Director of AI, Dating Outcomes

Match Group

Director of AI focusing on recommendation systems to enhance dating outcomes at Hinge. Leading AI innovations to optimize user experiences and improve matchmaking quality.

Posted 6/15/2026full-timeNew York City • New York • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $252,000 - $323,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Own the AI strategy for dating recommendations across the full journey, from first candidate to last date.
Build the frameworks to reason rigorously through ecosystem tradeoffs where a win for one cohort reshapes another, and set a vision ambitious enough that the org wants to chase it.
Partner closely with other product groups to integrate AI capabilities across the product and shape roadmap decisions you do not own.
Communicate honestly with executive leadership on strategy, tradeoffs, and progress.
Own budget and investment strategy for the area, and represent Hinge externally through writing, talks, and community.
Steer real-time, personalized recommendation systems that reduce ratings per exchange and drive better matches.
Bring Generative AI to dating outcomes in ways that are differentiated, authentic, and grounded in how people actually connect.
Hold the bar on scalability, resilience, and rigorous evaluation for both performance and bias.
Structure and scale the team for both deep execution and long-horizon bets.
Develop emerging leaders, invest in succession across IC and leadership tracks, and build a culture where rigor, inclusion, and performance reinforce one another.
Drive predictable delivery, balancing urgent risk response with long-term platform investments. Establish scalable operating rhythms for planning, technical reviews, and incident learnings.

Requirements

What you’ll need

10 or more years across data science, applied ML, and software engineering, with 6 or more years in AI or engineering leadership defining strategy, not just managing execution.
A track record of leading real-time, personalized recommendation systems in production, including the relevance, fairness, and scale tradeoffs that carry real consequences.
Demonstrated success scaling ML or AI teams and developing technical leaders who carry the work over years, not a single launch.
Deep technical fluency across ML, RL, Generative AI, and MLOps, with the communication skills and executive presence to represent AI strategy at the highest levels of the organization.
A degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related quantitative field. A PhD is a plus, not a requirement.

Benefits

Comp & perks

401(k) Matching: We match 100% of the first 10% of pre-tax 401(k) contributions you make, up to a maximum of $10,000 per year.
Professional Growth: Get an annual Learning & Development stipend once you’ve been with us for three months. You also get free access to Udemy, an online learning and teaching marketplace with over 6000 courses, starting your first day.
Parental Leave & Planning: When you become a new parent, you’re eligible for 100% paid parental leave (20 paid weeks for both birth and non-birth parents.)
Fertility Support: You’ll get easy access to fertility care through Carrot, from basic treatments to fertility preservation. We also provide a stipend towards fertility preservation. You and your spouse/domestic partner are both eligible.
Date Stipend: All Hinge employees receive a $100 monthly stipend for epic dates– Romantic or otherwise. Hinge Premium is also free for employees and their loved ones.
ERGs: We have eight Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)—Asian, Unapologetic, Disability, LGBTQIA+, Raices, Women/Nonbinary, Parents —that hold regular meetings, host events, and provide dedicated support to the organization & its community.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

data scienceapplied MLsoftware engineeringreal-time recommendation systemspersonalized recommendationsGenerative AIMLOpsmachine learningreinforcement learningscalability

Soft Skills

communicationleadershipstrategic thinkingteam developmentexecutive presencecollaborationculture buildingperformance managementrisk managementevaluation