Technical Lead (Python & AI/ML)

We are

At Synechron, we believe in the power of digital to transform businesses for the better. Our global consulting firm combines creativity and innovative technology to deliver industry-leading digital solutions. Synechron's progressive technologies and optimization strategies span end-to-end Artificial Intelligence, Consulting, Digital, Cloud & DevOps, Data, and Software Engineering, servicing an array of noteworthy financial services and technology firms. Through research and development initiatives in our FinLabs we develop solutions for modernization, from Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain to Data Science models, Digital Underwriting, mobile-first applications and more. Over the last 20+ years, our company has been honored with multiple employer awards, recognizing our commitment to our talented teams. With top clients to boast about, Synechron has a global workforce of 16,400+, and has 60 offices in 20 countries within key global markets.

Our challenge

We are looking for a highly capable Technical Lead - Python & AI/ML with deep expertise in backend engineering, LLM-based applications, RAG architectures, and AI agent frameworks. Candidate will lead the design, development, and deployment of production-grade AI systems built on Python, modern LLM tooling, retrieval engines, embeddings, and vector databases. This is a hands-on leadership role focused on building scalable and intelligent AI products.

Additional Information*

The base salary for this position will vary based on geography and other factors. In accordance with law, the base salary for this role if filled within New York, NY is $120k - $128k/year & benefits (see below).

The Role

Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership & System Architecture

• Lead the architecture and development of LLM-driven applications, AI agents, and RAG-based systems.
• Provide technical guidance, conduct code reviews, and mentor junior team members.
• Drive best practices in Python backend engineering, API development, and AI system design.

Backend Engineering (Python)

• Build and maintain backend services using FastAPI or Flask.
• Develop scalable API endpoints for AI applications, embeddings, and retrieval systems.
• Ensure backend code quality, modularity, performance, and maintainability.

LLMs, RAG, and AI Agent Development

• Build AI applications using: LangChain, LangGraph, Semantic Kernel, Haystack, LlamaIndex, AutoGen
• Develop autonomous or semi-autonomous AI agents with tool calling and workflow graphs.
• Implement Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), embedding pipelines, chunking strategies, reranking, and grounding techniques.
• Work with OpenAI SDK and other LLM providers (Anthropic, Azure OpenAI, Cohere, etc.).
• Manage prompt engineering, prompt routing, safety guardrails, and evaluation metrics.

Data & Vector Search Engineering

• Build data pipelines for indexing, embeddings, and retrieval workflows.
• Work with SQL databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, etc.) for metadata and application storage.
• Work with vector databases such as: Redis, Postgres with pgvector, Elasticsearch, Neo4j, or others.
• Implement and optimize search workflows using FAISS or similar similarity search libraries.

MLOps, Deployment & Observability

• Deploy AI services using Docker, container orchestration, and cloud environments.
• Implement monitoring for AI behavior, performance, error rates, and retrieval accuracy.
• Set up CI/CD pipelines for backend and AI components.
• Optimize inference cost, latency, and reliability.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with product, data engineering, and business teams to understand requirements.
• Translate business problems into scalable AI architectures and deliver practical solutions.
• Communicate technical decisions, trade-offs, and progress to stakeholders.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's/Master's degree in Computer Science, AI/ML, Data Science, or related fields.
• 10+ years of experience in Python backend development.
• Strong proficiency in FastAPI or Flask.
• Strong working knowledge of SQL databases (Postgres, MySQL, etc.).
• Hands-on expertise with vector databases:
  Redis, Postgres/pgvector, Elasticsearch, or Neo4j.
• Practical experience with FAISS for similarity search.
• Hands-on experience with modern LLM frameworks:
  LangChain, LangGraph, Semantic Kernel, Haystack, LlamaIndex, AutoGen.
• Strong understanding of:
  • Embeddings & vector search
  • RAG pipelines
  • Retrieval optimization
  • Chunking strategies
  • Document loaders & indexing
• Experience building AI apps using OpenAI SDK or similar.
• Experience deploying APIs/services using Docker and cloud environments.
• Leadership experience: guiding teams, conducting reviews, driving architecture decisions.

We offer:

• A highly competitive compensation and benefits package.
• A multinational organization with 60 offices in 20 countries and the possibility to work abroad.
• 10 days of paid annual leave (plus sick leave and national holidays).
• Maternity & paternity leave plans.
• A comprehensive insurance plan including medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and long-/short-term disability (plans vary by region).
• Retirement savings plans.
• A higher education certification policy.
• Commuter benefits (varies by region).
• Extensive training opportunities, focused on skills, substantive knowledge, and personal development.
• On-demand Udemy for Business for all Synechron employees with free access to more than 5000 curated courses.
• Coaching opportunities with experienced colleagues from our Financial Innovation Labs (FinLabs) and Center of Excellences (CoE) groups.
• Cutting edge projects at the world's leading tier-one banks, financial institutions and insurance firms.
• A flat and approachable organization.
• A truly diverse, fun-loving, and global work culture.

S YNECHRON'S DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT

Diversity & Inclusion are fundamental to our culture, and Synechron is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative 'Same Difference' is committed to fostering an inclusive culture - promoting equality, diversity and an environment that is respectful to all. We strongly believe that a diverse workforce helps build stronger, successful businesses as a global company. We encourage applicants from across diverse backgrounds, race, ethnicities, religion, age, marital status, gender, sexual orientations, or disabilities to apply. We empower our global workforce by offering flexible workplace arrangements, mentoring, internal mobility, learning and development programs, and more.

All employment decisions at Synechron are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to the applicant's gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, disabled or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.