Director, AI Architect & Engineer (Direct Hire)
Chicago,IL
Job Requisition: 7651
Annual Salary Range: $200 – 215K. Individual salaries are based on education, geographic location, and alignment to the market data.
Description for Director, AI Architect & Engineer:
The AI Architect & Engineering Director serves as the hands-on leader responsible for building and scaling AI solutions across the organization. This role owns the end-to-end development of machine learning and AI systems, from rapid prototyping through production deployment, while integrating those solutions into existing business platforms and workflows. In parallel, this individual defines how AI is applied across the business by identifying high-impact use cases, ensuring measurable outcomes, and establishing scalable standards for performance, governance, and reliability. This position also leads execution by guiding a team, managing external partners, and embedding AI capabilities into long-term operations, making it both a technical builder and the strategic owner of enterprise AI adoption.
Responsibilities for Director, AI Architect & Engineer:
- Architect, develop, and deploy end-to-end AI and machine learning solutions across the organization
- Build and maintain data pipelines, feature engineering workflows, and model training processes
- Oversee model lifecycle activities including evaluation, tuning, deployment, and ongoing performance tracking
- Rapidly prototype AI use cases, validate business impact, and transition successful solutions into production environments
- Integrate AI/ML capabilities into existing enterprise systems, applications, and data platforms
- Select and implement appropriate approaches across traditional machine learning, generative AI, and automation
- Define technical architecture, tooling, and scalability strategies for AI initiatives
- Establish and evolve the company’s AI roadmap aligned with business priorities and measurable outcomes
- Identify and prioritize high-value use cases that drive efficiency, cost savings, or revenue growth
- Implement governance practices including model tracking, version control, monitoring, and risk management
- Ensure solutions meet standards for data security, privacy, and explainability
- Lead the delivery of AI-driven tools, products, and internal capabilities
- Manage relationships with external vendors, platforms, and consulting partners
- Build, mentor, and lead a team of engineers, data scientists, and analysts
- Develop documentation, best practices, and frameworks to support broader AI adoption across teams
- Support cross-functional stakeholders and provide guidance on AI-related initiatives
Requirements for Director, AI Architect & Engineer:
- 5+ years of experience designing and deploying AI/ML solutions in production environments
- Strong hands-on background with modern machine learning frameworks and Python-based development
- Experience working with large-scale data processing tools and distributed computing environments
- Demonstrated ability to build and deploy models end-to-end, including monitoring and maintenance
- Experience integrating AI solutions into enterprise systems and business applications
- Proven ability to translate business challenges into scalable technical solutions
- Experience in a technical leadership or team leadership capacity
- Familiarity with cloud-based data and AI platforms
- Understanding of model governance, performance monitoring, and lifecycle management practices
- Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate across technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience)
Benefits for Director, AI Architect & Engineer:
- Employees may be eligible for discretionary bonuses, typically up to 20% of base salary annually, depending on individual and organizational performance.
- Paid flexible PTO
- Paid 14+ holidays, including your birthday
- Paid Parental Leave that begins after 90 days
- Paid volunteer time off to give back to your community
- Monthly workshop weeks
- Health plan options that begin within at least 30 days of your employment
- Monthly phone reimbursement
- Wellness allowance and perks, including a yearly subscription to a meditation app
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for access to confidential support services
- Company retirement options including 401(k) + matching & Roth account option
