Data Science Director Jobs in San Jose, CA

INTRODUCTION

The Firefly Foundry team is seeking an experienced Applied Science Manager to lead and evolve the training data ecosystem that powers our generative AI models for content synthesis and editing across multiple modalities, including imaging and video. This role is pivotal to building and scaling the science, pipelines, and data strategies essential to developing the next generation of creative tools. We are looking for candidates with a strong foundation in applied research, data algorithms, large-scale data pipelines, and machine learning, paired with a passion for enabling cutting-edge AI research and product development. As a Manager for Applied Science at Adobe, you will develop novel data-centric solutions that advance creativity through features in Adobe’s products, reaching millions of people worldwide.

Responsibilities

- Lead and grow a distributed team focused on training data for generative AI.
- Define and execute the strategy for acquiring, processing, curating, annotating, versioning, and ensuring the quality of large-scale datasets for Custom Foundation Models.
- Build and maintain scalable, efficient data pipelines across the training data lifecycle.
- Collaborate with researchers, ML engineers, and product managers to align on data needs for foundation models.
- Champion data diversity, bias mitigation, and ethical AI practices.
- Evaluate and integrate tools and methodologies that enhance infrastructure and workflows.
- Influence model development through insights on data quality and availability.
- Provide technical leadership and foster a culture of innovation.
- Partner across teams to align data priorities and share best practices.

QUALIFICATIONS

- Master’s or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, AI/ML, or a related field — or equivalent experience.
- 5+ years of experience in engineering leadership.
- Deep understanding of ML data lifecycles, particularly for generative models.
- Experience in the science and algorithms underpinning data for generative AI.
- Experience with synthetic data creation and curation.
- Strong grasp of data privacy, security, and ethical AI principles.
- Excellent leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills.
- Experience working with large-scale image and video datasets.

ABOUT ADOBE

Adobe empowers everyone to create through innovative platforms and tools that unleash creativity, productivity and personalized customer experiences. Adobe’s industry-leading offerings including Adobe Acrobat Studio, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Creative Cloud, Adobe Experience Platform, Adobe Experience Manager, and GenStudio enable people and businesses to turn ideas into impact, powered by AI and driven by human ingenuity. Our 30,000+ employees worldwide are creating the future and raising the bar as we drive the next decade of growth. We’re on a mission to hire the very best and believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. At Adobe, we believe that great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. The next big idea could be yours.

LET’S ADOBE TOGETHER

At Adobe, we believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. Learn more about Adobe life, including our values and culture, focus on people, purpose and community, Adobe for All, comprehensive benefits programs, the stories we tell, the customers we serve, and how you can help us advance our mission of empowering everyone to create.

Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Learn more. Adobe aims to make our Careers website and recruiting process accessible to any and all users. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation to navigate our website or complete the application process, email accommodations@adobe.com or call +1 408-536-3015.

AI USE GUIDELINES FOR INTERVIEWS:

Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording tools during live interviews is not permitted unless explicitly invited by the interviewer or approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation. If these tools are used inappropriately or in a way that misrepresents your work, your application may not move forward in the process. At Adobe, we empower employees to innovate with AI — and we look for candidates eager to do the same. As part of the hiring experience, we provide clear guidance on where AI is encouraged during the process and where it’s restricted during live interviews. See how we think about AI in the hiring experience.

EXPECTED PAY RANGE

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $172,500 - $306,625 annually. Pay within this range varies by work location and may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process. In California, the pay range for this position is $211,800 - $306,625. In Washington, the pay range for this position is $201,000 - $291,150. At Adobe, for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC = base + commission), and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans. Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP). In addition, certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.

STATE-SPECIFIC NOTICES

California: Fair Chance Ordinances
Adobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.

Colorado: Application Window Notice
If this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting), the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time, in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location, no specific application window applies, and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.

Massachusetts: Massachusetts Legal Notice
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.