Director of Product, AI Systems at Demand.io

The Opportunity

Demand.io is a profitable, founder-led product studio driving $1B+ in annual GMV. We are the team behind SimplyCodes (the #1 AI-powered savings tool) and Product.ai (our emerging deterministic shopping assistant).

We are seeking a Director of Product, AI Systems to operate as a Strategic Systems Architect.

Most "Director" roles are about managing headcount and attending meetings. This role is different. It is a high-leverage Individual Contributor track for a product leader who wants to architect complex systems, not just manage people. You will be the CEO's strategic partner, deconstructing our most ambiguous challenges—from knowledge graph architecture to AI unit economics—and codifying the solutions into executable reality.

What You Will Build

You will not be writing tickets for minor features. You will be architecting the strategic engines of the company.

1. Architect the Intelligence Layer: You will own the Commerce Knowledge Graph and our Neuro-Symbolic Intelligence Engine. You will define the logic that allows us to ingest, verify, and serve product data across millions of SKUs with deterministic accuracy, moving us beyond "probabilistic guessing" to "verified truth."
2. Engineer AI Unit Economics (FinOps): You will own the math behind our AI deployment. You will model Inference Cost vs. User Value, ensuring we do not ship features that are popular but economically ruinous. You will design systems that balance the power of Generative AI with the hard reality of margin sustainability.
3. Systematize Product Strategy: You will replace ad-hoc planning with High-Fidelity Technical Specifications. You will codify our product philosophy into a replicable framework, moving the organization from "tribal knowledge" to "systematic execution." You will act as a player-coach, mentoring senior PMs to elevate their strategic rigor.
4. Drive the Next-Gen Verification Platform: You will lead the strategy for our transaction layer, ensuring our incentives align with user outcomes. You will design the Unbiased Ranking Logic: the architecture that ensures our revenue models never contaminate our ranking algorithms.

Who You Are

We prioritize first-principles reasoning over pedigree. We hire based on your ability to deconstruct problems, not just the logos on your resume.

• You are a First-Principles Thinker. You do not reason by analogy ("At Google, we did X"). You deconstruct problems to their base components and build custom solutions that fit our specific constraints.
• You are a Systems Architect. You think in loops, incentives, and data flows, not just screens. You understand that a product is a machine that must be engineered for durability.
• You are Technically Fluent. You can debate schema architecture and latency trade-offs with Staff Engineers. You understand the difference between a probabilistic LLM response and a deterministic database query.
• You are High-Agency. You do not wait for permission or resources. If a system is broken, you fix it. If data is missing, you mine it. You operate with an owner's mindset.
• You are a Narrative Leader. You can translate complex technical realities into clear, compelling narratives that align the entire organization.

Compensation & Ownership

We operate as a high-performance studio, not a typical corporation. We share the upside directly with the builders.

• Base Salary: $380,000 – $550,000. We target the 80th+ percentile to attract 1-of-1 talent. Your base covers your life; your equity builds your freedom.
• Profit Participation (PIUs): You aren't just an employee; you are a partner. We grant Profits Interest Units (PIUs), giving you true ownership and a share of the company's operating profit. You earn real cash flow distributions as we grow—not just at a theoretical exit—all within a structure designed for tax efficiency to maximize your take-home wealth.
• Benefits: 100% premium coverage for you and your family, daily catered lunches, and unlimited PTO that we actually expect you to use to recharge.

How to Apply

We don't use cover letters or ATS keyword bots. We measure logic, not keywords.

The Process

1. The Input: Instead of scheduling a 30-minute phone screen, you will answer 5 short questions via video (Async).
2. The Context: These are high-signal prompts designed to test how you prioritize and compress complexity. No rehearsal is required. We value clear thinking over production value.
3. The Trade: If your signal is clear, you skip the generic recruiter screen and move straight to a peer-level conversation with the team.