Senior Director of Community, PyTorch Foundation

Senior Director of Community, PyTorch

About the PyTorch Foundation

The PyTorch Foundation, a part of the Linux Foundation, stewards an expanding ecosystem of open-source AI projects including the PyTorch framework, vLLM, DeepSpeed, and other innovative initiatives. Our vibrant global community of developers, researchers, and practitioners leverages these projects to shape the future of AI and deep learning technologies. We are committed to fostering open collaboration, technical excellence, and strategic growth of impactful open-source AI projects that benefit the broader AI community.

Job Description

As the Senior Director of Community, you will play a crucial role in building and nurturing relationships across the PyTorch Foundation's diverse project ecosystem. This position focuses on understanding and addressing the needs of AI researchers, developers, and engineers who engage with our various projects - from the core PyTorch framework to specialized tools like vLLM and DeepSpeed. You will work closely with various internal teams to ensure the community's voice is heard and represented while helping identify and evaluate potential new projects that could benefit from the Foundation's support.

The ideal candidate brings deep technical understanding of the AI/ML ecosystem combined with excellent relationship-building skills and strategic vision. You will work collaboratively with internal teams and community members to foster meaningful discussions, gather insights, and help shape the future of the PyTorch Foundation's project ecosystem.

Why This Role Matters

With the PyTorch Foundation's expanding portfolio of projects and growing influence in the AI ecosystem, a dedicated Director of Developer Community is essential to:

• Foster meaningful technical discussions and knowledge sharing across our project communities

• Ensure community needs and feedback are effectively communicated to internal teams

• Support the growth of a vibrant, collaborative AI developer ecosystem

• Help maintain and grow the Foundation's position as a leading force in open-source AI

• Identify and evaluate strategic opportunities for new project additions to the Foundation

• Build bridges between different project communities to encourage collaboration and innovation

Key Responsibilities

Community Engagement and Technical Support

• Build and maintain strong relationships with AI researchers, developers, and engineers across all Foundation projects

• Facilitate technical discussions and knowledge sharing across multiple project communities

• Work with engineering teams to gather and prioritize community feedback for each project

• Support community members in their technical journey with Foundation projects

• Identify potential synergies between different project communities

• Evaluate and recommend new open-source projects for potential Foundation support

• Developer Advocacy and Technical Communication

• Collaborate with researchers and developers to highlight innovative uses of Foundation projects

• Support the creation of technical documentation and learning resources across all projects

• Represent diverse community needs and perspectives internally

• Participate in technical discussions and provide guidance across project communities

• Help coordinate cross-project initiatives and knowledge sharing

• Evaluate potential open-source projects for strategic alignment with Foundation goals

• Present technical talks and participate in panel discussions at major industry conferences

• Represent the Foundation at local AI/ML events in the San Francisco Bay Area

• Work with PyTorch Ambassadors to organize local meetups worldwide

• Engage in broader industry initiatives and working groups to advance open-source AI development

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Work with the Marketing team to provide technical input for content and communications

• Support the Events team in developing technical content for conferences and workshops

• Assist Program Management in understanding community needs and impact

• Partner with Engineering to ensure community feedback influences product development

• Community Insights and Feedback

• Establish effective channels for gathering technical feedback from the community

• Analyze and synthesize community insights to inform product decisions

• Work with engineering teams to address technical pain points

• Maintain open communication channels between the community and internal teams

Technical Community Support

• Help maintain technical discussion forums and community platforms

• Support community-led technical initiatives and projects

• Assist in troubleshooting and resolving community-reported issues

• Foster a collaborative environment for knowledge sharing

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent experience

• 8+ years of experience in developer relations, technical community management, or similar roles

• Strong technical background in AI/ML, with hands-on development experience

• Demonstrated ability to understand and communicate complex technical concepts

• Experience building relationships within technical communities

• Strong strategic thinking and ability to evaluate technical projects

• Experience managing multiple technical communities or projects simultaneously

• Understanding of open-source project evaluation and growth strategies

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Proven experience presenting at technical conferences and industry events

• Strong public speaking and presentation skills

• Based in or willing to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area

• Availability for occasional international travel

Preferred

• Experience with PyTorch or similar deep learning frameworks

• Background in machine learning research or development

• Understanding of open-source development practices and communities

• Experience working in distributed team environments

• Strong technical writing and documentation skills

• Established network within the AI/ML industry and research community

• Track record of successful conference presentations and technical talks

• Experience participating in industry standards or working groups

• Familiarity with the San Francisco Bay Area tech ecosystem

Additional Information

About the Linux Foundation

The PyTorch Foundation operates as part of the Linux Foundation, a leading organization dedicated to accelerating the development and adoption of open-source technologies through collaboration. The Linux Foundation supports some of the largest and most successful open-source projects globally, fostering innovation and driving community engagement at scale.

Salary $165,000 - $220,000. Position is Bonus eligible.

Strong preference for candidates in the Bay Area.