AI Technical Lead

Hire DigITalent - 4 Jobs

Toronto, ON

Posted today

Job Details:

Full-time

Experienced

Our client is seeking a Technical Lead to own AI project delivery end to end. You bring a proven track record building systems and are ready to lead others doing the same. This will start as a 12-month contract, 3 days/week in downtown Toronto.

What You'll Do

Intake & Scoping

Lead intake calls — surface the real problem behind the stated ask
Scope effort, timeline, and resourcing with the PM based on real build requirements
Assess feasibility early; say no (or "not yet") when work isn't a fit
Recommend simpler solutions when AI isn't the right answer

Technical Leadership

Lead AI-native engineers — set direction, review architecture, mentor
Make key calls: model/framework selection, build vs. buy, technical debt tradeoffs
Stay hands-on: prototyping, unblocking, code review, debugging evals
Define delivery standards — evaluation criteria, human-in-the-loop design, fallback behavior
Track the AI tooling landscape, favoring production-ready over novel

Delivery Ownership

Own end-to-end delivery across concurrent projects, accountable for outcomes
Run delivery cadence with the PM: milestones, risks, dependencies, escalations
Manage shifting requirements and resulting tradeoffs

Stakeholder Management

Primary contact for business stakeholders throughout the project
Proactively manage expectations; surface risks early
Present progress and tradeoffs to senior, non-technical audiences
Challenge assumptions and offer alternative approaches
Work across sponsors, product/ops teams, data platform teams, leadership, and external partners

What We're Looking For

8+ years in software/AI-ML engineering, including 3+ years leading technical teams, with substantial hands-on experience prior
Still hands-on — shipped production systems, can go deep on design
Experience building LLM applications: agentic workflows, RAG, orchestration, prompt/context engineering, evaluation
Strong Python and code review skills
Production experience on cloud AI/data platforms (Azure, AWS, Databricks, or similar)
Track record owning business-facing projects end to end, including when they slipped
Strong scoping instincts — can size effort accurately from a short conversation
Ability to influence senior stakeholders without formal authority
Comfortable with ambiguity and shifting priorities

Bonus

Consulting or agency background
Experience building delivery processes from scratch
Consumer goods or enterprise transformation experience

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is this AI Technical Lead role a full-time position and where is it located?

This is a full-time role based in downtown Toronto, Ontario, as a 12-month contract with 3 days per week onsite.

What kind of responsibilities does the AI Technical Lead have on delivery?

The role owns end-to-end delivery across concurrent projects, runs delivery cadence with the PM, manages milestones and risks, and is accountable for outcomes.

What level of experience is required for this AI Technical Lead position?

Candidates should have 8+ years in software/AI-ML engineering, including 3+ years leading technical teams with substantial hands-on experience.

What technical areas should applicants be proficient in for this role?

Experience building LLM applications, agentic workflows, RAG, orchestration, prompt/context engineering, evaluation, strong Python and code review skills, and production experience on cloud AI/data platforms.

What is the nature of the leadership and stakeholder work for this role?

You will lead AI-native engineers, manage primary business stakeholders, surface risks early, and present progress and tradeoffs to senior, non-technical audiences.

Does the job involve hands-on technical work beyond leadership duties?

Yes, the role stays hands-on with prototyping, unblocking, code review, and evaluating AI solutions, in addition to architecture direction and mentoring.