Principal Product Manager, Vision AI

• This Role can be based in California OR Remote in CST
• Toast creates technology to help restaurants and local businesses succeed in a digital world, helping business owners operate, increase sales, engage customers, and keep employees happy.
• Toast serves hundreds of multi-unit brands, including Caribou Coffee, Firehouse Subs, Tacos Palenque, Choice Hotels, Craveworthy Brands, WaBa Grill, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Papa Gino's & D'Angelo, Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill, and The Human Bean.
• As part of the Enterprise Drive-Thru team, you'll help build the next generation of technology for some of the largest restaurant brands in the industry.
• You can read more on our Toast for Enterprise page and Toast Drive-Thru page.

Drive-thrus are at the forefront of restaurant AI innovation. We're looking for a Principal Product Manager, Vision AI to define and build computer vision and camera-powered products at Toast, including vehicle intelligence, operational analytics, and new AI-powered restaurant experiences.

Vision AI will be your primary focus, with broader influence across Enterprise Drive-Thru. You'll work across software, AI, hardware, and restaurant operations to identify opportunities, make strategic investments, and bring new products from concept to scale.

About this roll* (Responsibilities)

• Own the Vision AI product vision and strategy. Define the long-term roadmap for capabilities including vehicle detection, identification, tracking, timing, operational intelligence, and new camera-powered experiences.
• Drive zero-to-one product development. Lead discovery, prototyping, pilots, commercialization, and scaling of new AI and drive-thru products in highly ambiguous problem spaces.
• Help shape Enterprise Drive-Thru strategy. Develop a deep understanding of large, multi-location restaurant brands and identify opportunities where Toast can build differentiated solutions beyond Vision AI.
• Own hardware-enabled experiences. Define the hardware ecosystem required to support Vision AI and Drive-Thru products, including cameras, media players, networking, digital menu boards, and emerging technologies.
• Lead customer research and field validation. Spend time with Enterprise customers and in restaurants understanding operational workflows, validating solutions, and translating insights into product strategy.
• Drive technology and partner decisions. Evaluate camera systems, computer vision platforms, AI vendors, and architectural approaches. Lead trade-offs across build vs. buy vs. partner, cloud vs. edge, performance, cost, complexity, scalability, and customer value.
• Drive commercialization and adoption. Partner with GTM teams on packaging, positioning, pricing inputs, pilots, and rollout strategies that drive customer outcomes and Enterprise growth.
• Lead across the organization. Influence Engineering, Design, Hardware Operations, Security, Legal, Customer Care, Sales, Product Marketing, and senior leadership to align teams around strategy and execution.
• Embrace AI-first product development. Use AI tools to accelerate discovery and execution while identifying new ways AI can create value for restaurants and guests.

What you'll need to thrive (Requirements)

• Product leadership experience. 8+ years of Product Management experience owning complex products, significant product areas, or multi-team initiatives from strategy through scale.
• AI and emerging technology experience. Experience delivering AI-enabled products, machine learning systems, computer vision applications, or adjacent emerging technologies.
• Zero-to-one leadership. Proven ability to take ambiguous opportunities from discovery through prototype, pilot, commercialization, and scale.
• Enterprise product experience. Experience building for large, complex customers while balancing individual customer needs with scalable product investments.
• Technical fluency. Ability to partner deeply with Engineering and Hardware teams on architecture, integrations, AI systems, and technical trade-offs.
• Strategic decision making. Ability to balance customer impact, performance, scalability, operational complexity, development investment, and economics when defining product direction.
• Customer obsession. Experience conducting deep customer discovery, field research, and pilots with strategic customers.
• Vendor and partner strategy. Experience evaluating technology vendors and making build vs. buy vs. partner decisions.
• Leadership and influence. Strong communication skills and demonstrated ability to align senior stakeholders and cross-functional teams around a product vision.

Special Sauce* (Nice to Haves)

• Experience with computer vision, camera systems, video analytics, or machine learning products, especially real-time video.
• Experience building products that combine software and hardware.
• Familiarity with AI model evaluation, experimentation, and performance measurement.
• Experience in restaurant, retail, hospitality, automotive, transportation, or other operationally complex environments.
• Familiarity with drive-thru operations or multi-location restaurant technology.
• Technical background or deep experience partnering with Engineering on architecture, AI infrastructure, or hardware/software integrations.

AI at Toast

• At Toast, one of our company values is that we're hungry to build and learn.
• We believe learning new AI tools empowers us to build for our customers faster, more independently, and with higher quality.
• We provide these tools across all disciplines, from Engineering and Product to Sales and Support, and are inspired by how our Toasters are already driving real value with them.
• The people who thrive here are those who embrace changes that let us build more for our customers; it's a core part of our culture.

Our Total Rewards Philosophy

• We strive to provide competitive compensation and benefits programs that help to attract, retain, and motivate the best and brightest people in our industry.
• Our total rewards package goes beyond great earnings potential and provides the means to a healthy lifestyle with the flexibility to meet Toasters' changing needs.
• Learn more about our benefits at https://careers.toasttab.com/toast-benefits .
• The base salary range for this role is listed below.
• The starting salary will be determined based on skills, experience, and geographic location.
• In addition to base salary, our total rewards components include cash compensation (overtime, bonus/commissions if eligible), equity, and benefits.
• You can learn more about how we align pay with local labor markets in our Geographic Pay Zone Philosophy .

Zone A

$190,000 — $304,000 USD

Zone B

$165,000 — $264,000 USD

Zone C

$149,000 — $238,000 USD

• How Toast Uses AI in its Hiring Process
• Throughout the hiring process, our goal is to get to know you.
• We use AI tools to support our recruiters and interviewers with tasks like note-taking, summarization, and documentation of interviews to ensure they can be fully focused on your conversation.
• All hiring decisions are made by people.
• We ask that you complete interviews and assessments on your own, without real-time AI tools, recording, or transcription bots, unless we tell you otherwise in advance.

Our Approach to Hybrid Working

• We embrace a hybrid work model that fosters in-person collaboration while valuing individual needs.
• Our goal is to build a strong culture of connection as we work together to empower the hospitality community, regardless of location.
• Please visit the Locations page on our career site to learn more about our in-office expectations by region: https://careers.toasttab.com/locations-toast
• People Are the Secret Ingredient in Our Recipe for Success
• At Toast, our employees are our secret ingredient—when they thrive, we thrive.
• The restaurant industry brings together people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and we value that same breadth at Toast.
• We strive to build a culture grounded in authenticity, respect, and humility, where every Toaster has a real opportunity to grow, contribute, and do their best work—raising the bar in delivering exceptional experiences for our customers and each other.

Apply today!

• Toast is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive hiring process.
• As part of this commitment, we strive to provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities to enable them to access the hiring process.
• If you need an accommodation to access the job application or interview process, please contact [email protected] .

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