Lead AI Engineer

The Lead AI Engineer is a senior individual contributor and technical subject-matter expert responsible for designing, building, and delivering production-grade artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions at CFA Institute. The role applies advanced technical expertise to resolve complex engineering problems, contributes to the advancement of enterprise AI engineering best practices, and delivers AI enabled projects consistent with the organization’s strategic initiatives. The Lead AI Engineer partners with Product, Data, Security, and business colleagues to translate business needs into scalable, secure, and responsible AI capabilities, and provides technical guidance to less-experienced engineers.

This role may be based in eligible US jurisdictions and reports to the Senior Director, AI Engineering.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the architecture, and delivery of production-grade AI and machine learning capabilities, integrating models, data pipelines, and AI-enabled product features in alignment with enterprise engineering standards and strategy
• Serve as a technical subject-matter expert in AI engineering, resolving complex design, performance, and reliability problems using advanced expertise and experience.
• Deliver medium-sized AI engineering projects, or larger projects of lower complexity, managing scope, schedule, risk, and quality, and managing budget where assigned.
• Balance multiple, sometimes competing, priorities across projects and stakeholders, and escalate matters of the highest complexity or consequence to the Senior Director.
• Apply engineering best practices, including MLOps, CI/CD for models, testing, observability, and secure development, and contribute recommendations that advance team standards and ways of working.
• Use sound judgment to adapt or work outside established processes when needed to achieve results, and communicate those decisions and their rationale to leadership.
• Diagnose and correct the most complex defects in AI applications, data pipelines, and model behavior, and support incident response and remediation.
• Contribute to the AI engineering roadmap by evaluating emerging technologies and recommending technical approaches that improve solution quality and better meet user needs.
• Partner with Product, Data, Security, Legal, Risk, and business stakeholders to define and document requirements and to support ethical, secure, and compliant AI deployment.
• Provide technical guidance, code review, and mentoring to less-experienced engineers, and oversee the quality of work produced by lower-grade colleagues on assigned projects, without formal people management responsibility.
• Maintain current knowledge of AI technologies, external regulation, and industry best practices through ongoing learning.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree required in computer science, data science, AI, engineering, or a related field; master's degree or equivalent experience preferred.
• 7+ years of progressive experience in software, data, or AI engineering, including delivery of production-grade AI or machine learning solutions in an enterprise environment.
• Advanced technical expertise in AI/ML engineering, application development, and the software development life cycle, including testing, versioning, and deployment.
• Demonstrated experience leading the delivery of medium-sized projects and providing technical guidance to other engineers; formal people management experience is not required.
• Demonstrated ability to resolve complex technical problems, balance competing priorities, and exercise sound judgment on when to escalate.
• Working knowledge of responsible AI, model governance, and security and compliance considerations for AI systems.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to technical and non-technical audiences.

At CFA Institute, we are committed to transparency and equity in our hiring process. In compliance with wage transparency laws in many of the jurisdictions in which we recruit, we provide the following information regarding compensation for this position: Expected salary range for Metro Locations (New York, NY and Washington DC) $137,000 - $229,000 per year. National Locations $110,000 - $184,000. All salary ranges are subject to adjustment based on experience, education, and other factors relevant to the position. Additional benefits include eligibility for an annual incentive bonus, a 12% employer contribution to a 401(k) or pension plan, and a comprehensive medical benefits package.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package to support our employees, including health coverage, generous time off, competitive retirement plans, flexible work options, and wellbeing and development programs. You can learn more on our careers site: Working at CFA Institute | Comprehensive Benefits

About CFA Institute

CFA Institute is the global leader in investment excellence and ethics. With nearly 200,000 charterholders across 160 markets, we promote professional growth, uphold ethical standards, and help advance better financial markets. Join a global organization committed to putting investors first.

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Important Message: Your application must clearly demonstrate how you meet the requirements as CFA Institute cannot make assumptions about your education, experience, or location. We thank all those who apply.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. CFA Institute prohibits both discrimination and harassment with regard to all identifying characteristics: any individual employee, group of employees, or prospective employee on the basis of race, color, national origin, citizenship or immigration status, religion, creed or belief, age, marital or partnership status, marital or family status, care giver status, pregnancy and maternity, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, physical abilities/qualities, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, predisposing genetic characteristic, military or veteran status, status as a victim or witness of domestic violence or sex offense or stalking, unemployment status, infectious disease carrier status, migrant worker status, educational background, socio-economic status, geographic location and culture or any other basis protected by applicable law. This policy impacts all aspects of employment, including but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, compensation, training, development, promotion, demotion, layoff, recall, furlough, transfer, leave of absence, and dismissal. This is a global policy that applies to all CFA Institute employees, regardless of location.

If, due to a disability or current medical condition, you need an accommodation or assistance to complete a job application, you can request one at any stage of the recruitment process. Please send an email to TAHelpdesk@cfainstitute.org noting the accommodations or assistance you are requesting. Please do not include any medical or health information in this email. We will review your request and contact you to discuss the possible options and arrangements. We will try our best to provide you with an accommodation or assistance that meets your needs and respects your preferences.