Lead AI Engineer

Location/Remote: Hybrid Remote in Cleveland, OH 44139 (i.e., 4 days onsite/week)

Employment Type: Direct Hire / Permanent / Full-time

Compensation: up to $160k salary/year + 7% salary = up to $171k total compensation/year

Benefits:

• 100% company paid medical benefits (for you + your family)
• Dental, vision, LTD/STD, HSA/FSA, term life, supplemental health insurances (e.g., Aflac)
• 12-weeks paid parental leave
• 401(k) + 3% company match
• Unlimited PTO

We are seeking a Lead/Manager of Artificial Intelligence to drive the strategy, development, and implementation of cutting-edge AI solutions across our organization. This is a highly hands-on role where you'll lead a growing team of AI engineers, foster innovation, enhance efficiency, and achieve business objectives through machine learning, automation, and advanced analytics. This new group will initially sit under Data Engineering but is expected to quickly grow into its own dedicated AI department.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement AI strategies that align with business goals and drive innovation.
• Lead a team in designing, training, and deploying machine learning models and AI-driven solutions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify AI opportunities and seamlessly integrate solutions into existing systems.
• Ensure AI initiatives adhere to ethical guidelines, regulatory compliance, and robust data governance best practices.
• Monitor AI model performance, optimize algorithms, and continuously enhance accuracy.
• Stay current with emerging AI technologies and trends to inform strategic direction.
• Establish frameworks for responsible AI deployment and risk management.
• Manage AI-related budgets, resources, and project timelines.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing within the team.
• Participate in all phases of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), including requirement gathering, design, implementation, testing, deployment, documentation, and support.
• Employ DevOps and Git to ensure proper version control and adherence to CI/CD best practices.
• Troubleshoot, analyze, and resolve AI model performance issues and production problems.

Basic Qualifications:

• Proven experience (3+ years) in AI, machine learning, and data analytics, with a strong technical foundation and hands-on development experience.
• Experience leading teams and managing projects from business requirements gathering through development and implementation.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, R, JavaScript, and C#, along with strong proficiency in cloud platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS, Google Cloud Platform).
• Solid understanding of AI methodologies, including supervised/unsupervised learning, regression analysis, neural networks, natural language processing (NLP), and deep learning techniques.
• Strong understanding of data modeling.
• Ability to translate complex AI concepts into practical applications for business stakeholders.
• Familiarity with cloud-based AI solutions and big data platforms.
• Experience with Visual Studio, Git, and DevOps.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a strategic mindset.
• Passion and drive for using AI concepts and technologies to improve business processes.
• Excellent communication and leadership abilities to guide teams and collaborate across departments.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor s or Master s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
• Prior experience as a Data Engineer or Data Analyst is a plus.
• Experience with Azure is highly preferred, including technologies such as Azure Synapse, Azure ML, Azure Data Factory, Azure Functions, Azure Databricks, and Cosmos DB.
• Cloud Certification (e.g., Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate).
• Knowledge of Vibe Coding and familiarity with cutting-edge industry trends.
• Familiarity with software development fundamentals such as SOLID principles, Object-Oriented design, DRY, and Domain Driven Design.
• Experience with CQRS Pattern, Dependency Injection, Entity Framework & LINQ, Microservices, OData, and asynchronous programming.
• Exposure to Agile methodologies and Test Driven Development (TDD).