Vice President, Data Science

About the Position

Vice President, Data Science

United States (Remote)

Join us in bringing joy to customer experience. Five9 is a leading provider of cloud contact center software, bringing the power of cloud innovation to customers worldwide.

Living our values every day results in our team-first culture and enables us to innovate, grow, and thrive while enjoying the journey together. We celebrate diversity and foster an inclusive environment, empowering our employees to be their authentic selves.

As Vice President of Data Science, you will lead and grow our in-house data science team. This team is responsible for research, experimentation, data collection and curation, and data analysis that contributes to the performance of Five9’s AI products. Tasks include evaluation and selection of AI agent architectural frameworks, evaluation and comparison of LLM models across commercial and open-source choices, model fine-tuning for dedicated tasks, prompt engineering, prompt structure and design, and composite model definitions and evaluations. The scale of Five9 provides a wealth of data that the data science team has access to. The data science team is very much applied – their work directly makes its way into real products providing direct customer benefit.

As the lead of this team, you will take complete ownership of the technical and operational direction of the organization, including growing the team to meet increased demand for its capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Technical Direction Setting: As an expert in the leading edge of AI and data science, you will direct the team on the methodologies, practices, algorithms, experiments, and processes they perform.
• Hands On: You are expected to also be hands-on, not just a manager, and be directly responsible for some amount of the technical work in addition to directing the team.
• Organizational Growth: You will be tasked with growing the team and ensuring we have the right talent to accomplish our goals.
• Collaborator and Spokesperson: You will act as an internal and external spokesperson for data science, and collaborate with stakeholders across the company. Internally, you will be expected to meet with product managers, executives, and staff, and be able to converse effectively with them. You will also occasionally meet with customers to understand how Five9 products, and the data science behind them, impact the customers. You are expected to participate in industry activities, including the publication of blog posts and papers, along with participation in AI conferences.

Requirements

• Technical Expertise:

  • 12+ years experience in data science or AI applied research, ideally at a best-in-class applied research organization.
  • Deep Expertise in Modern AI/ML
  • Model Development & Optimization
  • Data Engineering & Curation
  • Applied Data Science & Analytics
  • Software Development & Systems Thinking

• People & Collaboration Skills:

  • Cross-Functional Partnering
  • Communication & Storytelling
  • Team Development & Mentorship
  • Customer Empathy

• Leadership & Strategic Skills:

  • Vision Setting & Direction
  • Hands-On Leadership
  • Organizational Scaling
  • Operational Excellence
  • Executive Presence & Influence
  • Ethics, Safety & Risk Awareness

• Educational Requirements:

  • Advanced degree in a quantitative or technical field, such as:
    • Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, Computational Linguistics, or a related field.
    • Master’s degree in one of the above fields with significant applied industry experience in AI/ML leadership roles.

We Offer

• Compensation:

  • Base salary range: $233,000-$512,000 USD
  • Annual performance bonus, stock, and/or other applicable incentive compensation plans.

• Benefits:

  • Health, dental, and vision coverage, beginning on the first day of employment.
  • Short & Long-Term Disability, Basic Life Insurance, and a 401k savings plan with employer matching.
  • Access to an innovative mental health support platform.
  • Generous employee stock purchase plan.
  • Paid Time Off, Company paid holidays, paid volunteer hours, and 12 weeks paid parental leave.

All compensation and benefits are subject to the requirements and restrictions set forth in the applicable plan documents and any written agreements between the parties.

About the Company

Five9 embraces diversity and is committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better we are. Five9 is an equal opportunity employer.

Five9 is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and interview process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at [email protected] to request an accommodation. Requests will be handled confidentially and in accordance with applicable law.

View our privacy policy, including our privacy notice to California residents here: Five9 Privacy Policy.

Note: Five9 will never request that an applicant send money as a prerequisite for commencing employment with Five9.