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Director, Applied Science and Data Engineering

Denver, CO or Remote

About SonderMind

At SonderMind, we believe everyone deserves one personalized, connected, and effective mental health destination to take care of their mental health and well-being at any stage of life. SonderMind care encompasses everything from therapy and medication management to meditation and mindfulness exercises. Our clinicians leverage our digital tools and research to deliver increasingly high-quality care and to develop thriving practices. Combining technology and human connection, SonderMind drives better outcomes through our comprehensive approach. Learn more about SonderMind at sondermind.com or download the mobile app, available on iOS and Android. To follow the latest SonderMind news, get to know our clients, and learn about what it’s like to work at SonderMind, you can follow us on Instagram, Linkedin, and Twitter.

About the Role

We are seeking a visionary Director, Applied Science and Data Engineering to lead our AI, Machine Learning (ML), Generative AI initiatives, and Data Engineering. This strategic leadership role requires deep expertise in advanced data science methodologies, large-scale data management, and AI-driven innovation. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of leading teams in large enterprises and agile startups, preferably with experience in the healthcare and/or the mental health domain.

What you’ll do

  • Leadership & Strategy: Develop and execute the company’s AI/ML and data science roadmap, aligning with business goals and driving measurable outcomes.
  • AI/ML Innovation: Oversee the design, development, and deployment of cutting-edge AI models, including Generative AI solutions, leveraging extensive data sets for impactful insights.
  • Data Strategy: Manage large and complex data ecosystems, ensuring high data quality, governance, and scalability to support AI/ML initiatives.
  • Enterprise Data Management: Oversee the Enterprise Data team to design, build, and manage scalable data infrastructure, data pipelines, and data integration frameworks that support AI/ML and business intelligence needs.
  • Experience Personalization: Develop and implement AI-driven personalization strategies to enhance user experiences and improve engagement.
  • Natural Language Processing (NLP): Lead the development and integration of NLP technologies to extract insights, automate processes, and enhance customer interactions.
  • Team Building & Development: Build, mentor, and inspire high-performing data science teams. Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.
  • Partnerships & Collaboration: Collaborate cross-functionally with engineering, product, and business teams to integrate AI solutions into real-world applications.
  • Healthcare/Mental Health Focus: Leverage experience or understanding of healthcare or mental health systems, clinical data, and compliance frameworks to drive AI solutions that improve outcomes and efficiency.
  • Research & Advancement: Stay ahead of industry trends, ensuring the adoption of emerging AI technologies and best practices to maintain a competitive edge.
  • Operational Excellence: Establish KPIs to measure the success of AI/ML initiatives, driving accountability and impactful results.

What does success look like?  

In your first year, you’ll be a key driver of SonderMind’s strategy to use AI and data to deliver more personalized, effective mental health care. Success in this role will look like:
  • Leading key decisions on whether to build proprietary models or leverage large language models (LLMs), with clear frameworks that balance innovation, performance, and compliance.
  • Delivering AI-powered personalization that adjusts care recommendations based on client acuity, driving better engagement and outcomes.
  • Defining and implementing data-driven outcome measurement frameworks, enabling us to track and improve the effectiveness of care at scale.
  • Partnering cross-functionally with clinical, product, and business leaders to ensure applied science work solves high-priority, real-world problems.
  • Launching AI initiatives with measurable business impact—such as reducing provider administrative burden, improving client-provider matching, or accelerating care onboarding.
  • Establishing technical excellence by building reliable, secure, and scalable data and AI systems that meet the needs of a growing healthcare organization.
  • Driving adoption and trust in AI tools among clients and providers through intuitive integration, strong performance, and transparent communication.
You’ll be measured not just on innovation, but on the clarity, usability, and impact of the solutions you and your team deliver.

Who You Are

  • Ph.D. or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
  • 8 - 10+ years of experience in applied science, AI/ML development, or data science leadership roles.
  • Proven success in both large enterprise environments and startup ecosystems.
  • Extensive experience in working with large-scale data sets and deploying AI/ML solutions in production.
  • Experience with Generative AI models, LLMs, and NLP technologies.
  • Healthcare or mental health industry experience is preferred but not mandatory.
  • Proficient in Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, or similar frameworks. Strong background in data engineering, feature engineering, and ML model deployment.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead, inspire, and scale diverse teams, with a strong focus on mentorship and talent development.
  • Exceptional at translating complex technical concepts into clear, actionable insights for stakeholders across the organization.

Our Benefits 

The anticipated salary range for this role is $200,000 - $250,000. Final compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, skills, education, and past performance. In addition to base salary, this position may also be eligible for a variable bonus and equity.

As leaders in redesigning behavioral health, we walk the walk with our employees' benefits. We want the experience of working at SonderMind to accelerate people’s careers and enrich their lives, so we focus on meeting SonderMinders wherever they are and supporting them in all facets of their lives and work.

Our benefits include:

  • A commitment to fostering flexible hybrid work
  • A generous PTO policy with a minimum of three weeks off per year
  • Free therapy coverage benefits to ensure our employees have access to the care they need (must be enrolled in our medical plans to participate)
  • Competitive Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage with plans to meet every need, including HSA ($1,100 company contribution) and FSA options
  • Employer-paid short-term, long-term disability, life & AD&D to cover life's unexpected events. Not only that, we also cover the difference in salary for up to seven (7) weeks of short-term disability leave (after the required waiting period) should you need to use it.
  • Eight weeks of paid Parental Leave (if the parent also qualifies for STD, this benefit is in addition, which allows between 8-16 weeks of paid leave)
  • 401K retirement plan with 100% matching which immediately vests on up to 4% of base salary
  • Travel to Denver 1x a year for annual Shift gathering
  • Fourteen (14) company holidays
  • Company Shutdown between Christmas and New Years
  • Supplemental life insurance, pet insurance coverage, commuter benefits and more!

Application Deadline

This position will be an ongoing recruitment process and will be open until filled.

Equal Opportunity 

SonderMind does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on race, color, creed, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, religion, veteran and military status, marital status, registered domestic partner status, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including genetic information or characteristics), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

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