Senior Technical AI Lead

Laya healthcare; Cork; On-site; EUR 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Laya Healthcare in Cork is seeking a Senior Technical AI Lead to drive enterprise AI strategy and delivery. You will lead AI initiatives, mentor developers and partner with the AI Architect to shape governance and scalable AI platforms.

This role requires a strong software engineering background and hands-on experience in Python, Azure, Kubernetes and MLOps. You’ll influence architecture, collaborate with leadership, and guide AI adoption across the business.

Qualifications

• Strong software engineering background with progression into AI/ML.
• 5+ years delivering AI solutions into production environments.
• Advanced Python development expertise.
• Deep understanding of LLMs, NLP, ML and Generative AI.
• Experience building and deploying agentic AI systems.
• Strong Azure cloud experience and cloud-native architecture.
• Hands-on experience with Kubernetes and Docker.
• Experience implementing MLOps, monitoring and observability.
• Strong API and backend engineering experience.
• Ability to lead technical discussions and influence stakeholders.
• Mentorship and code-review experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership across AI initiatives and product teams.
• Mentor AI Developers through solution design and delivery.
• Partner with AI Architect on enterprise AI solutions.
• Lead technical reviews and maintain engineering standards.
• Drive MLOps, lifecycle management and AI delivery.
• Design and oversee AI agents and LLM-powered systems.
• Support AI solutions from PoC to production.
• Influence architectural decisions and technology direction.
• Collaborate with cloud, infra, testing and governance teams.
• Define monitoring, observability and performance standards for AI platforms.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and opportunities for adoption.
• Ensure solutions align with business objectives and governance.

Skills

Software engineering

AI/ML

Python

LLMs/NLP

Azure

Kubernetes

Docker

MLOps

API design

Leadership

Education

Advanced degree (preferred)

Tools

Azure AI Foundry

Job description

Senior Technical AI Lead – Cork

Senior Technical AI Lead

Location: Cork - 2 days onsite

Department: AI & Automation Hub

Industry: Healthcare & Insurance Technology

Lead the Next Generation of Enterprise AI

Laya Healthcare is expanding its AI Hub and is seeking a Senior Technical AI Lead to help shape the future of AI across the organisation.

This role suits a highly technical AI professional who has evolved from a strong software engineering background into AI and Machine Learning. You'll act as the technical leader within the AI development team, partnering closely with the AI Architect to drive technical excellence, governance, innovation and delivery.

You'll be the go-to expert for complex AI challenges while helping define how AI engineering is adopted and scaled across the business.

The Opportunity

You'll play a key role in developing AI-powered products and core AI platform capabilities including:

• Agentic AI solutions
• Large Language Models (LLMs)
• AI-powered claims solutions
• AI platform services and reusable components
• Machine Learning and decisioning frameworks
• Enterprise AI governance and deployment standards

This is a highly influential position where you'll help shape ways of working, establish best practices and guide AI engineering teams as new technologies emerge.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership across AI initiatives and product teams
• Support and mentor AI Developers through solution design and delivery
• Partner closely with the AI Architect on enterprise AI solutions
• Lead technical reviews and maintain high engineering standards
• Drive best practices in MLOps, model lifecycle management and AI delivery
• Design and oversee AI agents, MCPs and LLM-powered systems
• Support teams in taking AI solutions from proof-of-concept through to production
• Influence architectural decisions and technology direction
• Collaborate with cloud, infrastructure, testing and governance teams
• Define monitoring, observability and performance standards for AI platforms
• Evaluate emerging technologies and identify opportunities for adoption
• Ensure solutions align with business objectives, risk requirements and governance standards

What We're Looking For

• Strong software engineering background with progression into AI/ML
• 5+ years' experience delivering AI solutions into production environments
• Advanced Python development expertise
• Deep understanding of LLMs, NLP, Machine Learning and Generative AI
• Experience building and deploying agentic AI systems
• Strong Azure cloud experience
• Hands-on experience with Kubernetes, Docker and cloud-native architecture
• Experience implementing MLOps, monitoring and observability frameworks
• Strong API and backend engineering experience
• Ability to lead technical discussions and influence stakeholders
• Experience providing technical guidance, mentorship and code reviews

Highly Desirable

• Azure AI Foundry expertise
• Experience working in Financial Services, Insurance or regulated environments
• Understanding of AI governance, risk and compliance frameworks
• Exposure to Copilot, Claude Code and AI-assisted software engineering approaches
• Experience leading innovation and adoption of emerging technologies

Why This Role?

• Be a key technical leader in a growing AI function
• Influence enterprise-wide AI strategy and delivery
• Work with cutting-edge GenAI and Agentic AI technologies
• Collaborate directly with Architects and senior leadership
• Opportunity to build and scale AI engineering capabilities from the ground up
• Highly visible role with significant business impact