AI Engineer, Lead
$200k - $250k • San Francisco • FullTime
Posted 4mo ago
Job Location
San Francisco
Tech Stack
Remote Work Policy
On-site
Employment Type
FullTime
Categories
Applied AI Engineer
About the job
Distyl AI is seeking hands-on technical leaders to serve as AI Engineers. In this role, you will own the architecture, execution, and delivery of critical production AI systems for large enterprise customers. You will make key technical decisions, lead project delivery, mentor other engineers, and collaborate closely with customer stakeholders and Distyl’s AI strategy team to ensure systems deliver tangible business value. This position is ideal for engineers who desire ownership over production outcomes, including shaping system architecture, leading technical execution, engaging directly with clients, and optimizing AI systems under real-world constraints.
Responsibilities
- Lead and mentor AI Engineers, guiding technical direction, code quality, execution standards, and professional growth.
- Design and implement AI systems integrating models, agents, retrieval, evaluation, and execution for production readiness and business alignment.
- Engage directly with customer stakeholders in high-visibility settings, communicating system behavior, tradeoffs, limitations, and improvement paths.
- Operate and enhance live AI systems through behavior measurement, failure mode identification, debugging, and rapid iteration.
- Integrate AI systems into customer data platforms, APIs, and existing applications, making pragmatic design decisions.
- Take accountability for production outcomes and adapt systems to evolving requirements.
Requirements
- 8+ years of engineering experience, including tech lead or engineering lead experience on customer-facing or production AI projects.
- Demonstrated ownership mentality for AI systems, taking responsibility for their production value and making independent technical decisions.
- Proven technical leadership in teams, including experience guiding engineers through technical decision-making, execution, mentorship, and delivery.
- Strong solutions architecture fundamentals, including experience with cloud systems, system integrations, API design, and data engineering.
- AI-Native Working Style: daily use of AI tools for coding, design exploration, data analysis, and automation; curiosity about new model capabilities and techniques.
- Willingness to travel 10-30% depending on project and customer needs.
Benefits
- Base salary range of $200K-$250K, depending on experience, location, and level.
- Meaningful equity.
- Comprehensive benefits package.
- 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance for employee and dependents.
- Flexible time off.
- Retirement and financial planning benefits (HSA, FSA, commuter accounts, 401(k), financial coaching).
- Comprehensive wellness benefits (physical fitness, mental well-being, fertility and family-building).
- Complimentary in-office lunches and snacks.
- Access to state-of-the-art AI models and generous usage of modern AI tools.
- Ownership of high-impact projects across top enterprises.