Applied AI Lead

Role Overview We are seeking an Applied AI Lead to act as a hands-on, startup-style CTO for our AI initiatives. This is a high-impact, hybrid role designed for a technical visionary who can bridge the gap between cutting-edge machine learning and commercial product delivery. You will be responsible for leading the technical direction, building end-to-end AI products, and managing a team of data scientists while remaining deeply hands-on with code and architecture. Key Responsibilities * Technical Leadership: Architect and deploy LLM-driven workflows and NLP solutions, ensuring they are scalable, robust, and production-ready. * Product Ownership: Own the full product lifecycle from vision and roadmap strategy to implementation, iteration, and success metrics. * Hands-on Development: Write production-quality Python code, develop complex models using PyTorch or TensorFlow, and manage high-performance SQL databases. * Team Management: Lead and mentor a team of Data Scientists, fostering a culture of rapid experimentation and engineering excellence. * Executive Stakeholder Management: Translate complex technical concepts for senior management and the C-suite, acting as a strategic partner to the business. Required Qualifications * ML Mastery: Proven track record in Data Science/ML with expertise in Python, SQL, and deep learning libraries (TensorFlow, Keras, or PyTorch). * Production Experience: Demonstrated experience deploying real-world AI solutions at scale; purely academic or research backgrounds will not be considered. * Product Vision: Experience launching AI products from scratch with a focus on business delivery and user impact. * Education: Degree from a top-tier educational institution with a strong foundation in mathematics and statistics. * Communication: Exceptional public speaking skills and the ability to influence executive-level stakeholders. Preferred Skills * Entrepreneurial background or experience in early-stage startups. * High analytical and technical acumen with an obsession for speed-to-market