Senior Tech Lead (Ask)

AI71; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 320,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

AI71 in Abu Dhabi is seeking a Senior Technical Lead to drive architecture, delivery, and engineering excellence of our platform. You will lead high-performing teams and partner with Product, AI/ML, and Leadership to deliver enterprise-grade systems.

This is a hands-on leadership role that blends deep technical expertise with people leadership. You will translate business requirements into technical execution plans, oversee risks, and champion CI/CD, security, and reliability across multiple

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• Experience: 8–12+ years in software engineering; 3–5+ years at architect/lead level.
• AI/ML: Experience building AI-powered or ML-enabled applications.
• Tech stack: Backend systems and cloud platforms like Python and AWS/Azure/GCP.
• Systems design: Distributed systems, cloud-native architectures, databases, APIs.
• Quality: Proven code reviews and high engineering standards.

Responsibilities

• Define and own system architecture for scalable, secure platforms.
• Lead design reviews and align delivery with long-term engineering vision.
• Drive best practices in design, coding standards, and reliability.
• Make build vs. buy decisions and evaluate new tech.
• Collaborate with Product, AI/ML, and leadership to shape roadmaps.
• Mentor engineers and establish coding standards and quality benchmarks.
• Translate business requirements into execution plans and manage risks.
• Oversee performance, monitoring, CI/CD, and security practices.

Skills

Engineering leadership

System architecture

AI/ML experience

Cloud fundamentals

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Engineering

Tools

Python

AWS/Azure/GCP

Distributed systems

Job description

AI71 is an industry leader in artificial intelligence, delivering innovative solutions that empower developers, businesses, and governments to solve complex challenges. We build secure, enterprise-ready applications powered by cutting-edge technology, specifically tailored for knowledge workers and sector-specific needs.

AI71 bridges the gap between advanced AI and real-world impact. Guided by a strong commitment to research and responsibility, we create transformative solutions that drive progress and empower organizations to leverage AI for meaningful outcomes.

Role Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Technical Lead to drive the technical design, delivery, and engineering excellence of the AI71 platform. This role sits at the intersection of architecture, engineering leadership, and execution.

You will lead high-performing teams, shape technical direction, and partner with Product, AI/ML, and Leadership stakeholders to deliver resilient, enterprise-grade systems. This is a hands-on leadership role—ideal for someone who combines deep technical expertise with systems thinking and people leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Strategy & Architecture

Define and own system architecture for scalable, secure, high-performance platforms.

Lead technical design reviews and align delivery teams with the long-term engineering vision.

Drive best practices in software design, coding standards, and system reliability.

Make "build vs. buy" decisions and evaluate emerging technologies.

Identify opportunities to leverage AI tooling within the software delivery lifecycle.

Engineering Leadership

Lead and mentor engineers across all levels (Senior, Mid-level, and Junior).

Provide technical direction across multiple squads or product teams.

Establish engineering standards, code review culture, and quality benchmarks.

Support hiring, onboarding, and performance development.

Delivery & Execution

Translate business requirements into technical execution plans.

Ensure high-quality projects are delivered on time and within scope.

Partner with Product Managers to shape roadmaps and perform technical feasibility assessments.

Manage technical risks, dependencies, and act as a technology custodian for client delivery.

Operational Excellence

Oversee system performance, monitoring, logging, and reliability.

Collaborate with DevSecOps to champion CI/CD, infrastructure automation, and security.

Optimize engineering velocity through tooling and process improvements.

Drive action-oriented outcomes in release management (favoring tangible results over theory).

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work with AI/ML engineers to integrate product features.

Shape interaction patterns between architectural layers with frontend and backend teams.

Communicate architectural decisions and trade-offs to stakeholders.

Experience & Qualifications

Required

Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

Experience: 8–12+ years in software engineering; 3–5+ years in a technical leadership or architect-level role.

AI/ML: Experience building AI-powered or ML-enabled applications.

Technical Stack: Strong expertise in backend systems (e.g., Python) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP).

Systems Design: Deep understanding of distributed systems, cloud-native architectures, databases (SQL & NoSQL), and APIs.

Quality: Proven track record leading code reviews and maintaining high engineering standards.

Preferred

Experience in enterprise or government-grade systems.

Familiarity with security, compliance, and privacy frameworks.

Prior experience in high-growth or startup environments.