Lead Data Scientist

AFL manufactures industry-leading fiber optic cable, connectivity and accessories and provides engineering and installation services for some of the largest telecom customers in the world. Our company was founded in 1984 with a single fiber optic cable and today, we manufacture thousands of products, generate an excess of $4B in revenue, and employ approximately 11,000 associates worldwide. At AFL, we recognize that our employees are our greatest asset. We hire and train each individual, investing in them to ensure success in their careers. With a commitment to professional development and growth, let us connect you to your next career opportunity.What We Offer: Flexible time off policy401K Company match (up to4% —dollar for dollar)Professional development, training, and tuition reimbursement programsExcellent medical, dental, vision, and life insurance policy optionsOpportunities for career advancement with anindustry leadingcompany!We are seeking a Lead AI Engineer to join our Business Operations team.This position may be able to work remotely from anywhere within the United States. TheLead AI Engineeris the first engineering hire on AFL's AI Enablement team, responsible for designing, building, and deploying agentic AI systems that automate the operational backbone of the business through workflow orchestration, model adaptation, and analytics. Working directly with the AI Enablement Manager, the Lead AI Engineer will helplaythe technical foundation the rest of the team will build on — including model selection and management, deployment posture, orchestration patterns,evaluationandaudit. As the team grows, an AI Product Manager and AI Operations Specialists will join to take on intake, sequencing, stakeholder coordination, and product ownership of deployed solutions, allowing engineers to stay focused on build work.Responsibilities: Key responsibilities/essential functions include:Architecture & Technical Foundation Establishesthe architecturalpatterns, evaluation practices, and deployment standards for the teamMakes framework and model recommendations that set the foundation for how the team builds — evaluates orchestration frameworks, selects deployment patterns, trains and fine-tunes models, anddetermineswhere managed platforms end and custom build beginsSolution Design & Delivery Translates proposed business solutions into technical plans — defines product life cycles, prioritizes the backlog, and breaks initiatives into buildable workOwns solutions end-to-end: technical planning, architecture,build, deploy, and the monitoring that keeps them honest in productionProduction Reliability Buildsthe monitoring, evaluation, and regression detection systems that keep production agents reliable — including logging, performance benchmarking, and feedback loopsthat surfacedrift earlyGovernance & Collaboration Partners with data governance to ensure solutions meet compliance, data quality, and operational standardsPersonal Qualities: Innovative and tech-savvy, with deep curiosity about emerging AI capabilities and how to apply themAnalytical and detail-oriented, with a strong engineering mindsetCollaborative and communicative, able to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholdersSelf-directed and accountable, able to set technical direction and drive execution independentlyQualifications: Bachelor's degree in Computer Scienceor related field, or equivalent experience7+ years of software engineering experience with a strong full-stack foundation — backend services, API design, system integration, and data infrastructureRecent hands-on experience building AI or LLM-backed systems and shipping them to productionExperience architecting solutions from scratch and owning them through deployment, observability, testing, and ongoing reliabilityExperience with AI development practices — model selection, fine-tuning, prompt engineering, evaluation frameworks, and understanding when each approach is the right fitProficiencyin Python; experience with cloud platformsExperience mentoring engineers and setting technical direction across multiple initiativesStrong communicationskills with both technical and non-technical stakeholdersWorking Conditions: Environment: Remote work environment (US-based).Travel: Occasional travel (domestic) as needed.Job SummaryRequisition Number: LEADA Job Category: IT - Software EngrSchedule: Full-Time