Product Director - AI, Wirecutter

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It’s why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It’s why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it’s why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it’s worth paying for. 

About the Role

Wirecutter, a product recommendation company owned by The New York Times Company, is dedicated to providing evidence-based advice on the best things to buy. Through rigorous research, reporting, and extensive hands-on testing, our expert journalists and editors help millions of readers make informed decisions, saving them time, effort, and money. We believe in journalistic independence and a commitment to helping people understand the world through unbiased, meticulously tested recommendations.

We're looking for a creative, strategic, and deeply knowledgeable Product Director, AI to lead the vision, strategy, and execution of Wirecutter's organizational transformation with AI. This critical role will be an expert on the rapidly changing AI landscape, translating new technological advancements into actionable strategies that instill cultural and process changes, amplify our reader services, and directly affect Wirecutter's goals. You will report directly to the VP of Product, Wirecutter, with a dotted line reporting relationship to the Editor-in-Chief, Wirecutter.

Responsibilities:

AI Vision, Strategy & Business Impact

• Serve as Wirecutter's AI expert, monitoring new technologies (LLMs, generative AI) and industry trends for their impact on our business.

• Define a clear, actionable AI vision and strategic roadmap aligned with Wirecutter's mission.

• Amplify reader services, improve operational efficiency, and optimize our commerce intiatives through AI.

• Identify and champion high-impact AI use cases.

AI Tooling, Development & Platform Innovation

• Partner with Digital Leadership to evolve our product lifecycle with AI-powered solutions, from discovery to iteration.

• Drive the identification, evaluation, and implementation of AI technologies for internal operations and platforms (CMS, Commerce Engine).

• Collaborate to accelerate AI-powered features enhancing reader discovery, personalization, and user journeys, while upholding editorial integrity.

• Develop metrics to monitor AI solution impact on editorial quality, efficiency, reader engagement, and commercial performance.

AI Evanagelism & Adoption

• Be a passionate AI evangelist, fostering experimentation and integration across teams.

• Lead educational initiatives to demystify AI and secure buy-in.

• Champion the ethical and responsible use of AI, ensuring tools uphold accuracy, objectivity, and reader trust.

• Partner with The New York Times Company's central AI teams, leveraging their infrastructure and expertise.

• Demonstrate support and understanding of our value of journalistic independence and a strong commitment to our mission to seek the truth and help people understand the world.

Basic Qualifications:

• 10+ years of progressive product management or related experience, with a consistent track record of strategic impact and leadership in digital environments.
• 3+ years experience directly in AI/ML product management, including defining, launching, and iterating on AI-powered solutions.
• 1+ years of experience delivering complex AI solutions, ideally in media, e-commerce, or content-heavy environments.
• 3+ years of experience with LLMs, NLP, ML, and data engineering principles, particularly their application in real-world products.
• 3+ years of experience with AI/ML methodologies, data analysis, and practical applications.
• Ability to discuss technical dependencies and system architecture with engineering and data science teams.

This is a hybrid role with our New York City office.

#LI-Hybrid

REQ-018478

The annual base pay range for this role is between:$160,000—$185,000 USD

 

The New York Times Company is committed to being the world’s best source of independent, reliable and quality journalism. To do so, we embrace a diverse workforce that has a broad range of backgrounds and experien