At CFA Institute, this senior individual contributor role focuses on delivering production-grade AI and machine learning solutions that support enterprise products and capabilities. Based in Charlottesville, VA (onsite), the Lead AI Engineer partners across Product, Data, Security, Legal, Risk, and other stakeholders to build scalable, secure, and responsible AI while providing technical leadership to the engineering team.
This position is designed for an experienced AI engineering professional who can own architecture and delivery, resolve complex reliability and performance issues, and contribute to the organization’s AI roadmap through evaluation of emerging technologies.
What you will do
- Lead the architecture and delivery of production-grade AI and machine learning capabilities, integrating models, data pipelines, and AI-enabled product features in line with enterprise engineering standards and strategy.
- Act as an AI engineering subject-matter expert, resolving complex design, performance, and reliability challenges.
- Deliver medium-sized AI engineering projects, or larger lower-complexity efforts, managing scope, schedule, risk, quality, and budget where assigned.
- Coordinate multiple, sometimes competing priorities across projects and stakeholders, and escalate matters of highest complexity or consequence to the Senior Director.
- Apply engineering best practices, including MLOps, CI/CD for models, testing, observability, and secure development, and contribute recommendations that improve team standards.
- Use sound judgment to adapt processes as needed to achieve outcomes, and communicate decisions and rationale to leadership.
- Diagnose and correct the most complex defects in AI applications, data pipelines, and model behavior, and support incident response and remediation.
- Contribute to the AI engineering roadmap by evaluating emerging technologies and recommending technical approaches to improve solution quality and better meet user needs.
- Partner with Product, Data, Security, Legal, Risk, and business stakeholders to define and document requirements and to support ethical, secure, and compliant AI deployment.
- Provide technical guidance, code review, and mentoring to less-experienced engineers, and oversee the quality of work produced by lower-grade colleagues on assigned projects without formal people management responsibility.
- Maintain current knowledge of AI technologies, external regulation, and industry best practices through ongoing learning.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required in computer science, data science, AI, engineering, or a related field; master’s degree or equivalent experience preferred.
- 7+ years of progressive experience in software, data, or AI engineering, including delivery of production-grade AI or machine learning solutions in an enterprise environment.
- Advanced technical expertise in AI/ML engineering, application development, and the software development life cycle, including testing, versioning, and deployment.
- Demonstrated experience leading delivery of medium-sized projects and providing technical guidance to other engineers; formal people management experience is not required.
- Ability to resolve complex technical problems, balance competing priorities, and exercise sound judgment on when to escalate.
- Working knowledge of responsible AI, model governance, and security and compliance considerations for AI systems.
- Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.
Compensation and location
Charlottesville, VA (onsite)
- USD 137,000 - 229,000 per year
- Expected salary (Metro): New York, NY and Washington, DC: $137,000 - $229,000 per year
- Expected salary (National): $110,000 - $184,000
Benefits
- Eligibility for an annual incentive bonus
- 12% employer contribution to a 401(k) or pension plan
- Comprehensive medical benefits package
- Health coverage
- Generous time off
- Competitive retirement plans
- Flexible work options
- Wellbeing and development programs
Application note: Your application must clearly demonstrate how you meet the requirements, as CFA Institute cannot make assumptions about your education, experience, or location.
