VP Engineering, ML / AI

Adyen provides payments, data, and financial products in a single solution for customers like Meta, Uber, H&M, and Microsoft – making us the financial technology platform of choice. At Adyen, everything we do is engineered for ambition.

For our teams, we create an environment with opportunities for our people to succeed, backed by the culture and support to ensure they are enabled to truly own their careers. We are motivated individuals who tackle unique technical challenges at scale and solve them as a team. Together, we deliver innovative and ethical solutions that help businesses achieve their ambitions faster.

VP Engineering – Machine Learning / AI:

We are seeking an experienced VP Engineering focused on Machine Learning to join our dynamic global data organization. The ML/AI team is composed of around 100 skilled engineers and data scientists, and the VP will oversee multiple teams across platform risk, payments performance engineering, data platform development and MLOps, and payments automation optimization.

Adyen is increasingly relying on machine learning and AI for production flows, including real-time transaction processing, transaction monitoring to detect financial crime (AML/terrorism), operational efficiency (including GenAI), and the engineering and infrastructure to support that. We are willing to expand the depth and breadth of our usage of ML/AI.

What You’ll Do:

• Leadership and management- Lead and mentor a diverse team of engineering leaders, focusing on performance management and talent recognition. Ensure alignment with company goals and foster a high-performance culture.
• Technical excellence- Oversee the ML platform’s delivery of change and reliability.
• Production systems- Manage and improve live production systems that make critical decisions and impact significant revenue streams at a large scale. Ensure robustness, scalability, and efficiency in all deployed solutions.
• Innovation and implementation- Drive the adoption of innovative techniques and methodologies, ensuring our ML practices remain industry-leading. Lead our PhD programs and keep the team updated on industry advancements.

Who You Are:

• Proven expertise in ML/AI- You have a solid track record in the ML/AI/GenAI/data science field, with professional experience that includes significant, tangible impacts. You’ve built or been part of teams that have created widely recognized frameworks, products, formulas, or algorithms. Ideally, you have public contributions in books, blogs, open-source, or professional projects.
• Production experience- Extensive experience working in production-heavy environments at scale is essential. We value leadership experience in large companies, startups, scaleups, and open-source communities. Your background in software and infrastructure engineering is critical.
• Startup/founder mentality- You possess a solid drive to get things done, with a determination to push boundaries and achieve results. Your entrepreneurial mindset is critical to driving innovation and efficiency.
• Research curiosity- You are keenly interested in staying connected with the latest ML/AI research. Your curiosity and engagement with ongoing research in academia or big tech drive your approach. In the long term, you will integrate cutting-edge research into our ML/AI initiatives.
• Leadership experience- Demonstrated experience leading large, highly skilled teams, particularly leaders within those teams. Your ability to inspire, guide, and manage a sizable organization is essential.

Other Job Details:

• Most of the ML/AI team is based out of Amsterdam. We have a hybrid workplace and value in-person collaboration; we do not offer remote-only roles.
• This role requires domestic and international travel.

Our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion commitments:

Our unique approach is a product of our diverse perspectives. This diversity of backgrounds and cultures is essential in helping us maintain our momentum. Our business and technical challenges are unique, and we need as many different voices as possible to join us in solving them – voices like yours. No matter who you are or where you’re from, we welcome you to be your true self at Adyen.

Studies show that women and members of underrepresented communities apply for jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. Does this sound like you? If so, Adyen encourages you to reconsider and apply. We look forward to your application!

What’s next?

Ensuring a smooth and enjoyable candidate experience is critical for us. We aim to get back to you regarding your application within 5 business days. Our interview process tends to take about 4 weeks to complete, but may fluctuate depending on the role. Learn more about our hiring process here. Don’t be afraid to let us know if you need more flexibility.

Adyen is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status or any legally protected status.