Lead AI Engineer

Lead AI Engineer - Permanent - Durham, NC - $145,000 - $190,000.

The final salary or hourly wage, as applicable, paid to each candidate/applicant for this position is ultimately dependent on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the candidate's/applicant's qualifications, skills, and level of experience as well as the geographical location of the position.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship not available.

Our client is seeking a Lead AI Engineer in Durham, NC.

Role Description

We are launching the Emerging Intelligence Group (EIG) - a cross-functional team dedicated to embedding AI into the core of how we operate. The Lead AI Engineer will serve as both architect and hands-on builder, shaping the roadmap, developing prototypes, and deploying AI solutions that transform business operations and customer experiences. This role also includes mentoring and upskilling engineering teams to expand our AI capabilities. Ideal for a technically strong, product-minded engineer who thrives in fast-moving environments and wants to help design the AI foundation of a modern insurer. This role reports to the Chief Technology Officer and is required to be onsite 3 days a week at our Durham, NC headquarters.

Partner with the CTO to launch and scale the Emerging Intelligence Group - define mission, priorities, and deliver early wins.
Deliver AI-driven features across web, mobile, and enterprise platforms.
Build and deploy LLM-powered applications, RAG pipelines, and scalable APIs connecting model intelligence with real-world user experiences.
Collaborate with Product Engineering to integrate AI into employee and client-facing systems.
Serve as a technical liaison between data engineering, software engineering, and product management.
Partner with Cybersecurity, Legal, and Infrastructure to establish AI governance, ethics, and transparency standards.
Identify skill gaps, mentor engineers, and foster AI fluency across tech organization.
Serve as resident AI expert and trusted advisor to business leaders.

Skills & Requirements

8+ years of combined experience in software engineering and artificial intelligence product development.
Proven success delivering production-grade AI projects.
Hands-on experience with:
Designing and deploying Generative AI / LLM solutions (e.g., GPT, Claude, Llama).
Frameworks such as LangChain, Hugging Face, and LlamaIndex.
RAG architectures, integrating external data sources and building vector databases.
Strong proficiency in:
AWS (Bedrock, Lambda, S3, etc.)
Full-stack development (React, Node.js, Python, or similar).
SQL / NoSQL data platforms.
RESTful API design and development.
Familiarity with:
Conversational UX and generative AI design principles.
MLOps practices and CI/CD pipelines.
Responsible AI principles.
Excellent communicator - able to translate technical outcomes into business value.
Entrepreneurial mindset; thrives in a "startup-within-an-enterprise" environment.
BS in Computer Science or related field.
Strong full stack engineering background prior to entering AI (not a data scientist).
Experience deploying at least one AI/LLM solution into production (non negotiable).
Hands on experience with LLMs (GPT, Claude, Llama) and frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, Hugging Face.
Experience building RAG pipelines, working with vector databases, and integrating external data sources.
Ability to embed AI features into existing digital systems (web, mobile, enterprise).
Strong proficiency in AWS (Bedrock, Lambda, S3), APIs, and modern application development.
Excellent communication skills; able to articulate complex AI concepts to business stakeholders.
Comfortable in a high visibility role with cross functional interaction.
No sponsorship; avoidcandidates due to long term uncertainty. Relocation is fine.
Experience adding AI features to customer facing digital products.
Prior mentoring or team leadership experience.
Familiarity with AI governance, responsible AI, cybersecurity, and enterprise compliance.
Understanding of conversational UX and generative AI design.
Experience working in "startup within an enterprise" or rapid iteration environments.
Familiarity with MLOps, CI/CD, and AI observability best practices.
Pure data scientists or research-focused AI professionals.
Candidates without production deployment experience.
Candidates who primarily build or train custom models (not relevant to needs).
Overly academic candidates without product/engineering experience.
Candidates requiring sponsorship or holding visas with significant long term uncertainty.
Ideal candidate is a strong engineer first, AI practitioner second.
AI work should center on applied solutions (LLMs, RAG, integrations), not model development.
High communication ability and stakeholder visibility are essential for success.

Benefits/Other Compensation:

Medical, Dental, Life Insurance, 401K.

Why Hays?

You will be working with a professional recruiter who has intimate knowledge of the industry and market trends. Your Hays recruiter will lead you through a thorough screening process in order to understand your skills, experience, needs, and drivers. You will also get support on resume writing, interview tips, and career planning, so when there's a position you really want, you're fully prepared to get it.

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Hays is committed to building a thriving culture of diversity that embraces people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better we serve our candidates, clients, and employees. We are an equal employment opportunity employer, and we comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, creed, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, marital status, genetic information, HIV-positive status, as well as any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. One of Hays' guiding principles is 'do the right thing'.
We also believe that actions speak louder than words.
In that regard, we train our staff on ensuring inclusivity throughout the entire recruitment process and counsel our clients on these principles. If you have any questions about Hays or any of our processes, please contact us.

In accordance with applicable federal, state, and local law protecting qualified individuals with known disabilities, Hays will attempt to reasonably accommodate those individuals unless doing so would create an undue hardship on the company. Any qualified applicant or consultant with a disability who requires an accommodation in order to perform the essential functions of the job should call or text .

Drug testing may be required; please contact a recruiter for more information.

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