Senior Vice President, Head of AI

Our Company

Oaktree is a leader among global investment managers specializing in alternative investments, with about $200 billion in assets under management. The firm emphasizes an opportunistic, value-oriented and risk-controlled approach to investments in credit, private equity, real assets and listed equities. The firm has over 1200 employees and offices in 24 cities worldwide.

We are committed to cultivating an environment that is collaborative, curious, inclusive and honors diversity of thought. Providing training and career development opportunities and emphasizing strong support for our local communities through philanthropic initiatives are essential to our culture.

For additional information please visit our website at

Summary

Oaktree is seeking a Head of AI Product Engineering to lead the development and integration of cutting-edge Generative AI technologies within our growing product engineering team. In this leadership role, you will define and execute the strategic roadmap for AI innovation, enhancing Oaktree's software landscape and transforming the way we leverage technology across the organization. You will build a team responsible for envisioning, prototyping, and deploying high-impact AI-powered solutions that elevate user experience and operational efficiency.

Responsibilities include:

• Build and lead a high performing team responsible for the end-to-end AI engineering pipeline - from data preprocessing and modeling to API integration and production deployment.

• Architect scalable infrastructure to support rapid experimentation and delivery of production-ready AI systems.

• Lead the application of advanced techniques such as foundation models, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and agentic systems.

• Drive cross-functional alignment on AI strategies that support company objectives and raise the bar on our machine learning capabilities and technical stack.

• Balance deep technical exploration with clear product goals, collaborating with engineers, designers, and product managers to prioritize and define impactful solutions.

• Champion a culture of experimentation, ownership, and continuous learning; mentor team members across AI and adjacent domains.

• Stay current on trends in Generative AI and proactively identify opportunities to apply these innovations to real-world challenges at Oaktree.

• Promote best practices in scalability, reliability, operational excellence, and cost efficiency across AI systems.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in software and/or AI engineering, including 5+ years focused on machine learning and AI systems.

• 2+ years of experience in technical leadership or as the go-to AI/ML expert within a technical organization.

• Experience in building, leading, and providing direction / guidance to a team that focuses on Generative AI and machine learning technologies

• Proven track record of building and deploying Generative AI systems that deliver measurable business value.

• Strong command of modern ML/DL techniques, including model development, fine-tuning, evaluation, and productionization.

• Expertise in Python and frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, HuggingFace, LangChain, Glean, and related tools.

• Experience with large language models (e.g., GPT-4, Claude, Mistral) and model fine-tuning / building RAG pipelines.

• Experience building Agentic AI platforms using technologies such as N8N, LangFlow, LangGraph.

• Ability to operate in ambiguity and lead complex initiatives from concept through delivery in fast-paced environments.

• Strong product sense with experience gathering user requirements, defining roadmaps, and prioritizing trade-offs.

• Familiarity with Agile methodologies and tools like Confluence and JIRA.

• Interest in fostering strong team culture and "vibe engineering."

Nice to have:

• Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in Machine Learning or a related discipline.

• Contributions to peer-reviewed AI research or publications.

• Experience in financial services, particularly credit markets; CFA or CAIA a plus.

• Solid foundation in software engineering best practices, system design, and architecture.

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related technical field - or equivalent professional experience.

Base Salary Range

$200,000-$225,000

In addition to a competitive base salary, you will be eligible to receive discretionary bonus incentives, a comprehensive benefits package and a flexible work arrangement. The base salary offered will be commensurate with experience and/or qualifications, industry knowledge and expertise, as well as prior training and education.

Equal Opportunity Employment Policy

Oaktree is committed to diversity and to equal opportunity employment. Oaktree does not make employment decisions on the basis of race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, past or present physical or mental disability, HIV status, medical condition as defined by state law (genetic characteristics or cancer), pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions, veteran status, military service, marital status, familial status, genetic information, domestic violence victim status or any other classification protected by applicable federal, state and local laws and ordinances. This policy applies to hiring, placement, internal promotions, training, opportunities for advancement, recruitment advertising, transfers, demotions, layoffs, terminations, recruitment advertising, rates of pay and other forms of compensation and all other terms, conditions and privileges of employment. This policy applies to all Oaktree applicants, employees, clients, and contractors. Staff members wishing to report violations or suspected violations of this policy should contact the head of their department or Human Resources.

For positions based in Los Angeles

For those applying for a position in the city of Los Angeles, the firm will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.