AI Platform Engineering Leader (AI Evangelist)

The Judge Group; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonus

Company equity package

Job summary

The Judge Group in Chicago, IL is seeking a Lead Greenfield GenAI Infrastructure leader to build an enterprise AI platform from the ground up, blending hands-on coding with strategic architecture. This high-visibility role requires 2+ years engineering management and 7+ years full-stack experience, plus production AI/ML expertise and GenAI/LMM know-how.

The position offers hybrid work, top-tier salary, performance bonus, and equity.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of engineering management experience.
• 7+ years of software engineering across front-end, back-end, and cloud.
• Production AI/ML systems in live environments.
• GenAI/LLM expertise and platform tooling.
• Hybrid work in Chicago with on-site alignment.

Responsibilities

• Own the AI Platform End-to-End roadmap and quality.
• Architect greenfield GenAI solutions with product teams.
• Build, hire and mentor an elite AI platform team.
• Stay hands-on in production code across APIs and infra.
• Enable internal teams to deploy features on the central platform.

Skills

Engineering mgmt

Full-stack dev

Cloud infrastructure

GenAI infrastructure

Production AI/ML

Team mentoring

Job description

To maintain strong team cohesion and operational continuity, candidates must be based in the Greater Chicago Area and commit to a hybrid schedule (2-3 days/week on-site). All applicants must possess unrestricted work authorization in the United States. Please ONLY apply if you meet these criteria.

Lead Greenfield GenAI Infrastructure

Imagine building the enterprise AI platform that powers the future of global financial technology. As the AI Platform Engineering Leader for our client, you won’t just manage a team—you will spearhead greenfield development on an enterprise-grade AI platform, converting complex product challenges into fluid, scalable GenAI solutions. If you are an engineering leader with deep hands-on full-stack proficiency, production AI/ML experience, and a passion for building high-performing platform teams from the ground up, your next high-impact career move starts here.

At-a-Glance Snapshot

• Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid / On-Site Alignment)
• Tech Focus: Enterprise GenAI/LLM Infrastructure, Full-Stack Architecture (APIs through Front-End), Production AI Systems, Cloud Native Infrastructure
• Compensation & Equity: Top-tier competitive salary + performance bonus + company equity package
• Culture: High-growth enterprise fintech innovation with greenfield autonomy and world-class engineering collaboration

Why Join Our Client?

Our client is building next-generation technology solutions that redefine how value moves across global financial systems. You will step into a highly visible leadership role tasked with shaping the foundational AI engine that powers smart enterprise features across the entire product suite.

• Greenfield Autonomy: Solve undefined problems and build enterprise AI platform infrastructure from scratch.
• Dual-Track Leadership: Combine team growth, hiring, and mentorship with direct contribution to architecture and production full-stack code.
• Enterprise GenAI at Scale: Move beyond sandbox concepts to deploy measurable, highly dependable production LLM and GenAI systems.

Your Impact (The "Power" Bullets)

In this critical platform leadership role, you will:

• Own the AI Platform End-to-End: Define, drive, and execute the roadmap for the enterprise AI platform, ensuring high dependability, operational scale, and measurable performance.
• Architect Greenfield Solutions: Partner directly with Product and Solution engineering teams to translate complex customer challenges into seamless platform capabilities.
• Build & Mentor a Top-Tier Team: Recruit, hire, and develop an elite team of AI platform engineers, cultivating a high-trust, high-autonomy engineering culture.
• Stay Hands-On in Production Code: Maintain active involvement in system architecture and contribute directly to full-stack production code across back-end APIs, cloud infrastructure, and front-end interfaces.
• Enable Enterprise Developer Teams: Empower internal product teams to build, deploy, and own their features seamlessly on top of the central AI platform.

What You Bring

We are seeking an established software engineering manager with a rare blend of full-stack development capability and deep GenAI infrastructure expertise.

• Engineering Management: 2+ years of experience managing, mentoring, and scaling software engineering teams.
• Full-Stack & Cloud Mastery: 7+ years of software engineering experience with strong command across front-end, back-end APIs, and scalable cloud infrastructure.
• Production AI/ML Systems: Proven track record operating AI systems in live, high-reliability production environments.
• GenAI & LLM Acumen: Deep, current expertise in modern Generative AI, Large Language Models (LLMs), and platform tooling.
• Problem-Solving Mindset: Comfort navigating ambiguous, undefined technical domains and turning them into clear engineering roadmaps.

Ready to Shape the Future of AI Platform Engineering?

If you are ready to build a world-class AI platform alongside an elite team, we want to hear from you!