Job Description
Lead AI Engineer - Permanent - Durham, NC - $145,000 - $190,000. The final salary or hourly wage, as applicable, paid to each candidate/applicant for this position is ultimately dependent on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the candidate's/applicant's qualifications, skills, and level of experience as well as the geographical location of the position. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship not available. Our client is seeking a Lead AI Engineer in Durham, NC. Role Description We are launching the Emerging Intelligence Group (EIG) - a cross-functional team dedicated to embedding AI into the core of how we operate. The Lead AI Engineer will serve as both architect and hands-on builder, shaping the roadmap, developing prototypes, and deploying AI solutions that transform business operations and customer experiences. This role also includes mentoring and upskilling engineering teams to expand our AI capabilities. Ideal for a technically strong, product-minded engineer who thrives in fast-moving environments and wants to help design the AI foundation of a modern insurer. This role reports to the Chief Technology Officer and is required to be onsite 3 days a week at our Durham, NC headquarters. Partner with the CTO to launch and scale the Emerging Intelligence Group - define mission, priorities, and deliver early wins. Deliver AI-driven features across web, mobile, and enterprise platforms. Build and deploy LLM-powered applications, RAG pipelines, and scalable APIs connecting model intelligence with real-world user experiences. Collaborate with Product Engineering to integrate AI into employee and client-facing systems. Serve as a technical liaison between data engineering, software engineering, and product management. Partner with Cybersecurity, Legal, and Infrastructure to establish AI governance, ethics, and transparency standards. Identify skill gaps, mentor engineers, and foster AI fluency across tech organization. Serve as resident AI expert and trusted advisor to business leaders. Skills & Requirements 8+ years of combined experience in software engineering and artificial intelligence product development. Proven success delivering production-grade AI projects. Hands-on experience with: Designing and deploying Generative AI / LLM solutions (e.g., GPT, Claude, Llama). Frameworks such as LangChain, Hugging Face, and LlamaIndex. RAG architectures, integrating external data sources and building vector databases. Strong proficiency in AWS (Bedrock, Lambda, S3, etc.) Full-stack development (React, Node.js, Python, or similar). SQL / NoSQL data platforms. RESTful API design and development. Familiarity with Conversational UX and generative AI design principles. MLOps practices and CI/CD pipelines. Responsible AI principles. Excellent communicator - able to translate technical outcomes into business value. Entrepreneurial mindset; thrives in a "startup-within-an-enterprise" environment. BS in Computer Science or related field. Strong full stack engineering background prior to entering AI (not a data scientist). Experience deploying at least one AI/LLM solution into production (non negotiable). Hands on experience with LLMs (GPT, Claude, Llama) and frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, Hugging Face. Experience building RAG pipelines, working with vector databases, and integrating external data sources. Ability to embed AI features into existing digital systems (web, mobile, enterprise). Strong proficiency in AWS (Bedrock, Lambda, S3), APIs, and modern application development. Excellent communication skills; able to articulate complex AI concepts to business stakeholders. Comfortable in a high visibility role with cross functional interaction. No sponsorship; avoidcandidates due to long term uncertainty. Relocation is fine. Experience adding AI features to customer facing digital products. Prior mentoring or team leadership experience. Familiarity with AI governance, responsible AI, cybersecurity, and enterprise compliance. Understanding of conversational UX and generative AI design. Experience working in "startup within an enterprise" or rapid iteration environments. Familiarity with MLOps, CI/CD, and AI observability best practices. Pure data scientists or research-focused AI professionals. Candidates without production deployment experience. Candidates who primarily build or train custom models (not relevant to needs). Overly academic candidates without product/engineering experience. Candidates requiring sponsorship or holding visas with significant long term u