Director, Agentic AI, Data Science Lead, AI Labs

About this role AI Labs Overview For more than three decades, BlackRock has combined world-class talent and technology to redefine what's possible in asset management. Today, AI is reshaping every aspect of our industry, from investments and client experiences to operations, risk management, and product innovation. BlackRock AI Labs sits at the center of that transformation. AI Labs is BlackRock's advanced AI science and engineering organization. We partner with teams across the firm to solve some of the most complex and consequential challenges in financial services, applying generative AI, machine learning, optimization, and statistics to deliver measurable business impact. Our mission is simple but ambitious: combine human and machine intelligence to revolutionize asset management.  What sets AI Labs apart is our ability to move from idea to impact. We are not a research lab detached from the business, nor are we a traditional software engineering organization. We are a hybrid team of scientists and engineers who build solutions that run at scale in production environments and create capacity for our business partners. From AI-powered investment insights and risk management solutions to next-generation agentic workflows - our work is helping to shape the future of BlackRock. Our teams work on some of the firm's highest priority strategic initiatives, including large-scale generative AI systems, intelligent agents, predictive analytics, optimization engines, operational risk solutions, and AI platforms that accelerate innovation across BlackRock. We help define best practices, establish technical standards, and enable teams throughout the organization to adopt AI safely, effectively, and at scale. AI Labs has offices in New York, Edinburgh, Atlanta, San Francisco and Seattle.  We are looking for candidates with unique backgrounds and diverse skill sets with fresh perspectives to accelerate and amplify our efforts to make an impact at BlackRock.

As a Data Science Director, you will take end-to-end ownership of flagship AI Labs initiatives - from initial scoping and stakeholder alignment, through research, prototyping, and technical build-out, to testing, iteration, and production deployment. You will partner directly with business and technology stakeholders to translate ambiguous problems into well-scoped programs of work, own the solutions architecture, and ensure delivery is reliable and at scale. Alongside this technical and delivery accountability, you will manage and mentor more junior AI scientists, helping to grow their skills, guide their career development, and build a strong bench of talent within AI Labs. This role reports to the Head of Science in AI Labs and manages a team of 3-6 AI scientists.

Own flagship AI Labs initiatives end-to-end: scoping, stakeholder alignment, research, prototyping, build, and production deployment. Partner with senior business and technology stakeholders to turn ambiguous problems into scoped programs with agreed priorities and success criteria. Lead the design, build, and evaluation of AI agents and agentic workflows - tool use, memory, multi-step reasoning - on large, complex datasets, iterating as findings emerge. Partner with engineering to make solutions production-grade and compliant, with observability, guardrails, and evaluation pipelines in place. Manage and mentor AI scientists, guiding technical approach and career growth to build the bench in AI Labs. Communicate technical work and outcomes to senior leaders and general audiences, including white papers, publications, and presentations.

Required experience PhD in a quantitative field (machine learning, AI, statistics, computer science, physics, engineering) with 8+ years of professional experience OR MS degree in a quantitative field plus 11+ years of professional experience in machine learning, artificial intelligence, or other aspects of the AI / data