Lead Engineer - Machine Learning

Prodigal; Bengaluru, Mumbai; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 6,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Continuous education

Food at the office

Generous leave policy

Job summary

Prodigal, Bengaluru-based AI startup building Agentic AI for loan servicing, is hiring a Lead Engineer for the ML team to own PIE and the intelligence systems powering our applications.

This hands-on role focuses on designing intelligent systems, deploying ML models at scale, mentoring juniors, and driving the ML roadmap with the CTO.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in software development focusing on ML and data science.
• Proven track record delivering ML products in fast-paced, agile environments.
• Deep understanding of ML algorithms; hands-on in deploying models at scale.
• Bias for action; ships features rather than over-engineering.
• Strong communication and leadership; mentor junior engineers.
• AI first mindset and experience with consumer finance applications.
• World-class team exposure and eagerness to learn from others.
• Continuous education and upskilling opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Partner with CTO to lead long-term ML vision and roadmap.
• Design and develop ML products and services leveraging AI (LLMs, Agentic AI, NLP).
• Architect and implement data pipelines for ML model training and deployment.
• Create an effective feature roadmap and gather requirements.
• Stay updated on ML research and identify opportunities for innovation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality solutions on time.

Skills

Software dev

Machine learning

Leadership

Communication

Mentoring

Cross-functional teamwork

Product roadmap

Job description

At Prodigal, we are building AI Agents for loan servicing and collections. Founded in 2018 by IITB alumni, our journey began when our founders Shantanu and Sangram faced the antiquated the $13B+ lending/collections industry was mostly using pen and paper and decided to build the first real intelligence layer for debt recovery.

Today, we stand at the forefront of a seismic shift in the industry, building Agentic AI applications for loan servicing and collections. Powered by our cutting‑edge platform, Prodigal’s Intelligence Engine (PIE), we’re creating the next‑generation agentic workforce - one that empowers companies to achieve unprecedented levels of operational excellence and intelligence.

With over 100+ enterprise customers across North America and backing from Y Combinator, Accel and Menlo Ventures, we are the fastest growing AI company in consumer finance.

We're hiring a Lead Engineer for the ML team to work on primarily work onPIE and work on the intelligence systems that power our ecosystem of applications that we are building. You will work alongside a small, high‑agency team where you will have real ownership over features and components from day one.

This is a hands‑on engineering role. You'll be deep in the code - design intelligent systems, building model, fine tuning & integrating LLMs, speech models, tuning prompts, and debugging gnarly real‑time issues. You don't need to have done all of this before, but you need to be the kind of engineer who figures things out fast, takes feedback well, and ships.

Responsibilities:

• Partner with the CTO to lead long‑term technical vision and roadmap for Machine Learning
• Design and develop Machine learning products and services leveraging AI (LLMs, Agentic AI, classical ML, the modern NLP stack, etc)
• Architect and implement data pipelines for ML model training. Lead scalable software systems development to deploy ML models into production systems, ensuring high performance and reliability.
• Suggest, collect, and synthesize requirements andcreate an effective feature roadmap
• Stay updated on ML research and the ever‑changing AI landscape, identifying opportunities for innovation.
• Effectively collaborate with cross‑functional teams to deliver high‑quality solutions on time. Guide team members in contributing to ML design discussions for new projects.

Requirements:

• Extensive experience, 6+ years in software development, with a focus on machine learning and data science in a product company.
• Proven track record of delivering high‑quality ML products in a fast‑paced, agile environment.
• Deep understanding of machine learning algorithms with hands‑on experience in developing and deploying machine learning models at scale.
• High bias for action - you don't wait to be told exactly what to do, and you push yourself to ship rather than over‑engineer.
• Strong communication and leadership skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with cross‑functional teams and mentor junior engineers.
• AI first – We proud ourselves in building an ecosystem of AI applications for consumer finance, shape the AI roadmap of Prodigal with groundbreaking projects that redefine consumer finance intelligence.
• World‑class team - You'll get the chance to learn from (and teach) some of the brightest and most skilled people you'll ever meet. Our team members have been part of Palantir, Tower Resarch, PhonePe, Salesforce, Meta, Amazon,Blackstone, BCG, Deloitte, EY, and are IIT, IIM, BITS alumnus.
• Continuous education- As relentless seekers of knowledge, we sponsor and support any training materials, books, courses, and exam fees for upskilling yourself in areas related to your role - but that's not where it ends. If you make a good case for some extra learning, we're delighted to foot the tab.
• Food at the office - Meals are on us. We won't let your stomach grumble while you hustle.
• Health insurance - Health always comes first. The health of your family is as important to us as it is to you. We offer insurance coverage for both you and your family.
• Generous leave policy- Take all the time you need to recharge your batteries - no cap on vacation here. Because a rested, relaxed, and refreshed mind is a happy and effective mind.
• Recreation & team activities – We regularly indulge in friendly football, table tennis, cooking sessions, and challenge each other to do those extra push-ups or chug that 4th drink (of course, that’s Nimbu Pani).

Meet Sangram - (Cofounder and CTO) and hear his vision for Prodigal below (01:38)

From day 1, Prodigal has been defined by talented, humble, and hungry leaders and we want this mindset and culture to continue to blossom from top to bottom in the company. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to work in a fast‑paced, intellectually‑stimulating environment where you will be pushed to grow, then please reach out because we are looking to build a transformational company that reinvents one of the biggest industries in the US.

To learn more about us - please visit the following: