Senior AI-ML Platform Engineer / Tech Lead

Merck Group; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 7,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Merck Group in Bengaluru seeks a Senior AI/ML Platform Engineer / Technical Lead to shape the AI/ML platform powering intelligent capabilities across the organization. You will lead a team, set objectives, and ensure the quality and timeliness of outputs, coordinating with Cloud, Cybersecurity, and Governance teams.

The role requires 8+ years in software or platform engineering with LLM ops experience and hands-on with LLM gateways, cloud providers and IaC tooling.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in software or platform engineering with 2+ years in LLM ops in production.
• Hands-on with LLM API gateway tech and multi-provider cloud AI such as Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Foundry and AWS Bedrock.
• Cloud-native experience on AWS/Azure: ECS Fargate, secret management, databases, networking, load balancing.
• Backend development in Python with async frameworks; Rust is a plus.
• IaC and CI/CD: Docker, Azure DevOps, Terraform or CloudFormation.
• Observability tooling: CloudWatch, Prometheus, Grafana, and LLM evaluation tooling.
• IAM methods: Entra ID, JWT, OIDC, SSO, API keys.
• Able to lead engineers, set priorities, and govern platform quality.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of engineers, set objectives and ensure quality and timely delivery.
• Serve as a technical liaison across Cloud, Cybersecurity, Governance and adjacent teams.
• Filter inputs from diverse sources to solve complex platform challenges.
• Define team responsibilities, engineering standards and governance practices.

Skills

LLMOps

LLM API gateway

Cloud platforms

Python backend

Rust

CI/CD tooling

Terraform

CloudFormation

ECS Fargate

CloudWatch

IAM

Leadership

Tools

Docker

Azure DevOps

Terraform

CloudFormation

ECS Fargate

Job description

Work Your Magic with us! Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you've got big plans - so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people's lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

Senior AI/ML Platform Engineer / Technical Lead (all genders)

As a Senior AI/ML Platform Engineer and Technical Lead, you will be at the heart of building and evolving the AI/ML platform that powers intelligent capabilities across the organisation. In this role, you will lead a team of professional engineers - setting clear objectives, supporting their development, and being accountable for the quality, accuracy, and timeliness of the team's output. You will solve complex, operationally important engineering challenges by filtering and prioritising inputs from a wide range of internal and external sources, drawing on an in-depth understanding of how platform sub-functions work together. Acting as a key technical liaison across Cloud, Cybersecurity, Governance, and adjacent engineering teams, you will ensure the platform remains aligned with enterprise standards and emerging best practices. Your decisions will be guided by resource availability and organisational objectives, and you will contribute to defining team responsibilities, engineering standards, and platform governance practices that raise the quality bar across closely related teams.

Who You Are

• 8 or more years of relevant industry experience in software or platform engineering, including at least 2 years working with large language model operations (LLMOps) in a production environment.
• Hands‑on experience with LLM/API gateway technologies such as LiteLLM or comparable solutions, and with multi‑provider integration across major cloud AI platforms including Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Foundry, and AWS Bedrock.
• Practical experience with cloud‑native technologies on AWS and/or Azure, including container orchestration (such as ECS Fargate), secrets management, relational and non‑relational databases, networking, and load balancing.
• Proficiency in developing production‑grade backend services using Python and asynchronous programming frameworks; experience with Rust is a plus.
• Experience with infrastructure‑as‑code and CI/CD tooling, including containerisation with Docker, pipeline automation with Azure DevOps, and cloud provisioning frameworks such as Terraform or CloudFormation.
• Familiarity with observability and monitoring tools used in AI/ML environments, such as CloudWatch, Prometheus, Grafana, or LLM‑specific evaluation tooling.
• Experience with identity and access management technologies, including Entra ID, JWT, OIDC, SSO, API keys, and related IAM methods.
• Demonstrated ability to lead professional engineers, set team priorities, and drive platform quality - balancing hands‑on technical depth with team accountability and a focus on scalable, well‑governed engineering.

What we offer:

We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We believe that this variety drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!