Technical Prize Director – Energy Efficient AI

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Provide leadership and managerial guidance to the Prize team.

• Implement the Prize vision, strategies, milestones, testing, and specified objectives.

• Actively manage and ensure prompt responses to evolving needs, requirements, issues, and directions while keeping all stakeholders informed.

• Oversee budget management and authorization of expenditures within financial limits; develop and execute cost control measures and operational processes.

• Lead the creation of technical measurement, validation, and verification criteria to evaluate energy efficiency, computational performance, scalability, and real-world impact.

• Refine overall judging criteria and manage the Prize judging process, assisting judging panel members and technical advisors as required, while maintaining impartial standards.

• Execute all technical components of the competition, ensuring the integrity of the "at-the-wall" power measurement protocol and unbiased measurements of competitor systems.

• Spearhead the development of public/private leaderboards that transparently demonstrate competitor progress.

• Manage the verification process, ensuring teams transition seamlessly from "at-home" remote evaluations on public/private leaderboards to mandatory, in-person audits conducted by external partners in a controlled environment.

• Collaborate with XPRIZE internal stakeholders to secure, retain, and effectively manage the personnel, materials, and resources essential for the successful execution of the competition.

• Identify and engage industry experts, researchers, consultants, and advisors to temporarily support the Prize on a contract basis.

• Monitor and report on Prize progress to XPRIZE leadership, advisory boards, sponsors, partners, and external stakeholders, ensuring all requirements are fulfilled.

• Organize, host, and engage in conferences, workshops, and events worldwide to promote the competition, recruit teams, and support judging and award activities.

• Ensure the competition is conducted in accordance with XPRIZE Foundation rules, policies, and operational processes, as well as specific Prize guidelines.

• Act as a public-facing ambassador for the Prize through speaking engagements, media interviews, conferences, thought leadership, blogs, webinars, and outreach within the industry.

• Collaborate across departments and facilitate effective communication and alignment among internal and external stakeholders.

• Develop high-quality project plans that support dependable execution and operational excellence.

⛳️ Requirements

• Subject Matter Expert with proven expertise in one or more of the following areas: Energy-efficient AI systems, AI infrastructure and data center optimization, High-performance computing, Sustainable computing architectures, AI model optimization and inference efficiency, Cloud computing infrastructure, Grid-aware or carbon-aware computing systems, Data center energy systems and cooling technologies, Renewable energy integration for computing infrastructure.

• An advanced degree is required (PhD preferred) in computer science, electrical engineering, AI/ML, energy systems, data science, physics, or another technical field highly relevant to the objectives of this Prize.

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in academic, research, startup, hyperscaler, or industry contexts related to AI infrastructure, computing systems, hardware engineering, or data center architecture.

• Familiarity with MLPerf, power measurement protocols, and large language model inference pipelines is highly desirable.

• Proven experience in leading complex, multidisciplinary technology initiatives.

• Strong analytical, strategic thinking, and problem-solving capabilities.

• Ability to thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous, and entrepreneurial settings with changing priorities and timelines.

• Capacity to deeply understand, refine, and clearly articulate complex technical protocols, including gRPC APIs, just-in-time (JIT) data delivery systems, and cryptographic dataset handling.

• Outstanding public speaking and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for broad and diverse audiences.

• Strong relationship-building abilities with researchers, industry leaders, startups, sponsors, and global partners.

• Passion for utilizing technology and innovation to tackle global sustainability challenges.

• A belief that a small group of motivated individuals can genuinely make a positive impact on the world.

🏝️ Benefits

• Remote-first environment (must live and work in the United States).

• Quarterly company-sponsored All-Hands meetings in Los Angeles for regular in-person collaboration.

• Options for employee and dependent medical, dental, and vision coverage.

• A 401(K) program with employer matching.

• Generous paid time off, including vacation, floating holidays, sick days, and company-paid holidays.

• An Employee Assistance Program offering confidential, professional support for personal, family, or other challenges.

• Employee stipends/reimbursements for cell phone, internet, health & wellbeing, and learning & development expenses.

• Generous Paid Parental Leave for all employees welcoming a new child into their family.

• One meeting-free block per week and four focus weeks per year to guarantee uninterrupted time for strategic projects.