Research Program Manager

Company Overview

Deepgram is the leading voice AI platform for developers building speech-to-text (STT), text-to-speech (TTS) and full speech-to-speech (STS) offerings. 200,000+ developers build with Deepgram’s voice-native foundational models – accessed through APIs or as self-managed software – due to our unmatched accuracy, latency and pricing. Customers include software companies building voice products, co-sell partners working with large enterprises, and enterprises solving internal voice AI use cases. The company ended 2024 cash-flow positive with 400+ enterprise customers, 3.3x annual usage growth across the past 4 years, over 50,000 years of audio processed and over 1 trillion words transcribed. There is no organization in the world that understands voice better than Deepgram

The Opportunity

Voice AI stands at the cusp of a paradigm shift. Current approaches to voice interaction are fundamentally limited by the scarcity and diversity of audio data, combined with the prohibitive computational costs of processing high-dimensional audio at scale. These challenges have created a gap between the promise of universal voice interaction and today's reality. While our research scientists pioneer new approaches in Latent Space Models (LSMs) to solve these fundamental challenges, we need exceptional program leadership to transform these breakthroughs into real-world impact. The complexity of our mission—spanning audio compression, generative modeling, and multimodal systems—demands strategic orchestration of multiple research workstreams, careful resource allocation, and relentless focus on outcomes that advance our vision of making voice interaction universally accessible.

The Role

You will lead the strategic execution of our Voice AI Foundations research program, working at the intersection of cutting-edge research and practical implementation. Your mission is to accelerate our path to breakthrough voice AI capabilities by:

• Architecting and managing a portfolio of research initiatives across neural audio codecs, generative models, and multimodal speech systems

• Developing strategic roadmaps that align research objectives with company goals, identifying dependencies and critical paths while maintaining flexibility for scientific exploration

• Orchestrating collaboration between research teams, ensuring efficient knowledge sharing and preventing duplicate efforts across related projects

• Building and maintaining research infrastructure that enables rapid experimentation, including data pipelines, evaluation frameworks, and deployment systems

• Creating processes that balance our researchers' need for creative freedom with the imperative to validate ideas quickly and scale successful approaches

• Establishing clear success metrics and experimental frameworks that help teams rapidly iterate while maintaining scientific rigor

• Managing relationships with external partners, from academic collaborators to compute infrastructure providers

• Ensuring research outputs are properly documented, replicated, and positioned for eventual productization

The Challenge

We are seeking program managers who:

• Can translate abstract research directions into concrete, achievable milestones without constraining scientific creativity

• Excel at identifying and eliminating bottlenecks before they impact research velocity

• Have the technical depth to engage meaningfully with researchers while maintaining focus on strategic objectives

• Are energized by the challenge of bringing structure to inherently uncertain research environments

• Can build consensus across teams with different approaches and priorities

• Are obsessed with creating systems and processes that amplify research impact

If you find yourself thinking about how to optimize research workflows while still reading papers, if you're equally comfortable discussing model architecture and project architecture, you might be the program manager we need. This role demands a unique blend of technical understanding, strategic thinking, and operational excellence.

It's Important to Us That You Have

• Deep familiarity with machine learning research processes and best practices, particularly in speech/audio or related fields

• Proven track record of successfully delivering complex technical programs with multiple concurrent workstreams

• Experience building and managing research infrastructure, including compute resources, data pipelines, and evaluation frameworks

• Strong technical background that enables effective communication with research scientists and understanding of ML system requirements

• Demonstrated ability to create and implement processes that accelerate research while maintaining scientific rigor

• History of fostering collaboration across teams and establishing effective knowledge sharing practices

• Experience with agile methodologies adapted for research environments

• Strong analytical skills for evaluating project health, resource allocation, and strategic alignment

• Excellent communication abilities for articulating technical concepts to diverse stakeholders

How We Generated This Job Description

This job description was generated by Claude-3.5-Sonnet using our Research Scientist JD as context and was then lightly edited by a human. We think the produced JD maintains strong alignment with our vision for pioneering voice AI while focusing on the crucial program management aspects that will enable our research teams to succeed.

Backed by prominent investors including Y Combinator, Madrona, Tiger Global, Wing VC and NVIDIA, Deepgram has raised over $85 million in total funding. If you're looking to work on cutting-edge technology and make a significant impact in the AI industry, we'd love to hear from you!

Deepgram is an equal opportunity employer. We want all voices and perspectives represented in our workforce. We are a curious bunch focused on collaboration and doing the right thing. We put our customers first, grow together and move quickly. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information, political affiliation, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.

We are happy to provide accommodations for applicants who need them.

Compensation Range: $150K - $220K

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