VP, AI Practice Lead - US-Based

Job Summary:
Toptal is an innovative organization that is disrupting the global professional services and talent market. In response to our clients’ overwhelming demand for exceptional talent in new areas, we are expanding the breadth and depth of our Technology Services offerings to further fuel that growth. As Toptal’s VP, AI Practice, you will define and execute our strategy for artificial intelligence, machine learning, and generative AI services - from strategic advisory to full-scale AI solution delivery. You will combine deep technical expertise with business acumen to build offerings that address market demand, differentiate Toptal in a crowded AI market, and deliver measurable impact for clients.
This leader will be a proven expert in AI, ML, and Gen AI, with a deep understanding of cross-industry target buyers, their priorities, and the trends impacting them. The ideal candidate for this position will have led initiatives across AI governance, machine learning model development, natural language processing (NLP), large language models (LLMs), computer vision, and AI productization. You will determine what services to build, how to price and package them, and how to position our value proposition to meet client needs today and in the future.
This is a remote position. However, we require applicants and the person in this position to reside in-market. We do not offer visa sponsorship or assistance. Resumes and communication must be submitted in English.
Responsibilities:
The following information is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or required skills.
You will be responsible for building and scaling Toptal’s AI/ML practice, including:·        Strategy: Identify high-value client problems in AI/ML and develop a roadmap for offerings that address them.·        Offering Development: Create services in areas including LLM integration, custom model training, AI strategy consulting, and AI-powered analytics.·        Go-to-Market: Lead initial market engagements to validate offerings, then scale adoption in collaboration with Sales and Practice Operations teams.·        Thought Leadership: Represent Toptal as an AI innovation leader via publications, speaking engagements, and community involvement.·        Sales Enablement: Educate sales teams on AI/ML concepts, emerging trends, and value propositions; personally lead key client discussions.·        P&L Ownership: Oversee financial performance of the AI/ML practice.·        Talent Network Development: Build and maintain a network of AI engineers, data scientists, and ML researchers with cutting-edge expertise.·        Accomplish work objectives through leading and supervising other Toptal team members within the AI/ML Practice.·        Establish objectives and initiatives for the team, recommend the team’s structure and jobs, and organize, assign, delegate, oversee, and monitor work.·        Coach and mentor team members, provide feedback, conduct performance reviews, and implement performance improvement plans, if needed.
In the first week, expect to:
·        Onboard and integrate into Toptal; meet your colleagues.·        Learn about Toptal’s history, culture, and vision, with a focus on the state of our industry, the Future of Work, and the core messages important to Toptal.·        Shadow critical teams throughout the organization to learn Toptal’s core operations and capabilities.
In the first month, expect to:
·        Begin developing relationships with key leaders and stakeholders across the organization.·        Dive deeper into the operations of key teams (e.g., Sales, Talent Operations) across the company.·        Conduct a comprehensive review of the current demand in your practice area, the talent that exists already in the network, and any work we may already be doing or have done.·        Articulate a hypothesis about where you want to take the practice (strategy) and design experiments and build execution approaches to get there.
In the first three months, expect to:
·        Be a well-integrated member of the organization with positive relationships in Sales (Enterprise and SMB), Marketing, and Talent Operations.·        Be in front of clients on a regular basis to hear from them firsthand, while exercising discretion and independent judgment.