AI/Automation Development Lead

Job Description:

Department:IT Operations — AI, Automation & Tech Ops

Location:New York (Hybrid)

Reports To:Engineering Manager — AI, Automation & Tech Ops

ROLE OVERVIEW

The AI/Automation Development Lead is the hands-on technical leader for a small, high-output development team building AI-native applications and agentic automation systems. This is a coding-first role: you will write production code daily, lead by example in the codebase, and set the technical standard for a growing engineering function.

The defining characteristic of this role is that AI is not a feature you bolt on — it is how you build. You develop with Claude Code or equivalent AI-assisted tools as your default workflow. You design and implement agentic AI systems — autonomous agents, skills, tool-use patterns, and multi-step automation workflows — as core deliverables, not side projects. The stack (Flask/Python, React, Azure, MySQL) is the toolbox; agentic AI development is the craft.

You will take architectural direction and scoped requirements from the Engineering Manager, then own the technical execution: building, shipping, reviewing code, and driving the team to deliver. Approximately 60–70% of your time is hands-on development; 30–40% is technical leadership, code review, and team coordination.

HANDS-ON DEVELOPMENT — AI & AGENTIC SYSTEMS

• Design and build agentic AI solutions as a primary focus: autonomous agents, skills, tool-use patterns, and multi-step automation workflows using LLM platforms (Claude, OpenAI, Copilot)

• Develop AI-powered applications that integrate agentic capabilities into enterprise workflows — replacing manual processes with intelligent automation

• Build full-stack applications using Flask/Python backends and React frontends, deploying to Azure Container Apps

• Develop with Claude Code or equivalent AI-assisted tools as your default workflow — AI-assisted development is the baseline expectation, not a nice-to-have

• Design and maintain MySQL database schemas, write performant SQL, and build ETL pipelines for enterprise data workflows

• Implement end-to-end solutions incorporating data pipelines, automation workflows, and AI capabilities across multiple active codebases

• Work within established CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps, enforce branch protection policies, and own Git workflow discipline across the development team

TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP & TEAM DEVELOPMENT

• Provide technical direction and hands-on code review for a combined team of onshore and offshore developers

• Establish and enforce development standards: branching strategy, PR-based workflows, test coverage expectations, and deployment procedures

• Drive adoption of AI-assisted development practices across the team as a practical approach to accelerating delivery

• Conduct regular code reviews and pair programming sessions to raise the team’s technical bar

• Facilitate knowledge sharing and cross-training across time zones to reduce single-point-of-failure risks

• Participate in hiring and onboarding as the engineering function grows

EXECUTION & DELIVERY

• Take architectural direction and scoped requirements from the Engineering Manager and drive them through to production-ready code

• Own delivery timelines for development workstreams, balancing speed with sustainability — the ability to say “yes, and here’s what it’ll take” is valued over unconditional commitment

• Build solutions that work within established governance frameworks (Legal, Security, CIO approval chains) without treating compliance as an obstacle

• Ensure applications meet compliance requirements (ICF/JSOX, data privacy regulations) by design through code quality and testing discipline

• Participate in discovery sessions and requirements gathering alongside the Engineering Manager for complex projects

REQUIREMENTS

Technical Expertise

• 5+ years of full-stack development experience with Python/Flask and React or equivalent modern frameworks

• Practical experience designing and building agentic AI workflows — autonomous agents, skills, tool-use patterns, and multi-step automation using LLM platforms (Claude, OpenAI, or equivalent)

• Proficiency with AI-assisted development tools (Claude Code, Cursor, or similar) as a daily working practice, not occasional experimentation

• Strong experience with Azure cloud services, particularly Azure Container Apps, Key Vault, and containerized deployments

• Expert-level SQL a…