About Us

Changing the world through digital experiences is what Adobe’s all about. We give everyone—from emerging artists to global brands— everything they need to design and deliver exceptional digital experiences. We’re passionate about empowering people to create beautiful and powerful images, videos, and apps, and transform how companies interact with customers across every screen.

We’re on a mission to hire the very best and are committed to creating exceptional employee experiences where everyone is respected and has access to equal opportunity. We realize that new ideas can come from everywhere in the organization, and we know the next big idea could be yours.

Opportunity

The Media & Data Science Research (MDSR) team sits at the heart of this vision. Unlike traditional research organizations, MDSR focuses on applied research and innovation—developing AI/ML models that directly translate into product features, customer adoption, and business impact.

As a Senior Director of Applied Research & Machine Learning, you will not only advance innovative AI but also define how it gets embedded into Adobe’s Experience Cloud, influencing billions of customer interactions and driving measurable growth.

This is your opportunity to lead a team where research doesn’t stay on paper—it changes how the world engages with digital experiences. You will ensure that applied research efforts translate into scalable, productized solutions that meet the highest standards of performance, impact, and usability. You will champion the adoption of modern research methodologies, tools, and engineering guidelines, while driving alignment with Adobe’s broader AI and product strategy.

You will be accountable for the end-to-end execution of applied research programs — from ideation and experimentation to deployment — ensuring they deliver measurable business value and are closely aligned with customer needs and global innovation goals.

Role Summary

We are seeking a Senior Director, Applied Research to lead our India-based MDSR team of 30–35 applied scientists and engineers. This leader will scale Adobe’s applied AI efforts, ensure research translates into productized solutions, and improve Adobe’s innovation return on investment across the digital experience portfolio. You’ll develop the bridge between modern science and global business impact.

What you’ll do

• Define Applied AI Strategy – Craft and drive an applied research agenda that aligns with Adobe’s product vision and customer experience strategy.

• Turn Research Into Reality – Lead the design, deployment, and scaling of AI solutions that are monetized, customer-facing, and transformative.

• Deliver Tangible Business Impact – Translate research breakthroughs into features and platforms that directly fuel adoption, engagement, and revenue growth.

• Inspire and Grow Talent – Lead, mentor, and expand an impactful team of applied scientists and engineers, foster and encouraging a culture of ownership, innovation, and measurable impact.

• Influence at Scale – Partner with product, engineering, and design leaders worldwide to embed applied AI capabilities into Adobe’s global products. 

What you need to succeed

• 20+ years of experience, with 5–10 years leading applied research and shipping AI/ML innovations that reached customers at scale.

• Proven track record of applied research leadership that drives business value.

• Deep expertise in one or more of: deep learning, NLP, computer vision, reinforcement learning, or large-scale data systems.

• Demonstrated success managing large applied research teams (30+), aligning research with pivotal initiatives.

• Recognition in the AI community through publications, patents, or thought leadership.

• Ability to influence across functions and translate innovation into business priorities.