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Mar 7, 2026

Applied Science Manager – Conversational AI & Customer Engagement Technology Leadership at arenaflex

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--- ```html About arenaflex – Pioneering Customer‑Centric Innovation arenaflex is a global leader in delivering seamless, intelligent experiences that transform how millions of customers interact with brands online and offline. With a relentless focus on innovation, data‑driven decision making, and a deep‑rooted obsession for customer success, arenaflex has built a reputation for turning cutting‑edge research into real‑world impact at scale. Our Customer Engagement Technology (CET) division leverages conversational Artificial Intelligence (AI), Large Language Models (LLM), and advanced machine learning (ML) to anticipate, understand, and resolve customer issues before they become problems. By automating routine interactions and empowering support agents with powerful AI‑driven tools, we help our clients achieve faster resolutions, higher satisfaction scores, and measurable cost savings. Why This Role Matters As the Applied Science Manager for Customer Engagement Technology, you will own the vision and execution of arenaflex’s most ambitious AI‑driven transformation initiatives. You’ll lead a cross‑functional team of applied scientists, engineers, product managers, and UX designers to create multi‑modal, multi‑turn dialogue systems that operate in multiple languages and adapt instantly to evolving business policies. Your work will directly shape the future of conversational commerce, drive operational efficiency for millions of support agents, and set new industry standards for intelligent, human‑like interactions. Key Responsibilities - Technical Vision & Strategy: Define, communicate, and evolve the long‑term roadmap for AI‑powered customer experience transformation across arenaflex’s global services. - Leadership of Dialogue Systems Development: Oversee the design, implementation, and scaling of multi‑modal, multi‑turn conversational agents that can handle high‑volume, multi‑language interactions. - Foundational Model Innovation: Lead the creation of domain‑specific, multi‑modal foundational models that power both chat and voice experiences for customer service. - Testing & Validation: Establish rigorous evaluation frameworks—including automated testing, bias detection, and performance monitoring—to ensure robustness, safety, and compliance. - Team Mentorship & Growth: Provide day‑to‑day technical guidance, career coaching, and professional development opportunities for a high‑performing applied science team. - Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Product Managers, UX Designers, Software Development Engineers, and Business Stakeholders to translate business goals into technical deliverables. - Business‑Technical Alignment: Translate complex AI capabilities into clear, value‑driven outcomes for business owners, ensuring measurable impact on customer satisfaction and operational metrics. - Technology Radar: Stay ahead of emerging AI/ML research, evaluate new techniques (e.g., Retrieval‑Augmented Generation, transformer efficiency, multimodal fusion), and integrate relevant innovations into arenaflex’s product stack. - Cultural Champion: Foster a culture of curiosity, continuous learning, and inclusive excellence where diverse viewpoints shape groundbreaking solutions. Essential Qualifications - Minimum 3 years of leadership experience managing scientists, ML engineers, or applied research teams in a fast‑paced technology environment. - Deep technical expertise in Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Information Retrieval, and Analytics—including hands‑on experience with large‑scale language models and multimodal systems. - Proven track record of delivering production‑grade AI solutions that operate at scale, preferably in a customer‑facing or contact‑center context. - Strong publication or patent record that demonstrates thought leadership in AI/ML research. - Exceptional communication skills—able to articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non‑technical audiences. - Demonstrated ability to build and nurture high‑performing, diverse teams. Preferred Qualifications - Experience building end‑to‑end machine learning pipelines for business applications, from data ingestion to model serving and monitoring. - Hands‑on experience developing complex software systems that incorporate deep learning, computer vision, and speech technologies. - Familiarity with modern AI infrastructure (e.g., Kubernetes, TensorFlow, PyTorch, distributed training frameworks). - Background in conversational AI product development, including task‑oriented dialogue management, intent detection, and response generation. - Knowledge of regulatory compliance, privacy, and ethical AI considerations in a global operating environment. - Experience in multilingual AI systems, including machine translation, cross‑lingual retrieval, and language‑specific fine‑tuning. Core Skills & Competencies for Success - Strategic Thinking: Ability to balance long‑term research goals with short‑term product demands. - Problem Solving: Tackles ambiguous, high‑impact problems with creative, data‑driven solutions. - Collaboration: Works seamlessly across product, engineering, design, and business teams. - Leadership Presence: Inspires trust, delivers clear direction, and champions a growth mindset. - Technical Depth: Mastery of modern NLP architectures, transformer models, and multimodal fusion techniques. - Customer Obsession: Keeps the end‑user experience front and center in every technical decision. - Inclusivity & Diversity: Actively promotes an environment where diverse perspectives thrive. Team & Culture at arenaflex At arenaflex, the CET team is a vibrant blend of scientists, engineers, product innovators, and design thinkers. We operate in a highly collaborative, data‑centric environment where every hypothesis is tested, and every experiment is celebrated—whether it succeeds or fails. Our culture values: - Continuous Learning: Regular knowledge‑sharing sessions, conference sponsorships, and internal hackathons. - Innovation Ownership: Team members are encouraged to propose, prototype, and ship new ideas. - Work‑Life Harmony: Flexible schedules, remote‑first policies, and generous paid time off to recharge. - Diversity & Inclusion: Inclusive hiring practices, employee resource groups, and mentorship programs that empower underrepresented voices. - Data‑Driven Culture: Decisions are backed by rigorous analytics and A/B testing. Career Growth & Learning Opportunities arenaflex invests heavily in the professional development of its leaders. As an Applied Science Manager, you will have access to: - Executive mentorship from senior research directors and product leaders. - Sponsored graduate courses, certifications (e.g., Deep Learning Specialization, AI Ethics), and attendance at premier conferences such as NeurIPS, ACL, and SIGIR. - Opportunities to lead cross‑functional AI initiatives that influence global product strategy. - Pathways to senior leadership roles, including Director of Applied Science, VP of AI Strategy, or Chief Innovation Officer. Compensation, Perks & Benefits arenaflex offers a competitive total‑compensation package designed to attract top talent worldwide. While specifics vary by location and experience, you can expect: - Base Salary: A market‑aligned salary that reflects the high‑impact nature of the role. - Performance Bonuses: Quarterly and annual incentive plans tied to both individual and team achievements. - Equity Grants: Stock options or restricted stock units that align your success with arenaflex’s growth. - Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, vision, and mental‑health benefits for you and eligible dependents. - Family Support: Paid parental leave, adoption assistance, and flexible childcare options. - Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with company match. - Paid Time Off & Holidays: Generous PTO accrual, paid holidays, and sick leave. - Learning Stipends: Annual budget for courses, books, and conferences. - Wellness Programs: Virtual fitness classes, mindfulness resources, and employee assistance programs. - Additional perks such as commuter benefits, employee discounts, and a vibrant campus experience for those who work on‑site. How to Apply If you are excited about shaping the future of conversational AI at a company that relentlessly pursues customer delight, we encourage you to submit your application today. Please include a detailed résumé, a cover letter highlighting your most relevant achievements, and any publications or patents that showcase your expertise. arenaflex embraces candidates from all backgrounds and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the hiring process. If you require assistance, please let us know. Join arenaflex – Make an Impact at Global Scale In this role, you will not only lead groundbreaking AI research but also see your innovations deployed to millions of customers and support agents around the world. You will be part of a forward‑thinking community that values curiosity, diversity, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. If you are ready to drive transformational change and help arenaflex set new standards for intelligent customer engagement, we want to hear from you. Apply now and become a catalyst for the next generation of AI‑powered customer experiences. ```