Research Manager | Customization

About DeepL

DeepL is a global communications platform powered by Language AI. Since 2017, we’ve been on a mission to break down language barriers. Our human‑sounding translations and intelligent writing suggestions are designed with enterprise security in mind, enabling over 100,000 businesses to transform communications and reach new markets.

Our goal is to become the global leader in Language AI, building products that drive better communication, foster connections, and make a real‑life impact.

What sets us apart

We combine modern technology, competitive benefits, and an open, welcoming work culture that enables our people to thrive.

The Team

You will lead a Customization Research team focused on advancing instruction‑following and personalization across DeepL’s core products—Translator, Write, and Voice.

We partner closely with peer research groups, Product, Engineering, and Go‑to‑Market to prioritize high‑impact problems and ship at scale.

Your responsibilities

As a Manager, you will own both people leadership and technical direction for a team of research scientists and data engineers. Together, you’ll shape the research agenda, build a high‑performance culture, and convert breakthroughs into production impact across DeepL’s products.

• Fuse cutting‑edge academic research with your team’s experiments to drive innovation in Language AI.
• Define and communicate strategic goals, roadmap, and success metrics.
• Create conditions for rapid, reliable delivery.
• Shape and prioritize the research agenda.
• Inspire, develop, recruit, and motivate a high‑performing team; foster a candid, non‑retaliatory feedback culture.
• Contribute hands‑on: review code, design experiments, analyze results.

Qualities we look for

• PhD or equivalent in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or a related field.
• Proven track record of leading and scaling teams in a global, high‑growth, research‑intensive environment.
• Solution‑oriented mindset, navigating ambiguity and change.
• Hands‑on experience in software development (data science, ML engineering, systems engineering, distributed services).
• Technical and people leadership.
• Excellent communication; ability to collaborate across the organization.
• High level of English proficiency (knowledge of German and other languages is a plus).

What we offer

• Diverse and internationally distributed team: people from over 90 nationalities, global presence.
• Open communication, regular feedback: clear, honest communication; direct and actionable feedback.
• Hybrid work, flexible hours: hybrid schedule, office twice a week, flexible working hours.
• Regular in‑person team events.
• Monthly full‑day hacking sessions (Hack Fridays).
• 30 days of annual leave (excluding public holidays) and access to mental health resources.
• Competitive benefits tailored to location.

Equal opportunity employer

We are an equal opportunity employer. You are welcome at DeepL for who you are—we appreciate authenticity. The more voices we have represented and amplified in our business, the more we will all succeed, contribute, and think forward.

If this role and our mission resonate with you, apply—let’s discover your potential together. We can’t wait to meet you!