At eBay, we're more than a global ecommerce leader — we’re changing the way the world shops and sells. Our platform empowers millions of buyers and sellers in more than 190 markets around the world. We’re committed to pushing boundaries and leaving our mark as we reinvent the future of ecommerce for enthusiasts.
Our customers are our compass, authenticity thrives, bold ideas are welcome, and everyone can bring their unique selves to work — every day. We're in this together, sustaining the future of our customers, our company, and our planet.
Join a team of passionate thinkers, innovators, and dreamers — and help us connect people and build communities to create economic opportunity for all.
eBay is seeking an accomplished and forward-thinking Sr. Director of Applied Research - AI, Research, & Innovation to lead the design, development, and evolution of our multi-agent AI platform and ecosystem. This leader will define and drive the strategy for how eBay builds, scales, and operationalizes autonomous agent systems that power a new generation of AI-driven commerce experiences - from shopping assistance to developer-facing agent platforms. Reporting to the Chief AI Officer, this role will partner closely with product, research, infrastructure, and developer experience teams to bring agentic AI capabilities from concept to production across eBay’s global technology organization.
The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in AI/ML infrastructure, agentic systems, reinforcement learning, and LLM fine-tuning, along with a proven track record of building scalable platforms, fostering innovation, and leading globally distributed engineering and applied science teams.
What You’ll Do
Define and execute eBay’s Agentic AI strategy and roadmap.
Build and lead a world-class team of engineers and applied scientists developing scalable multi-agent and autonomous AI systems.
Partner across product, infrastructure, and research teams to translate innovation into production-grade AI capabilities.
Lead platform development for model training, orchestration, reasoning, and reinforcement learning workflows.
Develop robust developer experiences - APIs, SDKs, and self-serve tools to enable agent creation and deployment.
Represent eBay’s AI strategy internally and externally, fostering innovation and collaboration across global hubs.
What You’ll Bring
PhD in Applied Research, Machine Learning, or related technical field.
Extensive experience in AI, ML, and distributed systems, and in senior engineering leadership roles managing large-scale AI or infrastructure teams.
Proven expertise in multi-agent systems, LLM-based orchestration, and reinforcement learning and/or NLP, Semantic graphs.
Deep understanding of AI/ML infrastructure—training, inference, pipelines, and orchestration frameworks.
Experience building developer platforms with self-serve APIs, SDKs, and robust documentation.
Strong background in cloud and hybrid infrastructure, GPU/TPU scaling, and performance optimization.
Demonstrated ability to translate complex AI concepts into practical, high-impact solutions.
Proven leadership in hiring, developing, and scaling high-performing technical teams across global hubs.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with fine-tuning and deployment of large foundation models (LLMs, multimodal models).
Track record of open-source contributions or publications in AI/ML or multi-agent systems.
Additional Details
This job posting relates to an existing vacancy within eBay.
eBay is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability, or other legally protected status. If you have a need that requires accommodation, please contact us at [email protected]. We will make every effort to respond to your request for accommodation as soon as possible. View our accessibility statement to learn more about eBay's commitment to ensuring digital accessibility.
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Skills Required
- PhD in Applied Research, Machine Learning, or a related technical field
- Extensive experience in AI, machine learning, and distributed systems
- Experience in senior engineering leadership roles managing large-scale AI or infrastructure teams
- Expertise in multi-agent systems and LLM-based orchestration
- Expertise in reinforcement learning and/or natural language processing
- Expertise in semantic graphs
- Deep understanding of AI/ML infrastructure, including training, inference, pipelines, and orchestration frameworks
- Experience building developer platforms with self-service APIs, SDKs, and robust documentation
- Strong background in cloud and hybrid infrastructure
- Experience with GPU/TPU scaling and performance optimization
- Demonstrated ability to translate complex AI concepts into practical, high-impact solutions
- Proven leadership in hiring, developing, and scaling high-performing technical teams across global hubs
- Experience fine-tuning and deploying large foundation models, including LLMs and multimodal models
- Track record of open-source contributions or publications in AI/ML or multi-agent systems
eBay Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about eBay and has not been reviewed or approved by eBay.
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Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental, and vision coverage begin on the date of hire, complemented by mental health resources, an EAP, disability coverage, FSAs, and wellness initiatives.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — A robust mix of PTO, paid holidays, flexible work styles, parental leave, and a four‑week paid sabbatical after five years supports work‑life balance.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Total compensation commonly includes stock components, with access to an employee stock purchase plan at a discount and stock awards enhancing overall packages.
eBay Insights
What We Do
eBay Inc. is a global commerce leader that connects millions of buyers and sellers around the world. We exist to enable economic opportunity for individuals, entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations of all sizes. Our portfolio of brands includes eBay Marketplace and eBay Classifieds Group, operating in 190 markets around the world. We offer sellers the ability to grow a business with little barrier to entry regardless of size, background or geographic location. We never compete with our sellers. We win when our sellers succeed. Buyers who shop on our Marketplace and Classifieds platforms enjoy a highly personalized experience with an unparalleled selection at great value.
