Project Lead (AI Text-to-SQL & Semantic Layer)

Deeplight; United Arab Emirates; Hybrid; AED 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading AI consultancy in the United Arab Emirates is seeking a Project Lead to oversee the design and delivery of an internal text-to-SQL query platform. You will be responsible for managing a team and ensuring the system integrates seamlessly with existing BI platforms like Power BI and Tableau. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in data engineering and conversational AI and excels in fast-paced environments. This role offers a fixed-term contract with growth opportunities in a cutting-edge AI field.

Benefits

Competitive salary and performance bonuses

Comprehensive health insurance

Professional development support

Flexible working arrangements

Career advancement opportunities

Qualifications

• 7–12+ years in Data Engineering, ML Engineering, Data Architecture, or Applied AI.
• Hands-on experience with Text-to-SQL or NL-to-query systems.
• Strong cross-functional communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrated success delivering complex AI/data projects under compressed timelines.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of an internal conversational AI interface.
• Drive the evaluation and implementation of semantic model generation approaches.
• Provide clear, actionable updates to senior leadership.
• Collaborate with internal data, BI, and AI engineering teams.

Skills

Data Engineering

ML Engineering

Conversational AI

Semantic modeling

SQL

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional communication

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

MicroStrategy

Microsoft Azure

Job description

Overview

DeepLight AI is a specialist AI and data consultancy with extensive experience implementing intelligent enterprise systems across multiple industries, with particular depth in financial services and banking. Our team combines deep expertise in data science, statistical modeling, AI/ML technologies, workflow automation, and systems integration with a practical understanding of complex business operations.

Role Summary

The Project Lead drives the design, delivery, and operational rollout of an internal AI-powered text-to-SQL query platform that enables natural language access to enterprise data across multiple BI systems. This role sits at the intersection of LLM engineering, semantic data modeling, BI metadata management, and pragmatic delivery leadership. The role leads a focused 5–7 person team to deliver a production‑ready conversational query layer in a fast‑paced window. This role requires an individual who thrives on execution, cuts through complexity, and knows how to ship working AI solutions quickly and safely.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end‑to‑end delivery of an internal conversational AI interface that converts natural language questions into SQL queries.
• Drive the evaluation and implementation of semantic model generation approaches (vendor‑based and in‑house custom development).
• Build and operationalize a query stack hosted inside the company’s VPC.
• Design, refine, and implement a semantic layer that supports accurate text‑to‑SQL translation.
• Integrate the solution across existing BI platforms (MicroStrategy, Power BI, Tableau) without requiring tool migration.
• Ensure alignment with enterprise data governance and the company’s “Data for AI” initiative.
• Assess capabilities of MicroStrategy’s AI features, Microsoft Azure‑native tools, and emerging startup solutions.
• Provide a balanced BI tooling recommendation based on operational needs and platform capabilities.
• Mitigate vendor lock‑in by evaluating multiple options and architecting flexible solutions.
• Work with domain SMEs in Finance and Retail to incorporate business context into the semantic layer.
• Collaborate with internal data, BI, and AI engineering teams.
• Provide clear, actionable updates to senior leadership with a bias toward rapid decision‑making.

Benefits & Growth Opportunities

• Competitive salary and performance bonuses
• Comprehensive health insurance
• Professional development and certification support
• Opportunity to work on cutting‑edge AI projects
• Flexible working arrangements
• Career advancement opportunities in a rapidly growing AI company

Diversity & Inclusion

At DeepLight AI, we recognise that diversity drives innovation. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where individuals with different thinking styles can thrive and contribute their unique strengths to our specialised AI and data solutions. Our goal is to ensure our application and interview process is accessible, predictable, and fair for all candidates. If you require any specific adjustments to the application process, or if you require any reasonable adjustments should you be successful in being processed to the interview stage, please let us know. This information will be kept strictly confidential and will not impact hiring decisions.

Qualifications

• 7–12+ years in Data Engineering, ML Engineering, Data Architecture, or Applied AI.
• Hands‑on experience with Text‑to‑SQL or NL‑to‑query systems.
• Conversational AI (LLMs, prompt engineering, fine‑tuning).
• Semantic modeling, MDM concepts, ontologies, or BI metadata layers.
• SQL and BI ecosystems (Power BI, Tableau, MicroStrategy).
• Comfortable integrating LLMs with data warehouses, APIs, and enterprise cloud environments.
• Demonstrated success delivering complex AI/data projects under compressed timelines.
• Fast, pragmatic decision‑maker who avoids analysis paralysis.
• Strong cross‑functional communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience leading small, high‑performance engineering teams.
• Preferred: background in Microsoft Azure ecosystem or Azure OpenAI.
• Preferred: previous exposure to Microsoft Fabric, dbt, semantic modeling tools, or metadata automation platforms.
• Preferred: previous experience building internal copilots or enterprise LLM applications.

Contract Details

This is a 6‑month fixed‑term contract initially, with the potential to extend.