Lead AI Engineer - AI System, AI frameworks, APIs

About The Role As a Staff Software Engineer (AI) , you will lead the design and delivery of innovative AI solutions, driving technical strategy and embedding within business units to reimagine processes and accelerate TR’s AI-first transformation.

Build & Architect AI-Driven Systems

• Design and lead the implementation of complex, enterprise-scale AI systems, including sophisticated multi-component pipelines, advanced retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) architectures, and autonomous AI agents with multi-step reasoning capabilities.
• Architect scalable AI model integration strategies for production-ready prototypes using robust APIs, distributed data pipelines, and microservices architectures.
• Lead the adaptation and customization of AI models for specialized internal domains, driving innovation in business process transformation.
• Define technical standards and best practices for rapid prototyping and solution discovery.
• Contribute directly to hands‑on delivery, leveraging AI development tools to rapidly build and iterate on the systems you design.

Drive Innovation & Technical Strategy

• Lead evaluation and strategic adoption of cutting-edge AI techniques to solve complex business challenges for internal teams.
• Oversee proof-of-concept projects and guide technical feasibility assessments for new AI-driven features.
• Stay at the forefront of AI research and emerging technologies, translating insights into actionable technical roadmaps.
• Drive innovation initiatives and establish TR’s position in emerging AI technology areas.

Provide Senior Technical Leadership

• Lead technical architecture decisions and translate high-level business requirements into comprehensive, scalable technical specifications.
• Foster technical growth and career development of the team.
• Champion MLOps and LLMOps practices in the prototyping and delivery phases.
• Serve as a senior thought leader, driving technical discussions in executive forums and representing Forward Engineering at internal events.

Lead Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Embed directly with prioritized business units to develop deep domain expertise and build stakeholder relationships.
• Partner with business leaders, functional SMEs, and product teams to co-create solutions and drive adoption.
• Document solutions and architectural decisions for knowledge transfer and capability building.

About You You are a fit for the position of Staff Software Engineer (AI) if your background includes:

Required Skills And Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or equivalent experience; Master’s degree preferred.
• 8+ years of experience in software engineering with at least 4 years in senior or lead roles focused on AI/ML.
• Expert-level proficiency in Python and extensive experience with AI/ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX).
• Deep understanding of machine learning principles, advanced evaluation methodologies, and distributed system design.
• Proven experience with MLOps/LLMOps and managing the complete lifecycle of enterprise AI-powered applications.
• Demonstrated expertise in integrating AI models into large-scale production systems using APIs, data pipelines, and cloud-native architectures.
• Advanced experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and orchestration tools (Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform).
• Strong leadership experience driving technical initiatives.
• Excellent strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, and ability to operate effectively in complex, fast-paced environments.
• Outstanding communication and presentation skills with experience influencing senior stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading teams in building rapid prototypes and AI-driven systems for internal stakeholders.
• Advanced knowledge of vector databases, embeddings, semantic search, and information retrieval systems.
• Track record of successful AI solution launches and scaling AI systems for internal business functions.
• Portfolio demonstrating leadership in innovative LLM-based solutions and AI product development.
• Experience with AI governance, model risk management, and regulatory compliance.
• Publications, patents, or speaking experience in AI/ML domains.

What’s in it For You?

• Hybrid Work Model: We’ve adopted a flexible hybrid working environment (2-3 days a week in the office depending on the role) for our office-based roles while delivering a seamless experienc…