Lead AI Engineer

Role Description

We are looking for a passionate and skilled AI engineer to lead the AI engineering practice at a team or program level. In this role, you will guide the design and delivery of generative AI solutions, shape the technical roadmap for your team(s), and ensure high standards of engineering excellence. You will provide technical leadership to a small group of engineers, collaborate with product and business partners, and act as a trusted technical consultant for stakeholders.

• Lead a cross-functional team of software engineers, data scientists and other specialists delivering GenAI solutions.
• Guide the design and delivery of AI-powered systems that are scalable, reliable and production-ready.
• Set direction for technical decisions, ensuring AI solutions are optimized for performance, cost and maintainability.
• Collaborate closely with product managers, designers and stakeholders to align technical solutions with business goals.
• Establish and promote best practices in AI engineering, covering testing, guardrails, responsible AI, monitoring and documentation.
• Provide architectural guidance, balancing experimentation with delivery in short, safe cycles.
• Review designs and code across the team, ensuring quality and consistency in AI-enabled features.
• Set direction for GenAI application optimization to improve accuracy, performance, cost and know when model tuning is required.

Qualifications

• Strong expertise in Python and modern software engineering practices, including CI/CD, testing, version control and system reliability.
• Proven ability to design and integrate end-to-end AI systems, ensuring scalability, maintainability and performance.
• Deep experience with GenAI and agentic frameworks, guiding teams in their effective use.
• Expertise in building and scaling RAG pipelines and integrating vector databases into production systems.
• Experience deploying AI solutions on major cloud platforms, using containers and CI/CD pipelines for reproducibility.
• Skilled in LLMOps practices and monitoring production systems with observability tools.
• Experience with fine-tuning, model adaptation and advanced use of ML/NLP frameworks.

Requirements

• Ability to articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences and influence senior decision-makers.
• Proven ability to inspire, mentor and develop high-performing engineering teams, fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment.
• Demonstrates the ability to anticipate technological trends and proactively shape the technical direction of the team.
• Skilled in navigating complex internal and external dynamics, driving consensus and achieving technical and business goals.

Benefits

• Learning & Development: There is no one-size-fits-all career path at Thoughtworks; your career is supported by interactive tools, numerous development programs and teammates who want to help you grow.
• Responsible Use of AI in Recruitment: AI tools support our recruitment team with administrative tasks, but do not screen, assess, rank or make hiring decisions.
• EEO: Thoughtworks is an equal-opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants.
• US - Work Authorization: Applicants must have work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment in the United States.
• Accommodations: Thoughtworks is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities or sincerely held religious beliefs.
• Cancellations: Project scope or availability may shift, or projects may be cancelled during the recruitment and selection process.

Company Description

Thoughtworks is a dynamic and inclusive community of bright and supportive colleagues who are revolutionizing tech. As a leading technology consultancy, we’re pushing boundaries through our purposeful and impactful work. For 30+ years, we’ve delivered extraordinary impact together with our clients by helping them solve complex business problems with technology as the differentiator.