Associate Director - Software

Firstsource-Solutions-1; Hyderabad; Hybrid; INR 3,500,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Firstsource-Solutions-1 is seeking an Associate Director for AI Delivery in Hyderabad, hybrid work model. The role bridges client relationships and AI/Cloud engineering delivery, leading end-to-end programs from ideation to production with hands-on governance and strategic vision.

The ideal candidate has 15+ years in software/AI engineering, 6+ years in leadership, and strong cloud architecture experience across Azure/AWS/GCP, plus proven ability to operate at the C-suite level while guiding

Qualifications

• 15+ years in software / AI engineering; 6+ years at senior leadership or Associate Director level.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• Demonstrated track record of building and shipping end-to-end applications across the full SDLC.
• Full lifecycle ownership: ideation → architecture → engineering → production → optimisation.
• Proven cloud architecture and deployment across at least one hyperscaler.
• Demonstrable track record of winning and delivering large-scale client engagements.
• Strong commercial acumen: P&L ownership, proposal writing, SOW and contract management.

Responsibilities

• Solution Architecture & Solutioning: Translate ambiguous client needs into structured, costed, and deliverable technical roadmaps; Architect end-to-end solutions from ideation to production; Drive cloud-native design on Azure, AWS, GCP or hybrid platforms; Define reference architectures embedding Generative AI, LLMs, and agentic workflows.
• Engineering Leadership & Delivery: Lead multi-disciplinary teams of 10–20 engineers, leads, and architects; Establish and enforce delivery governance; Champion CI/CD, DevSecOps, and MLOps; Own program P&L and resource planning; Drive adoption of AI coding agents to accelerate delivery.
• Generative AI & Intelligent Automation: Embed Generative AI capabilities into enterprise products; Design and deploy AI agent workflows; Evaluate emerging agentic frameworks to accelerate delivery; Champion responsible AI practices including governance and model observability.
• People & Stakeholder Management: Build, mentor, and grow high-performance teams; Manage complex stakeholder matrix; Influence across units and geographies; Foster a culture of innovation and accountability.

Skills

Python

Generative AI

Leadership

Cloud architecture

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Azure

AWS

GCP

Job description

Associate Director - Software

Location:

Hyderabad, IN

Requisition ID: 24270

Description:

Job Description – Associate Director, AI Delivery

Job Title

Associate Director – AI

Department

Technology / Client Solutions

Location

Hybrid (Flexible)

Employment Type

Full-Time, Permanent

Experience Required

15+ Years (6+ in Leadership / AD Level)

Key Focus

Solutioning & Delivery

Job Summary

We are seeking a commercially astute and technically exceptional Associate Director to bridge client relationships and world-class AI & Cloud engineering delivery. You will be the primary interface between strategic clients and our engineering teams – winning new mandates, co-designing solutions, and owning end-to-end delivery from ideation to production. With 15+ years of experience, you bring deep Python and Generative AI expertise, proven cloud architecture skills, and the gravitas to influence at the C-suite level while staying hands-on with modern agentic development tooling.

Key Responsibilities

Solution Architecture & Solutioning

• Translate ambiguous client needs into structured, costed, and deliverable technical roadmaps.
• Architect end-to-end solutions: from ideation and PoC through to scalable production systems.
• Drive cloud-native design on Azure, AWS, GCP or hybrid platforms.
• Define reference architectures embedding Generative AI, LLMs, and agentic workflows.

Engineering Leadership & Delivery

• Lead multi-disciplinary teams of 10–20 engineers, leads, and architects across geographies.
• Establish and enforce delivery governance: agile rituals, quality gates, and risk management.
• Champion CI/CD, DevSecOps, and MLOps practices across all client programmes.
• Own program P&L, resource planning, and executive-level status reporting.
• Drive adoption of AI coding agents (GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, Amazon Q) to accelerate delivery.

Generative AI & Intelligent Automation

• Embed Generative AI capabilities (LLMs, RAG pipelines, multi-agent systems) into enterprise products.
• Design and deploy AI agent workflows using tools such as GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, and similar platforms.
• Evaluate and adopt emerging agentic frameworks (LangChain, Agent Core, CrewAI, etc.) to accelerate delivery.
• Champion responsible AI practices including governance, safety, and model observability.

People & Stakeholder Management

• Build, mentor, and grow a high-performance team of engineers and technical managers.
• Manage a complex stakeholder matrix: internal leadership, client sponsors, and delivery partners.
• Influence without authority across business units and geographies.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous learning.

Qualifications & Experience

• 15+ years in software / AI engineering; 6+ years at senior leadership or Associate Director level.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• Demonstrated track record of building and shipping end-to-end applications across the full SDLC.
• Full lifecycle ownership: ideation → architecture → engineering → production → optimisation.
• Proven cloud architecture and deployment across at least one hyperscaler.
• Demonstrable track record of winning and delivering large-scale client engagements.
• Strong commercial acumen: P&L ownership, proposal writing, SOW and contract management.