Senior Data Engineer (Data & AI Expert-Senior Specialist)

Senior Data & AI Expert (Senior Specialist)📍 Location: Abu Dhabi 🇦🇪 Nationality: Emirati Preferred 💼 Experience: 8+ YearsOur client, a leading Abu Dhabi government entity driving strategic infrastructure and development initiatives, is looking for an experienced Senior Data & AI Expert (Senior Specialist) to lead the design, development, and delivery of enterprise AI and data solutions. This is a hands-on technical leadership role for professionals passionate about building production-grade AI systems while mentoring high-performing engineering teams.Role PurposeServe as the organization's most senior hands-on AI and Data practitioner. This is a builder's role first. You will spend the majority of your time writing code, designing systems, and shipping production work on the organization's most complex AI and data challenges. You will also set technical direction, coach the team, and translate strategic priorities into a credible AI & Data roadmap while remaining actively involved in delivery.Key ResponsibilitiesDeliveryPersonally own and ship the most technically demanding initiatives, including enterprise data platforms, program-level intelligence systems, GenAI applications, and predictive analytics across project portfolios.Write production code regularly by building reference implementations, prototyping hard problems, and leading by example in the codebase.Take the hardest technical components yourself rather than delegating them. Pair with specialists and analysts to lift the team's bar through real work, not slides.Run incident response and root-cause investigations on critical AI and data systems when they break.Technical DirectionDefine and evolve the AI and Data architecture, technology stack, and standards across the data platform, MLOps, GenAI patterns, and data governance. Recommendations should be cloud-agnostic and grounded in fit-for-purpose decisions, validated through your own prototyping where useful.Establish engineering standards across code quality, testing, security, model evaluation, and responsible AI practices, and hold the team (and yourself) to them through code review.Drive build-versus-buy recommendations and lead technical due diligence on vendor selections, including hands-on evaluations of shortlisted products.Strategy and Stakeholder EngagementBuild the AI and Data roadmap in line with the organization's strategic plan and Abu Dhabi government priorities.Translate business challenges from project delivery, cost, contracts, and corporate functions into prioritized AI and data initiatives with clear return on investment.Brief executive leadership on progress, risks, and opportunities.Represent the AI and Data function in cross-government and industry forums where appropriate.People ManagementManage, mentor, and develop a team of analysts and specialists, primarily through technical coaching, design reviews, and pairing on real work.Set objectives, conduct performance reviews, and identify training and certification paths.Build the team's hiring plan and lead technical interviews, including live coding and system design rounds.Build a culture of experimentation, accountability, and continuous learning.Governance and RiskOwn AI and Data governance frameworks, including data classification, model risk management, and responsible AI guidelines.Ensure compliance with federal data protection laws, applicable security controls, and organizational information security standards.Drive data quality programs and data stewardship across business functions.Required QualificationsBachelor's degree required; Master's or PhD in Computer Science, AI, Data Science, or a related discipline is strongly preferred.Minimum 8 years of experience in Data Engineering, Data Science, or Artificial Intelligence.At least 3 years leading technical teams or major programs while remaining hands-on in production code delivery.Demonstrable production code contributions on AI or data systems within the last 12 months.Full professional proficiency in Arabic and English (written and spoken).Required Technical SkillsEnterprise Data Architecture (Lakehouse, Data Warehouse, Cloud- Platforms)Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning & NLPGenerative AI, LLMs, RAG, Fine-tuning & AI AgentsPython & Advanced SQLAzure, AWS, GCP or OCIMLOps & DataOpsData Governance (Purview, Collibra, Alation, Atlan)Data Security, Encryption & Privacy