AI Engineer - Team Lead Location: Austin, TX (Onsite) Department: Engineering Reports to: Engineering Manager/CTO Position Overview We are seeking an experienced Principal AI Engineer with team leadership capabilities to join our growing engineering team in Austin. This role combines hands-on AI/ML development with technical leadership responsibilities, focusing on building scalable AI-powered applications and APIs using cutting-edge technologies. Key Responsibilities Technical Leadership & Development • Lead and mentor a team of AI/ML engineers and developers • Design and implement AI-powered applications using Node.js and Next.js • Develop and maintain robust APIs for AI/ML services and integrations • Architect scalable solutions leveraging large language models (OpenAI, Gemini) • Collaborate on system architecture decisions and technical strategy AI/ML Implementation • Build and deploy machine learning models and LLM integrations • Work with OpenAI APIs and Google's Gemini models for various AI applications • Implement prompt engineering and fine-tuning strategies • Optimize model performance and cost efficiency • Stay current with emerging AI/ML technologies and best practices Full-Stack Development • Develop responsive web applications using Next.js and React • Design and implement RESTful APIs and GraphQL endpoints using Node.js • Manage database operations and optimization with PostgreSQL • Ensure code quality, testing, and documentation standards Cloud Infrastructure & DevOps • Deploy and manage applications on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) • Implement CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure as code • Monitor system performance and implement scaling strategies • Manage cloud resources and optimize costs Required Qualifications Technical Skills • Programming: Proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript, Node.js • Frontend: Strong experience with Next.js, React, and modern web technologies • Database: Advanced PostgreSQL knowledge including query optimization • AI/ML: Hands-on experience with LLMs, OpenAI APIs, and Google Gemini • Cloud: Extensive experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services • API Development: RESTful services, GraphQL, microservices architecture Experience & Background • 10+ years of software engineering experience • 6+ years of AI/ML development experience • 4+ years of team leadership or mentoring experience • Proven track record in API development and system architecture • Experience with production AI/ML deployments Leadership & Soft Skills • Strong technical leadership and mentoring abilities • Excellent communication and collaboration skills • Experience with agile development methodologies • Problem-solving mindset with attention to detail • Ability to balance technical debt with feature development Preferred Qualifications • Advanced degree in Computer Science, AI/ML, or related field • Experience with other cloud platforms (AWS, Azure) • Knowledge of MLOps practices and tools • Experience with vector databases and embeddings • Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) • Open source contributions or technical publications • Experience in fast-paced startup environments Technical Environment • Languages: JavaScript/TypeScript, Python • Frontend: Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS • Backend: Node.js, Express, Fastify • Database: PostgreSQL, Redis • AI/ML: OpenAI GPT models, Google Gemini, Hugging Face • Cloud: Google Cloud Platform (Compute Engine, Cloud Run, BigQuery) • Tools: Git, Docker, Terraform, GitHub Actions Application Process Please submit your resume along with: • Portfolio of AI/ML projects you've led or contributed to • Examples of APIs or applications you've architected • Brief description of your leadership experience and philosophy We are an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.