Lead AI Engineer

Our client, an innovative technology organization, is seeking a Lead AI Engineer to join their team. As a Lead AI Engineer, you will be part of the AI Engineering group supporting the development of an AI assistant used by store associates to answer customer questions and help sell products and projects. The ideal candidate will have strong technical leadership, a practical production mindset, and a collaborative approach to delivering reliable AI systems.

Job Title:

Lead AI Engineer

Location:

Charlotte, NC

Pay Range: $75 - $85/hr

Design and develop AI applications using Python, LLMs, and enterprise APIs to support real-world business needs. Build and improve retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines, including document ingestion, embeddings, and vector search. Evaluate AI responses for accuracy, reliability, latency, and cost; troubleshoot issues and drive continuous improvements. Deploy and monitor AI services in cloud and on-prem environments while maintaining security and operational stability.

Lead technical discussions, conduct code reviews, mentor engineers, and collaborate with business stakeholders to clarify requirements and prioritize delivery.

• 5+ years of Python experience and 3+ years building production REST APIs.
• 2+ years developing LLM applications, including 1+ year working with RAG, embeddings, and vector databases.
• 2+ years leading solution architecture and engineering delivery.
• 3+ years deploying applications on cloud infrastructure.
• Experience resolving complex problems across multiple applications and supporting testing efforts through SIT and UAT for large, cross-functional initiatives.

• Opportunity to lead production AI engineering work that directly supports customer-facing outcomes.
• Work on end-to-end AI delivery: architecture, Python development, LLM integration, RAG, APIs, deployment, evaluation, and monitoring.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to translate requirements into practical technical solutions and demonstrate progress.
• Contribute to engineering, test, and operational excellence by improving best practices and simplifying bottlenecks.

Hybrid work model in Charlotte with a structured onsite schedule (2 days onsite: Tuesday and Wednesday) and standard hours (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM EST).

Upon completion of waiting period consultants are eligible for:

• Medical and Prescription Drug Plans
• Dental Plan
• Vision Plan
• Health Savings Account
• Health Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
• Supplemental Life Insurance
• Short Term and Long Term Disability Insurance
• Business Travel Insurance
• 401(k), Plus Match
• Weekly Pay