Managing Director, Head of Americas AI Blackbelts

The Google Cloud AI Blackbelt team is an external-facing incubation engine within the Cloud AI Engineering organization. Our primary mission is to bridge the gap between Google's cutting-edge frontier research (including DeepMind) and enterprise production reality. We deliver advanced, production-grade AI capabilities to Google Cloud's most strategic customers 12–18 months ahead of the industry curve.

Operating under a "strategic AI co-engineering" model, the Blackbelt team unifies the disciplines of forward-deployed engineering, AI research, and enterprise solution architecture to drive technical wins, validate market fit for new models, and incubate next-generation AI platforms.

As the Managing Director and Head of AI Blackbelts for the Americas, you will lead a global organization of specialized AI experts. You will be responsible for the strategic direction, operational excellence, and market impact of the Blackbelt team.

You will act as the ultimate "Chief AI Co-Engineer," serving as a trusted advisor to C-level executives at our most critical "Lighthouse" accounts, while simultaneously partnering with Google Cloud Engineering, Product, and DeepMind leaders to shape the future of our AI portfolio.

Google Cloud accelerates every organization’s ability to digitally transform its business and industry. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google’s cutting-edge technology, and tools that help developers build more sustainably. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $365,000-$505,000 + bonus + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits. Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities

• Lead, scale, and mentor a global team of AI practitioners, regional directors, and specialized domain leads. Define the strategic roadmap for the Blackbelt organization in alignment with Google Cloud's broader AI goals.
• Serve as the executive sponsor for major strategic accounts and early adopters. Guide customers through the complex transition from AI experimentation to scalable enterprise production.
• Act as the critical feedback loop between the field and Google's product/research teams. Inform the commercialization of frontier models by translating early-adopter friction and successes into actionable engineering insights.
• Drive the incubation of key AI bets and ensure they achieve significant market validation and annual recurring revenue milestones.
• Oversee the creation of reusable AI "recipes," reference architectures, and best practices to democratize cutting-edge AI implementation for the broader Google Cloud Go-To-Market teams and customer base.

Minimum qualifications:

• 15 years of experience in software engineering, technical consulting, AI/ML product development, or a related technical field.
• 10 years of experience managing and scaling globally distributed engineering or technical customer-facing teams.
• Experience operating in a "forward-deployed engineering" or technical incubation environment.
• Experience with modern artificial intelligence, machine learning, Generative AI, and Large Language Model (LLM) architectures.

Preferred qualifications:

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Mathematics, or a related field.
• Experience dealing with enterprise security, governance, and compliance requirements in the context of scalable AI deployments.
• Exceptional cross-functional leadership skills, with the ability to navigate and influence highly matrixed organizations spanning research, product, engineering, and sales.
• Proven track record of C-level executive engagement and driving multi-million dollar, complex technical transformations at Fortune 500 enterprises.
• Strong reputation in the AI community, with published research, patents, or significant contributions to open-source AI projects.