AI Engineering Manager

AI Engineering Manager

Location - Onsite in Denver, CO | 5 days/week (~85 MST)

Reports to - Director / VP level

Contract Term - through year-end to start.

Unison Systems client is seeking an experienced AI Engineering Manager to lead enterprise?scale delivery of LLM and applied machine learning solutions in a highly visible, business?critical environment. This role is for a senior technical leader who pairs deep hands?on LLM expertise with strong people leadership and the ability to translate complex AI concepts into clear, actionable strategies for senior executives.

This is an end?to?end ownership role. You will set technical direction, build and mentor a high?performing AI organization, and drive AI/ML products from concept through production. Success in this role requires enterprise judgmentbalancing experimentation with discipline, innovation with reliabilityand ensuring AI investments deliver measurable business value at Fortune?100?scale.

What Were Looking For

• 8+ years of people management experience leading technical teams (ML, data science, data engineering, or software engineering).
  
  
• 8+ years of applied ML / data science experience in industry (not purely research).
  
  
• 4+ years of hands?on LLM experience , including:
  
  
  
  
  
  • Fine?tuning or domain adaptation
    
    
  • RAG architectures and vector search
    
    
  • Prompt engineering and evaluation
    
    
  • Agentic or tool?using AI systems
    
    
  
  
  
  
• Proven track record of delivering AI/ML systems into production in complex, real?world environments.
  
  
• Experience deploying products at Fortune 100 or equivalent enterprise scale .
  
  
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated success influencing executives.
  
  
• Strong Agile leadership, program management skills, and comfort operating in ambiguity.
  
  
• Business?focused mindsetable to frame AI decisions in terms of outcomes, ROI, and risk.
  

What Youll Do

Lead & Grow AI Teams

Build, mentor, and scale teams of data scientists, ML engineers, data engineers, and software engineers. Set high technical standards, provide regular coaching for senior talent, and foster a culture of accountability, delivery, and innovation.

Own End?to?End AI/ML Product Delivery

Lead the design, development, and deployment of AI/ML solutionsparticularly LLM?based applications from ideation through production. Ensure systems are secure, reliable, and scalable to enterprise and regulatory expectations.

Drive LLM & Advanced AI Initiatives

Own LLM strategy including model selection, fine?tuning, RAG architectures, prompt engineering, and agentic workflows. Partner with architecture and platform teams to establish standards, reusable capabilities, and best practices for enterprise AI.

Strategic Leadership & Vision

Define and communicate a compelling AI/ML roadmap aligned to business strategy. Partner with executives to identify high?value AI opportunities, prioritize use cases, and clearly articulate value, tradeoffs, and risks.

Cross?Functional Collaboration

Work closely with product, engineering, operations, risk/compliance, and business teams to translate ambiguous needs into well?defined AI solutions that solve real business problems. Champion ethical, responsible, and compliant AI practices.

Execution, Process & Delivery Discipline

Drive strong execution using Agile methods across multiple teams. Establish KPIs, OKRs, and success metrics; implement program management rigor to ensure predictable delivery, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Executive Communication

Prepare and deliver concise, executive?ready updates, business cases, and technical briefings. Translate complex AI/ML topics into clear, non?technical narratives tailored to senior stakeholders.

Nice to Have

• Advanced degree (Masters or PhD) in Computer Science, AI/ML, Statistics, or related field.
  
  
• Experience building or leading AI capabilities in large, regulated, or highly complex enterprises .
  
  
• Hands?on experience with modern AI/ML stacks (Python, PyTorch/TensorFlow, vector databases, MLOps frameworks, cloud AI services).
  
  
• Prior ownership of an AI/ML product portfolio from strategy through scaled rollout .
  

If youre a senior AI leader who thrives at the intersection of technical depth, people leadership, and executive influence , this role offers the opportunity to shape enterprise AI strategy and deliver impact at scale.

Unison Systems Inc. is a full-service IT consulting firm that offers staffing, consulting, direct-hire recruiting and solutions delivery services. Core areas of service include: Software Engineering Data Management Project/Program Management Infrastructure & Support