Head of AI / AI Tech Lead
San Francisco
USA
Permanent
Articificial Intelligence
Location: San Francisco
About the Company
We are a US-based AI company building production-grade machine learning systems used in real-world environments. Our focus is on delivering reliable, scalable AI solutions that solve meaningful problems. We are an engineering-led organisation that values technical depth, ownership, and pragmatic decision-making.
Role Overview
We are seeking a hands-on Head of AI / AI Tech Lead to set technical direction and lead the development of our AI and machine learning systems. This role combines deep technical contribution with leadership, working closely with engineering, product, and executive teams.
This is not a purely people-management role. The successful candidate will remain actively involved in system design, architecture, and implementation while guiding the team’s technical strategy.
Responsibilities
- Define and own the technical vision for AI and machine learning across the company
- Design and review ML system architectures, ensuring scalability, reliability, and maintainability
- Remain hands-on with model development, deployment, and production systems
- Lead and mentor ML and AI engineers, setting high technical standards
- Partner with product and leadership to align AI strategy with business objectives
- Make informed trade-offs between model performance, delivery timelines, and operational constraints
- Represent AI capability internally and externally as a technical leader
Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience in software engineering, machine learning, or AI roles
- Proven experience leading AI/ML teams while remaining technically hands-on
- Strong background in applied ML, ML systems, or AI infrastructure
- Experience deploying and operating ML systems in production environments
- Ability to set technical direction and make architectural decisions
- Strong communication skills and ability to influence across the organisation
- Startup or scale-up experience is a plus
Why You’ll Enjoy This Role
- High-impact leadership role with real technical ownership
- Opportunity to shape AI strategy and systems from the ground up
- Collaborative, engineering-led culture
- Competitive compensation, equity, and flexible work arrangements
Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.
Reece Waldon
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