Lead AI Engineer (Hybrid - Durham, NC)

Lead AI Engineer (Onsite 3 Days/Week – Durham, NC) We’re supporting a fast-growing, tech-forward company that is building a brand-new AI function from scratch. They’re looking for a rare blend of software engineer turned AI engineer — someone who has shipped real AI solutions into production and can guide teams on how to do it right. This is a high-impact, thought-leadership role where you’ll architect solutions, mentor engineering teams, and serve as the internal expert on all things AI. You’ll work directly with the CTO to define the roadmap and bring AI-driven capabilities into core products. Responsibilities Drive AI Strategy & Execution Partner with the CTO to launch and scale a new AI-focused group within the organization Define the mission, priorities, and early deliverables for the company’s AI initiatives Serve as the primary technical authority on AI architecture, tooling, and best practices Design & Deploy Production-Ready AI Solutions Build and ship LLM-powered applications, RAG pipelines, and intelligent APIs Deliver AI-driven features across web, mobile, and enterprise systems Integrate AI capabilities into existing products in partnership with software engineering teams Ensure solutions are scalable, secure, and aligned with business goals Mentor, Influence & Elevate Engineering Teams Coach developers on AI fundamentals, workflows, and implementation patterns Identify skill gaps and help build AI fluency across the engineering organization Act as a bridge between product, engineering, data, cybersecurity, and legal teams Shape Responsible AI Practices Collaborate with cross-functional partners to establish governance, ethics, and transparency standards Help define internal guidelines for safe, compliant, and responsible AI adoption What Makes This Role Unique You’re the AI leader — the company’s go-to expert You’ll build from zero — no legacy AI systems to inherit You’ll influence product direction — not just model tuning You’ll work directly with the CTO — high visibility, high impact What You Bring Required Background 5+ years in software engineering or AI product development At least one production-deployed AI solution and strong understanding of the full development lifecycle Hands-on experience with: Generative AI / LLMs (GPT, Claude, Llama, etc.) LangChain, Hugging Face, LlamaIndex RAG architectures and vector databases AWS (Bedrock, Lambda, S3, etc.) Full-stack development (React, Node.js, Python, etc.) SQL/NoSQL data platforms REST API design Entrepreneurial mindset; comfortable in a fast-moving, build-as-you-go environment Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field Nice to Have Experience in insurance, financial services, or fintech (not required) Experience mentoring or leading engineering teams Prior work in a “startup within an enterprise” environment What’s Offered Competitive salary (DOE) Full benefits package High-visibility role with direct access to executive leadership Opportunity to build a new AI function from the ground up #J-18808-Ljbffr Vaco Recruiter Services