Manager, Applied AI Engineering

Overview

Impact the Moment

At McGraw Hill, our mission is to unlock the full potential of every learner. This role puts you at the center of that mission, applying AI to products used by millions of students and educators. We are seeking an experienced Manager, Applied AI Engineering to join our team. You bring deep expertise in building and delivering highly scalable, full-stack AI-powered applications. This is a player-coach role: you are both a people manager and the hands-on tech lead on our most strategic AI initiatives, providing engineering leadership, technical guidance, and mentorship to high-performance, AI-native engineering teams.

You take personal accountability, stay curious about new technologies and methodologies, and dig into complex issues while respecting timelines and team commitments. As a people manager, you are motivated to grow both the individuals on your team and the team as a whole. 

This is a remote position open to applicants authorized to work for any employer within the United States.

What You’ll Do:

• Operate as both a people manager and an individual technical contributor/tech lead, shifting between the two as project needs demand.
• Act as hands-on tech lead on the organization's most strategic enterprise AI initiatives, designing agentic and LLM-based systems firsthand and stepping in directly to resolve the team's hardest technical problems.
• Design, build, and maintain production-grade MCP servers and connector services that securely expose our capabilities and data to AI clients and agents.
• Manage AI-native engineers and teams that move quickly and operate with high autonomy using modern AI tooling (copilots, agents, etc.).
• Own the team's AI token and compute budget, driving cost efficiency and responsible usage across AI tooling and infrastructure.
• Set technical standards for prompt engineering, RAG, agent orchestration, and evaluation of AI systems across the team.
• Drive software engineering excellence through coding, pair programming, code/architecture reviews, and comprehensive solution design.
• Manage stakeholder relationships and ensure the team's work meets compliance, application security, and data privacy standards alongside business requirements.
• Facilitate career development for your team through mentorship, identifying training opportunities, and skill-building.

About You:

• You have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field.
• You have 10+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 2 years in a leadership or management role.
• You have led teams of individual contributor engineers with strong empathy, communication, and interpersonal skills, balancing the realities of the business with the needs of your team.
• You have strong hands-on experience on the full software stack including Frontend (Angular/React), Backend / API (Python, Node.js), Databases (such as MySQL and PostgreSQL, NoSQL databases such as DynamoDB) and Infrastructure (AWS/Azure, Terraform)
• You have experience developing scalable AI powered solutions at an enterprise level using LLM Frameworks such as Langchain and AI services such as Azure AI Search, Azure OpenAI service, Amazon Bedrock or similar technologies.
• You have experience designing, building, and operating Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers or similar connector services that let AI clients securely access tools and data.
• You have experience implementing accessible features in web applications.
• You can shift focus between diverse projects and priorities in a dynamic work environment, managing multiple initiatives concurrently without compromising quality or focus.
• You have experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and modern development tools and methodologies.
• You have experience with OAuth 2.0 / OpenID Connect or similar identity standards.
• You are passionate about technology and committed to staying current on AI advancements.

Why McGraw Hill?

• We firmly believe in the mission of educating students and helping them succeed.
• Our teams operate in a collaborative and safe environment where everyone’s input is valued, trusted, and respected.
• You’ll be at the forefront of applying generative AI, agentic systems, and enterprise-scale LLM applications to transform how millions of students, teachers, and administrators learn and work.
• You’ll have the opportunity for horizontal and vertical movement and growth throughout the organization, including clear career paths for your long-term personal and professional growth.

Why work for us?

The work you do at McGraw Hill will be work that matters. We are collectively building experiences that will help shape the future of education. Play your part and experience a sense of fulfilment that will inspire you to even greater heights.

The pay range for this position is between $140,000- $190,000 annually, however, base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location. An annual bonus plan may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical and/or other benefits, depending on the position offered. Click here to learn more about our benefit offerings.

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