Technical Lead, AI & Data Operations (Full Stack engineering)

We are seeking an AI Engineer to serve as a technical lead within a growing, operations-aligned engineering team. This role is ideal for someone who combines strong hands-on engineering capability with a passion for mentoring others and shaping how teams build and scale AI systems.

You will work alongside data scientists and full-stack engineers to deliver AI-powered solutions across internal tooling, customer-facing features, and the supporting data/ML infrastructure. The team is actively shipping; this role focuses on strengthening technical execution, improving system reliability, and elevating overall engineering practices.

While there will be opportunities to take on broader leadership responsibilities over time, the primary focus of this role is technical leadership, delivery, and mentorship.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead the design, development, and deployment of production AI systems end-to-end

Contribute hands-on to the codebase and set a high bar for engineering quality

Establish scalable patterns for evaluation, deployment, and system reliability

Conduct technical design reviews and guide architectural decisions

Mentor and develop engineers, providing regular coaching and technical guidance

Support hiring efforts, including candidate evaluation and onboarding

Partner with cross-functional stakeholders to align priorities and deliver impactful solutions

Help translate experimentation into stable, production-ready systems

Preferred Qualifications:

Technical Expertise

5–8 years of experience building production software systems

At least 2 years working with AI/ML or LLM-based solutions in production environments

Demonstrated ownership of delivering end-to-end AI systems or features

Strong understanding of modern AI development practices (e.g., evaluation, prompt iteration, system integration)

Comfortable working across the stack, including data pipelines, model serving, and application layers

Sound judgment in making technical trade-offs, including build vs. buy decisions

AI / Applied Systems Experience

Hands-on experience with LLMs, agent-based systems, or generative AI applications

Familiarity with evaluation frameworks, prompt iteration, and model behavior tuning

Understanding of limitations and failure modes of AI systems, and how to design around them

Experience operationalizing AI workflows (e.g., pipelines, monitoring, feedback loops) in real-world environments

Leadership & Mentorship

Experience serving as a technical lead or senior engineer on a team

Proven ability to mentor and uplift other engineers

Strong communication skills, including technical documentation and stakeholder engagement

Ability to influence decisions and drive alignment without formal authority

Interest in growing leadership scope over time (optional, not required)

Role Scope

Primarily a hands-on technical leadership role

Emphasis on delivery, system quality, and team enablement

Opportunities to expand into people leadership over time, based on interest and business needs

Not a research-focused role — emphasis is on applied, production systems

Additional Information

Periodic travel may be required

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Data Science, or a related technical field

Advanced degree (MS or PhD) preferred, particularly with a focus on AI, Machine Learning, or distributed systems

Minimum Qualifications

Doctorate (Academic) Degree and 0 years related work experience; Master's Level Degree and related work experience of 3 years; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 5 years;OR equivalent work experience

Interns are eligible for some of the benefits listed. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed reflects the pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including state minimum pay wage rates, location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal and state minimum wage requirements where applicable. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at talent.acquisition@kla.com or at +1-408-352-2808 to request accommodation.

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