Berkshire Partners LLC

Vice President, Data Science & AI - External

Location: Boston, MA Office or New York, NY Office

Exempt Position

Reports to: Limor Gultchin, Director of Data Science & AI

Position Summary

Berkshire Partners is seeking a Vice President, Data Science & AI to join its AI team. This is a senior leadership role responsible for defining and executing a multi-year AI strategy within our portfolio and for driving measurable impact on operating performance and investment decision quality. The ideal candidate is a strategic AI leader with the authority and experience to set priorities, allocate resources, and lead both internal teams and external partners with discipline and rigor. This position reports to Limor Gultchin, Director of Data Science & AI.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Own intake, prioritization, and resource allocation within our portfolio company cluster, including triage and prioritization of opportunities based on business value and technical feasibility.
• Design and manage a multi-year AI roadmap, including sequencing of initiatives, build vs. buy decisions, vendor and platform evaluation through rigorous benchmark development, and definition of clear success metrics for value realization.
• Lead and manage internal team members and external vendors to ensure disciplined, high-quality execution across a portfolio of AI initiatives.
• Actively cultivate and oversee relationships with external partners and technology providers, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives.
• Ensure AI initiatives materially enhance operating performance for portfolio companies.
• Serve as a senior advisor to portfolio company leadership, investment teams, and firm leadership on AI strategy and application.
• Owns and maintains clear governance and accountability across the three-party system — Berkshire, the portfolio company, and external vendors or implementation partners — defining decision rights, quality gates, and escalation paths for each party; when this structure breaks down, this role is responsible for diagnosing why and restoring it.
• Institutionalize repeatable playbooks, frameworks, and standards that scale AI capability across the portfolio, including governance and the design of technical standards for model evaluation, human-in-the-loop review and change management.
• Maintain strong, current knowledge of emerging AI technologies and apply that knowledge credibly in advising senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrate sound judgment in balancing innovation with operational discipline, avoiding unnecessary complexity or technology churn.

Skills and Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Statistics, Data Science, Engineering, or a related quantitative field; Graduate degree is a plus.
• 3-5 years of experience in data science, machine learning, or applied AI, with at least 2 years in a leadership or strategy-setting role, or equivalent academic experience.
• Demonstrated ability to own and drive a multi-year AI or technology roadmap from design through execution including prioritization and measurable outcome tracking.
• Experience managing and developing internal teams as well as external vendors and technology partners.
• Strong business acumen and track record of connecting AI initiatives to tangible operational or financial outcomes.
• Comfortable operating as a senior advisor to executive-level stakeholders, including investment and operating leadership.
• Deep familiarity and active, hands-on experience with the AI and ML technology landscape, including emerging tools, platforms, and vendors, as well as the ability to assess architecture fit, data requirements, integration complexity and output quality.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills; ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical audiences.
• Experience in private equity, investment management, or working with portfolio companies is a plus.
• Embraces and actively promotes a team-oriented workplace.

The estimated base salary range for this position is $290,000 - $350,000. This position is also eligible for a discretionary bonus. The range posted is for a given job title, which can include multiple levels. Individual rates for the same job title may differ based on their level, responsibilities, location, skills and experience for a specific job.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job with or without reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to remain seated and/or stationary, often for prolonged periods. This position constantly operates a computer and other office productivity equipment, such as a calculator and printer. Requires the ability to read a computer screen as well as printed materials, concentrate for significant periods of time and to communicate information clearly. There is a low level of grasping, lifting, pushing, and/or pulling of objects of less than 50 lbs, and a moderate amount of bending and reaching for some job duties. The office environment has ambient room temperatures, lighting, and traditional office equipment.

About Berkshire Partners

Berkshire Partners is a multi-sector specialist investor in private and public equity, with a focus on U.S.-based, middle-market companies. The firm’s private equity team invests in well-positioned, growing companies across services, healthcare, industrials, and technology. Berkshire is currently investing from its Fund XI, which held its final closing in 2024 with approximately $7.8 billion in commitments. Since inception, Berkshire Partners has made more than 150 private equity investments and has a strong history of collaborating with management teams to grow the companies in which it invests. The firm's public equity group, Stockbridge, founded in 2007, manages a concentrated portfolio seeking attractive long-term investments. For additional information, visit www.berkshirepartners.com.

Berkshire Partners LLC is committed to providing equal opportunities in employment, and with regard to all individuals with whom we are in contact. It is our policy to prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type, and to treat all individuals equally without regard to an individual’s race, skin color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), reproductive health decision making (including the decision to use or access a particular drug, device, product or medical service for reproductive health), gender (including gender identity, gender expression, and gender nonconformity), age, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law (collectively, “identity”).