine Learning Engineering to lead the teams building our core AI products and capabilities — branded as Now Assist — delivered across IT, HR, Supply Chain, Finance, and CRM, serving industries from telco and healthcare to manufacturing, banking, and insurance. This leader will drive the architecture, development, and delivery of key AI/ML capabilities embedded across the Now Platform — including AI model strategy, natural language understanding, agentic AI orchestration, voice, recommendation systems, and the ML infrastructure that powers enterprise-scale operations.

A key focus area is applying autonomous AI to the enterprise work context — building multi-step, multi-department business process automation that fundamentally changes how the world's largest companies operate. This includes advancing ServiceNow's model strategy, training and deploying purpose-built models optimized for enterprise workflows, and delivering omni-channel AI resolution across Chat, Voice, Computer Use, and Generative UI — with governance, trust, and transparency.

You will lead a world-class AI/ML engineering organization, partnering closely with Product, Platform, Data, UX, and Cloud teams to embed intelligence into every layer of the ServiceNow experience. This is a high-impact leadership role with direct influence on ServiceNow's AI-first transformation and competitive differentiation.

Responsibilities

Define and execute AI/ML strategy for your engineering domain, aligning research, engineering, and product delivery to ServiceNow's business objectives and revenue growth.
Drive development and scaling of the Agentic AI Platform & Search — building foundational infrastructure for autonomous, multi-step agents that orchestrate complex, multi-department business processes with built-in governance and trust.
Deliver omni-channel AI resolution and fulfillment, enabling seamless autonomous experiences across Chat, Voice, Computer Use, and Generative UI.
Lead model strategy execution — including third-party and domain-specific models — optimizing for enterprise workflows at Fortune 500 scale.
Build and operate enterprise-grade ML infrastructure: model training pipelines, feature stores, model serving, A/B experimentation, and MLOps at cloud scale.
Lead applied research in NLP, generative AI, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), vision, recommendation systems, and reinforcement learning for enterprise use cases.
Partner across Platform, Data, Product, and UX teams to deliver intelligence at the right time, with the right context, in the flow of work.
Recruit, develop, and scale a global AI/ML engineering organization of 100+ across the US, India, and Europe, cultivating a culture of research excellence and product impact.
Represent ServiceNow as a thought leader in enterprise AI — engaging the broader AI community, supporting publications and conference participation, and helping attract world-class talent.

Qualifications

MS or PhD in Computer Science, AI, Machine Learning, or a closely related field. Exceptional candidates with a BS and a strong industry track record will also be considered.
12+ years of progressive experience in AI/ML engineering and research, with 3+ years in senior leadership roles (Senior Director or VP level) at leading technology companies.
Deep technical expertise across the modern AI stack: large language models, transformer architectures, generative AI, NLP/NLU, agentic AI systems, RAG, and reinforcement learning.
Proven track record fine-tuning and deploying foundation models at production scale, with hands-on knowledge of distributed training, model optimization, and inference efficiency.
Experience building and scaling ML platforms and infrastructure — including feature stores, model registries, experimentation frameworks, and CI/CD pipelines for ML systems.
Demonstrated success shipping AI-powered products in enterprise or B2B SaaS contexts, with clear understanding of governance and trust requirements for Fortune 500 customers.
Strong publication record or patent portfolio in top venues (NeurIPS, ICML, CVPR, ACL, KDD) and active engagement with the research community.
Experience leading globally distributed engineering teams of 100+, with a track record of recruiting and retaining world-class AI talent.
Strong executive presence — able to communicate AI strategy and technical vision to senior leadership, customers, and non-technical stakeholders with clarity and conviction.
Strategic thinker with a builder's mindset, balancing long-term research investments with near-term product delivery in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

Preferred Qualifications

Prior Director or VP title at a major technology company or high-growth AI-native company.
Experience with enterprise workflow platforms, knowledge management systems, or operational intelligence at scale.
Background in building or integrating conversational AI, chatbot, or virtual agent technologies for enterprise use cases.
Experience supporting M&A technical integration — helping absorb acquired AI teams and technology into a larger platform organization.
Thought leadership through published research, open-source contributions, conference presentations, or advisory roles in the AI community.

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $291,500 - $495,600, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

Additional Information

Work Personas

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

Equal Opportunity Employer

ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or nationality, ancestry, age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements.

Accommodations

We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact [email protected] for assistance.

Export Control Regulations

For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities.