AVP, AI Engineer, Innovation

Harrison Street Asset Management ("HSAM") is a leading global alternative investment management firm focused on real estate, infrastructure, and credit strategies across North America and Europe. Headquartered in Chicago, Toronto, and London with offices across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, the firm has over $108 billion in assets under management on behalf of institutional investors and registered investment advisors globally.

Founded on a culture of innovation, HSAM is an early mover in alternative real estate and mid-market infrastructure. Today, the firm's global team, consisting of more than 520 professionals, is committed to creating long-term value through deep sector expertise and forward-thinking strategies.

Harrison Street is seeking to hire an AI Engineer within the Innovation Department, reporting to the Chief Innovation Officer. This individual will be instrumental in designing, building, and deploying AI/ML systems that further enhance the Firm's AI strategy.

Responsibilities:

AI/ML Development & Deployment

• Design, develop, and deploy production-grade machine learning models to further enhance decision making
• Build and maintain Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures, agentic AI workflows, and multi-model orchestration pipelines to surface insights from structured and unstructured data
• Develop AI tools that translate model outputs into human-readable insights

Data Engineering & Infrastructure

• Build and optimize data pipelines to ingest, clean, and structure proprietary datasets across the Firm's investment portfolio
• Work within secure infrastructure to deploy scalable, secure AI solutions
• Integrate AI models with existing Firm systems, databases, and reporting workflows

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with investment, asset management, portfolio management, and Impact teams to identify AI use cases and translate business needs into technical solutions
• Facilitate innovation workshops, design thinking sessions, and prototype demonstrations for senior leadership
• Expand existing relationships with external partners, startups, and research institutions as appropriate to advance the Firm's AI capabilities

Responsible AI & Governance

• Ensure all AI systems are designed with human-in-the-loop principles
• Adhere to the Firm's AI Policy, including data access controls, bias mitigation, explainability standards, and regulatory compliance
• Build guardrails around AI scope, data access, and output reliability

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, Mathematics, Physics, or a related quantitative field
• 3-7 years of professional experience in AI/ML engineering or a closely related role
• Hands-on experience with LLMs and Generative AI, including RAG, prompt engineering, embeddings, fine-tuning, and agentic frameworks
• Experience with cloud platforms
• Strong data engineering skills
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders

Preferred

• Master's degree or PhD in a relevant field
• Prior experience in financial services, investment management, or real estate understanding of deal execution, due diligence, underwriting, and portfolio analytics
• Experience building and deploying AI systems in regulated environments

Competencies

• Translational Thinking - Ability to bridge AI capabilities and investment decision-making, making models actionable
• Human-Centered Design - Commitment to building AI systems that augment rather than replace human judgment
• Intellectual Curiosity - Passion for staying current with emerging AI technologies, industry trends, and competitive developments
• Ownership & Execution - Ability to lead projects from concept through production with minimal supervision

$125,000 - $200,000 a year

For Illinois Only:
The expected base salary range for this position is $125,000 to $200,000. Actual salaries may vary based on a number of factors, including skills, experience, and qualifications.

In addition to base salary, total compensation at Harrison Street includes a generous discretionary bonus, along with a comprehensive range of benefits - including medical, financial, and…