---
title: 'Manager I, Engineering - Applied AI - Natural Language & Conversational Interfaces at Datadog'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/manager-i-engineering-applied-ai-natural-language-conversational-interfaces-qa7q7ad3t4qy'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# Manager I, Engineering - Applied AI - Natural Language & Conversational Interfaces at Datadog

- **Company:** Datadog
- **Location:** New York New York, United States
- **Compensation:** $192k–$240k
- **Posted:** 2026-01-23
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://careers.datadoghq.com/detail/7560494/?gh_jid=7560494

## Job description

Applied AI is where Datadog's ambitious AI bets get built and shipped ([Bits Chat](https://www.datadoghq.com/blog/dash-2026-new-feature-roundup-ai/#search-analyze-and-take-action-across-datadog-faster-with-bits-chat), [updog](https://updog.ai/)). We sit at the intersection of research and product: turning promising capabilities from Datadog AI Research lab and the research community into production systems that reach real customers. The team builds the foundations for agentic systems capable of operating at scale in complex production environments. Current bets span agents that run autonomously at scale, context and memory layers that make those agents more intelligent over time, and tools that help customers build and validate AI-native services in production. The mandate is to move fast from idea to customer impact, and when a product finds its footing, to set it up for growth.

As an Engineering Manager I in Applied AI, you will lead a team of engineers and applied scientists working on one of these challenges. You will define technical direction, run short feedback loops, make deliberate decisions about what to pursue or stop, and work closely with product managers, research teams, and cross-functional partners to ship AI capabilities that matter.

At Datadog, we place value in our office culture, the relationships and collaboration it builds and the creativity it brings. We operate as a hybrid workplace to ensure our Datadogs can create a work-life harmony that best fits them.

## What You'll Do

- Lead and develop a team of engineers and applied scientists focused on building the foundations for agents operating at scale
- Work closely with product managers, research teams, and cross-functional partners to shape the team's bets from initial framing through to broader adoption, with a clear definition of success criteria at each stage
- Own end-to-end delivery of high-quality AI systems, from early research exploration to production-grade reliability, with high standards for operational excellence, system reliability, and technical quality
- Navigate the unique challenges of shipping AI-powered products: balancing quality, latency, cost, and safety considerations. Drive evaluation and iteration practices for AI systems: define the quality bar and guide the team in building the offline and online evaluation pipelines needed to measure quality and detect drift
- Contribute to cross-team collaboration and knowledge sharing across the broader AI organization
- Support career growth for engineers through coaching, feedback, and fostering a culture of experimentation, innovation, and learning. Participate in hiring and help shape the future team as the organization grows

## Who You Are

- A people-focused manager with experience leading and mentoring engineers, able to develop strong engineering talent in a fast-moving domain
- A technical leader with deep expertise in one or more areas of AI or machine learning: large language models, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), semantic search, agentic systems, deep learning, or NLP
- Well-versed in evaluation methodologies for AI systems, both offline benchmarks and online metrics
- A strong product instinct: able to anchor early-stage work in concrete customer problems, define success criteria before writing code, and actively contribute to shaping product direction alongside product and research partners
- Experience taking AI products from 0 to 1 is strongly valued: able to bring structure to early-stage work by scoping clear hypotheses, moving quickly toward signal, and making deliberate decisions about what to pursue, pivot, or stop
- BS/MS/PhD in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent professional experience

Datadog values people from all walks of life. We understand not everyone will meet all the above qualifications on day one — that's okay. If you're passionate about technology and want to grow your skills, we encourage you to apply.

## Benefits and Growth

- New hire stock equity (RSUs) and employee stock purchase plan (ESPP)
- Continuous professional development, product training, and career pathing
- An inclusive company culture with the ability to join Community Guilds (Datadog employee resource groups)
- Free, global Spring Health benefits for employees and dependents age 6+
- Competitive global benefits
- Giving programs

Benefits and Growth listed above may vary based on the country of your employment and the nature of your employment with Datadog.

#LI-Hybrid Datadog offers a competitive salary and equity package, and may include variable compensation. Actual compensation is based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, Datadog offers a wide range of best in class, comprehensive and inclusive employee benefits for this role including healthcare, dental, parental planning, and mental health benefits, a 401(k) plan and match, paid time off, fitness reimbursements, and a discounted employee stock purchase plan.

The reasonably estimated yearly salary for this role at Datadog is: $192,000—$240,000 USD

About Datadog:

Datadog is the leading observability and security platform for the AI era, providing businesses with unified visibility across the technology stack to manage complexity at scale. It brings applications, infrastructure, data, models, and security into one place, using AI to detect and resolve issues before they impact customers. Trusted globally by Fortune 500 companies and high-growth AI leaders, Datadog enables businesses to move faster with clarity and confidence. Learn more about #DatadogLife on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/datadoghq/?hl=en), [LinkedIn,](https://www.linkedin.com/company/datadog) and [Datadog Learning Center.](https://learn.datadoghq.com/)

Equal Opportunity at Datadog:

Datadog is proud to offer [equal employment opportunity](https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf) to everyone regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, and other characteristics protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. Here are our [Candidate Legal Notices](https://www.datadoghq.com/legal/candidate-legal-notices/) for your reference.

Datadog endeavors to make our Careers Page accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please complete [this form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeoJeduEZ2NdZF_65uZmWUrCM-zee7yADXX1s6Xr9zAGq8iKA/viewform). This form is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

Privacy and AI Guidelines:

Any information you submit to Datadog as part of your application will be processed in accordance with Datadog’s [Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice](https://www.datadoghq.com/legal/applicant-candidate-privacy/). For information on our AI policy, please visit [Interviewing at Datadog AI Guidelines](https://www.datadoghq.com/legal/interviewing-at-datadog-ai-guidelines/).

## About Datadog

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Datadog provides a unified cloud monitoring and security platform for developers, IT operations, and business teams to gain end-to-end visibility across their entire technology stack.
- **Entity Type**: Public (NASDAQ: DDOG)
- **Headquarters**: New York, NY, United States
- **Founded**: 2010
- **Founders**: Olivier Pomel and Alexis Lê-Quôc

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Cloud monitoring, observability, application security, IT operations, DevOps
- **Target customers**: B2B – from SMBs to large enterprises, serving developers, IT operations, security teams, and business users
- **Mission/purpose**: “We are building the modern monitoring and security platform for developers, IT operations teams and business users in the cloud age.” [datadoghq.com](https://www.datadoghq.com/)

## Products & Services
- **Infrastructure Monitoring**: Metrics collection and visualization for servers, containers, cloud services, and hybrid environments.
- **APM (Application Performance Monitoring)**: Trace and optimize application performance end-to-end.
- **Log Management**: Centralized log ingestion, analysis, and exploration with sensitive data scanning and audit trail.
- **Security**: Unified security and observability – including Cloud SIEM, Application Security Management, and runtime detection to defend against AI-powered attacks. [datadoghq.com](https://www.datadoghq.com/product/security/)
- **Digital Experience Monitoring (DEM)**: Synthetic monitoring (browser & API tests) and Real User Monitoring (RUM) for frontend performance.
- **Bits AI**: AI agents that chat, investigate, and remediate issues; includes Watchdog for proactive anomaly detection.
- **Network Monitoring**: Analyze network traffic patterns across cloud environments.
- **Service Management** and **Software Delivery**: Incident response, workflow automation, CI Visibility, DORA Metrics, and OpenTelemetry support.
- **Database Monitoring** and **Data Streams Monitoring**: Deep visibility into databases and streaming pipelines.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: ~$39.9 billion (as of mid-2026) [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/datadog)
- **Key Metric**: FY2025 annual revenue of $3.43 billion [jobsbyculture.com](https://jobsbyculture.com/blog/working-at-datadog-2026)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Index Ventures (led Series C), with total funding of ~$1.67 billion including IPO proceeds. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/datadog)
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Recognized as a Leader in the **Gartner Magic Quadrant for Observability Platforms** and for **Digital Experience Monitoring**; also named a Leader in **The Forrester Wave: AIOps Platforms, Q2 2025**. [datadoghq.com](https://www.datadoghq.com/)
  - Headcount grew to approximately **10,100 employees** by April 2026 (up from ~8,100+ reported earlier). [jobsbyculture.com](https://jobsbyculture.com/blog/working-at-datadog-2026)
  - Maintains a strong Glassdoor rating of **4.2/5.0**, with ~80% of employees recommending to a friend. [jobsbyculture.com](https://jobsbyculture.com/blog/working-at-datadog-2026)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Unified platform**: Combines infrastructure monitoring, APM, log management, and security in a single solution – reducing tool sprawl.
- **AI-native capabilities**: Bits AI agents and Watchdog provide automated root-cause analysis, remediation, and proactive insights.
- **Industry recognition**: Consistently placed as a Leader in multiple analyst quadrants (Gartner, Forrester), validating product quality and market presence.
- **Scale and ecosystem**: 700+ integrations, a rich marketplace, and broad support for OpenTelemetry and other open standards.

## Strategic Focus
- **AI and automation**: Deep investment in AI-driven features (Bits AI, Watchdog, automated remediation) to reduce toil and improve mean-time-to-resolution.
- **Security observability**: Extending the platform to unify security and observability – a key differentiator as threats become more complex.
- **Global expansion**: Growing employee presence across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific (53 countries) to serve a widening customer base. [careers.datadoghq.com](https://careers.datadoghq.com/)

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Transparent, inclusive, and engineering-driven. Diversity and inclusion are core values, with active Employee Resource Groups. [careers.datadoghq.com](https://careers.datadoghq.com/)
- **Flexibility**: Operates a flexible work environment supporting remote, hybrid, and office cultures – “Innovation happens everywhere”. [careers.datadoghq.com](https://careers.datadoghq.com/)
- **Benefits**: Generous benefits tailored by region, covering physical, mental, and financial wellness. [careers.datadoghq.com](https://careers.datadoghq.com/)
- **Growth**: 454 open positions globally (as of mid-2026) across engineering, sales, product, marketing, and technical solutions – with opportunities to work on cutting-edge observability and AI challenges. [jobsbyculture.com](https://jobsbyculture.com/blog/working-at-datadog-2026)
- **Ratings**: CEO Olivier Pomel enjoys ~87% approval; overall Glassdoor rating is 4.2/5.0 (Work-Life 3.8, Compensation 3.9, Culture 4.0). [jobsbyculture.com](https://jobsbyculture.com/blog/working-at-datadog-2026)

## Sources
1. [datadoghq.com](https://www.datadoghq.com/)
2. [careers.datadoghq.com](https://careers.datadoghq.com/)
3. [jobsbyculture.com](https://jobsbyculture.com/blog/working-at-datadog-2026)
4. [linkedin.com](https://www.linkedin.com/company/datadog)

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