Lead AI Engineer

We are seeking a highly motivated Lead AI Engineer who is a self-starter, problem solver, and forward-deployed innovator. This role is central to building and scaling Generative AI and Machine Learning applications that leverage advanced Large Language Models (LLMs), AI frameworks, and system design expertise. As a bridge between business teams and engineering, you will partner directly with stakeholders to identify opportunities, define solutions, and deliver impactful AI-enabled products.

The ideal candidate combines applied AI experience , Generative AI expertise , software engineering excellence, and system design expertise with the ability to tech lead teams, drive best practices, and accelerate AI development efficiency through innovative tools and automation. This role requires someone who thrives at the intersection of technology and business, enabling teams to translate cutting-edge AI into real-world impact.

What you will do in this role:

• Lead design, development, and deployment of Generative AI, LLM, and ML applications in collaboration with business teams as a forward-deployed AI engineer.
• Partner with product and business stakeholders to shape AI strategy, define use cases, and translate requirements into scalable, high-impact AI solutions.
• Champion system design and software engineering best practices, ensuring solutions are robust, extensible, and secure.
• Utilize frameworks such as LangChain, HuggingFace, Vertex AI, and other enterprise-scale AI platforms to build forward-looking capabilities.
• Drive efficiency in AI development by leveraging AI-assisted development tools, automation, and reusable frameworks.
• Own the end-to-end AI delivery lifecycle: experimentation, fine-tuning, deployment, monitoring, and continuous improvement.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to AI Engineers, advocating responsible AI principles and strong engineering culture.
• Ensure seamless integration of LLMOps and MLOps practices for production-ready deployments, including prompt engineering, fine-tuning, monitoring, and optimization.
• Stay ahead of AI trends, evaluating new models, architectures, and tools to maintain competitive advantage.

What qualifications you will need:

• Bachelor's degree - Required
• Master's degree - Preferred
• 7+ years of experience in software engineering with a focus on ML and AI System Engineering - Required
• Or equivalent combination of education and/or experience

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, Behaviors:

• Advanced proficiency in Python, particularly in object-oriented programming, API development (e.g., using Flask), and working with SQL - Required
• Deep expertise in large language models (LLMs) , customer LLM framework , Agentic AI and familiarity with best practices in LLMops, alongside substantial experience with MLOps frameworks such as Vertex AI - Required
• Extensive experience with NLP frameworks and libraries such as SpaCy, Transformers, HuggingFace, LangChain, as well as familiarity with other tools (PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn, NLTK) and techniques including topic modeling, named entity recognition, and information retrieval - Required
• Practical experience with large language model prompting techniques, including zero-shot, few-shot, and chain-of-thought strategies - Required
• Experience with modern Python development practices including type checking, testing frameworks, and package management - Required
• Proven experience working within cloud computing environments, ideally on Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and a basic understanding of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for cloud setups - Required
• Familiarity with ML Development Lifecycle management and MLOps best practices - Required
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with a strong commitment to mentoring colleagues and fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment - Required
• Understanding of ML/AI platform tooling and patterns - Preferred

Work Location/Schedule:

• Remote (U.S. Only) - M-F, 8am – 5pm - Central Time

Travel Required:

• This job requires travel to Nashville, TN to attend final interview, 3-day New Hire Orientation, quarterly team meetings, and other travel on as-needed basis

Visa Sponsorship:

• Not offered, now or in the future