Senior AI Engineer

DescriptionKforce has a client in Englewood, CO that is seeking a Senior AI Platform Ops Engineer.Summary:The Senior AI Platform Ops Engineer will lead the design, onboarding, and optimization of an enterprise AI platform built on Databricks and AWS. This is a senior-level, hands-on engineering role focused on scaling cloud data platforms, enabling AI and machine learning capabilities, and establishing technical standards across the organization.The ideal candidate has deep Databricks expertise, strong data engineering experience, and a proven ability to mentor engineers while driving platform architecture, governance, and automation initiatives.Responsibilities:* Lead the onboarding of new teams, users, and data domains onto an enterprise Databricks platform* Design and implement integrations between enterprise data sources and cloud-based AI platforms* Deploy and support Databricks-native AI capabilities, including modern AI/ML services and agent frameworks* Architect and maintain Unity Catalog governance, metadata standards, data classification, and lineage* Develop and oversee platform cost attribution and resource optimization strategies* Build and optimize scalable data pipelines using Python, SQL, and PySpark* Contribute to Infrastructure-as-Code and CI/CD deployment processes using Terraform and related tools* Provide technical leadership, mentor engineers, conduct design reviews, and establish platform best practices* Partner with cross-functional engineering teams to deliver scalable, secure, and reliable AI platform solutionsRequirements* 5+ years of experience in Platform Engineering, Data Engineering, Cloud Engineering, or a related field* At least 3 years of hands-on Databricks administration in a production environment* Extensive experience with Unity Catalog, Delta Lake, cluster management, and Databricks job orchestration* Strong programming skills in Python, SQL, and PySpark* Experience designing scalable data pipelines and cloud-based AI infrastructure* Working knowledge of AWS services, including IAM, S3, and VPC* Experience with Terraform or other Infrastructure-as-Code tools* Strong understanding of data governance, metadata management, and enterprise security best practices* Excellent communication skills with experience leading technical discussions and mentoring engineering teamsPreferred Qualifications:* Experience with Databricks Asset Bundles and CI/CD pipelines* Experience with Databricks AI capabilities such as Mosaic AI, Genie, or similar AI platforms* Knowledge of LLM applications, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), vector search, and AI agent frameworks* Experience with GitLab or similar DevOps tooling* Databricks certifications in Data Engineering, Platform Administration, or Machine Learning* Familiarity with FinOps, cloud cost optimization, and usage reporting* Experience supporting enterprise-scale or regulated environmentsJob TypeContractCompensation60 - $75