Lead Developer / Tech Lead (AI) (SME)

About

Our enterprise clients are embedding AI deeply into core software systems, products, and platforms. The challenge is no longer experimentation, but engineering robust, maintainable, and scalable AI-enabled systems that can operate reliably over time.

This role exists to lead the technical execution layer, ensuring AI capabilities are built into enterprise software with engineering excellence.

Mission

You will operate as a Subject Matter Expert and technical leader, responsible for guiding the design and delivery of AI-enabled software systems.

Acting across consultative client engagements, outsourced delivery teams, or product development environments, you will set technical direction, uphold engineering standards, and ensure high-quality execution at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership (Core)

• Define and enforce software engineering standards for AI-enabled systems
• Lead architectural and technical design decisions
• Review code, designs, and implementations across teams
• Mentor and guide developers working on AI-integrated applications

AI-Enabled System Development

• Design and implement scalable backend and service architectures
• Integrate AI models and platforms into production software
• Ensure clean separation between application logic, AI services, and data layers
• Drive reliability, performance, and maintainability of AI-enabled systems

Delivery & Execution

• Translate architectural designs into executable technical plans
• Coordinate development activities across teams
• Ensure delivery quality, timelines, and technical consistency
• Act as escalation point for complex technical issues

Technical Scope

Software Engineering

• Strong expertise in backend and distributed systems
• API design, service orchestration, and system integration
• Software architecture patterns and best practices

AI Integration

• Model serving and inference integration
• Interaction with AI platforms, data pipelines, and orchestration layers
• Performance and reliability considerations for AI components

Production Awareness

• Observability, monitoring, and incident handling
• Security and compliance considerations in software design
• Collaboration with DevOps, MLOps, and Infrastructure teams

Profile

Experience

• Strong background in software engineering and technical leadership
• Experience leading development teams on complex systems
• Exposure to AI-enabled systems or data-intensive platforms

Mindset

• Engineering excellence and craftsmanship
• Strong ownership and accountability
• Ability to balance speed with long-term maintainability
• Comfortable operating in complex, enterprise environments

This is not a hands-off leadership role and not a pure people management position.

This role is designed to anchor engineering execution for AI-enabled systems, acting as the technical spine of enterprise AI delivery.

You will position yourself as a Lead Engineering SME, enabling AI-powered systems to scale by orders of magnitude, and contributing to the construction of one of the most robust AI engineering organizations across Europe.