Head of Data/ML

The climate crisis is the defining challenge of our time—but it’s also the greatest opportunity for innovation, and a challenge we’re proud to take on. At Overstory, we’re harnessing cutting-edge technology to enable a resilient electrical grid that keeps communities thriving as our world changes.

The grid is the backbone of life as we know it. It powers hospitals, keeps food fresh, and ensures communities stay connected. But extreme weather, aging infrastructure, and growing wildfire risks are putting this critical system under pressure. All of this combined makes the electric utility industry the greatest opportunity for tackling climate change. 

One of the leading causes of catastrophic wildfires and power outages? Trees and brush coming into contact with power lines. 

That’s where we help. At Overstory, we use AI and advanced satellite imagery to pinpoint and prioritize vegetation risks before they materialize. By giving utilities critical analysis on those risks, we’re helping prevent outages, reduce wildfire risks, and accelerate the transition to a safer, more resilient grid.

Our team spans the Americas and Europe, and we work with utility partners across the Americas and beyond. We’re outdoor enthusiasts, musicians, artists, athletes, parents, and adventurers—15 nationalities strong and growing. What unites us is a passion for solving complex problems, a commitment to climate action, and the belief that technology should be a force for good.

Join us to help us build a more resilient world together.

The role

Overstory is hiring a senior AI/ML leader to shape the future of our intelligent systems that power critical environmental insights. Our AI capabilities currently drive three key product areas: wildfire prevention modeling, utility planning decision support, and actionable vegetation risk insights. Your leadership will establish the technical foundation and processes that make our ML systems more robust, scalable, and impactful over time.

As a key member of Overstory's technical leadership team, you'll build and guide a team of ML engineers and data scientists while helping grow a thriving, mission-driven business. You'll collaborate closely with cross-functional partners (engineering, product, design, customer success) to develop AI solutions that deliver exceptional value to customers and set new industry benchmarks for environmental intelligence.

Looking for an opportunity to drive AI innovation while creating technology that protects our planet? We'd love to hear your story.

What you'll do

• Lead and Empower: Drive key AI initiatives across product areas, fostering a culture of technical excellence and empowering ML engineers to push boundaries.
• Provide AI Vision: Offer strategic guidance on model architecture, data strategy, and ML operations to ensure alignment with Overstory's long-term goals.
• Champion Company Values: Actively embody Overstory's core values, nurturing a positive team culture within your group and advocating for responsible AI practices.
• Support Growth: Hold regular 1:1s to mentor team members, helping them develop both technical depth and career growth; participate in interviewing and hiring senior ML engineers and managers.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with software engineering, design, customer success, and product teams to integrate AI capabilities that advance Overstory's product vision.
• Enhance Organizational Design: Proactively refine ML team structures and work with leadership to optimize the distribution of AI expertise across the organization.
• Mentor and Contribute to Leadership: Actively participate in the leadership community, offering technical mentorship and providing peer support to elevate company-wide AI capabilities.

About you

• Passionate about applying AI to climate and environmental challenges
• Experience working in a high-growth startup/scaleup environment
• Experience in geospatial deep learning and a related field (ecology, environmental sciences, weather, climate)
• Proven track record leading AI/ML teams, with 5+ years managing and developing technical ML leaders
• Track record building psychological safety and transparent communication in technical teams
• Substantial hands-on ML engineering background with expertise in productionizing models and implementing continuous learning, evaluation, and deployment pipelines
• Strategic mindset for navigating AI complexity while maintaining focus on real-world impact
• Demonstrated success scaling ML organizations in high-growth environments
• Track record of successful remote-first team leadership