Lead AI Engineer

Job Title Lead AI EngineerLocation Pune, Maharashtra, IndiaEmployment Type Full-timeExperience 8–10 years in software development; 5+ years in AI/ML; 2+ years in engineering leadershipFunctionAI / LLM Engineering – Engineering LeadershipAbout the TeamYou will be part of an AI team building next-generation AI capabilities for a global customer engagement platform. The team works on:AI Agents for automated issue resolutionUser intent detectionAI-powered answers and knowledge base enhancementsAgent CoPilot for agent productivityLLM-based systems, proprietary ML models, and multimodal RAG pipelinesThe team brings together Backend Engineers, Full-stack Developers, ML Engineers, Data Scientists, and Frontend Developers, collaborating to deliver intelligent and scalable AI experiences.About the RoleWe are looking for an experienced engineer with deep technical expertise in AI and strong leadership skills. You will help design and deliver advanced AI products and AI Agents, lead a group of engineers, and drive end-to-end execution of LLM-powered initiatives.This role combines hands-on AI/ML and LLM engineering with technical leadership, guiding backend, frontend, and full-stack developers to build reliable, scalable production AI systems.Key ResponsibilitiesLead and mentor a team of backend and frontend developers, fostering a high-performing, collaborative engineering culture.Own the technical direction, architecture, and strategy for LLM, AI Agent, and ML initiatives.Architect and build AI Agents, RAG pipelines (including multimodal RAG), LLM-based services, and evaluation frameworks.Design, build, and deploy scalable AI/ML systems from concept to production.Collaborate closely with PMs, ML Engineers, and Data Scientists to convert business requirements into AI-driven solutions.Oversee the full SDLC for your squad, ensuring strong engineering practices around coding, testing, quality, and reliability.Conduct detailed technical reviews and provide guidance to maintain code quality.Troubleshoot performance, scalability, and reliability issues in production AI systems.Champion continuous improvement, automation, and innovation within the team.Keep the team up to date with advances in LLMs, LLMOps, fine-tuning techniques, vector search, and generative AI.Required Skills & Experience8–10 years of experience in software development.5+ years of hands-on experience in AI/ML.2+ years in an engineering leadership role, preferably leading a cross-functional team.Hands-on experience building:AI Agents / agentic workflowsLLM pipelines (inference, orchestration, guardrails)RAG systems (vector search, knowledge bases, multimodal RAG)LLM fine-tuning (SFT, LoRA, instruction tuning)LLMOps workflows (monitoring, evaluation, optimization, versioning)Strong understanding of ML algorithms, embeddings, transformers, vector semantics, and distributed systems.Experience with vector databases such as Elasticsearch, Weaviate, Pinecone, or Milvus.Proficiency with ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn).Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and MLOps tooling.Good to HaveSolid foundation in backend technologies such as Python, Java, Go, Node.js, and experience with Kafka.Knowledge of the gaming industry or customer support domain.Familiarity with frontend frameworks (React, Angular, Vue.js).Exposure to functional programming (Clojure preferred).Experience in startup / high-growth environments.Open-source contributions in AI/ML/LLM projects.Experience with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).Bonus PointsExperience building production-grade LLM-powered automation for customer support or gaming.Publications, presentations, or contributions related to LLMs, RAG, or AI Agents.