AI Technical Lead

Blue Cross of Idaho; Meridian (ID); Hybrid; USD 119,000 - 178,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangement

Competitive benefits package

Job summary

Blue Cross of Idaho is seeking an AI Technical Lead to design and deliver scalable AI systems across the organization, combining hands-on engineering with architectural leadership to productionize ML and generative AI platforms.

In this hybrid role, you will guide cross-functional teams, set engineering standards, and ensure reliable, secure AI solutions that align with the company’s AI strategy and innovation goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelors or international equivalency in CS/EE/IS or related field or 2 years equivalent experience.
• Associate degree + 2 years experience option.
• 6+ years in software engineering or ML/AI roles.
• Experience designing and deploying ML or generative AI systems.
• Strong Python and modern backend tech.
• Experience with distributed systems and cloud-native architectures.
• Preference for LLM and retrieval-based AI experience.
• Experience with cloud platforms and DevOps practices.
• Mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives.
• Experience with large-scale data pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to AI engineers and establish standards.
• Architect end-to-end AI systems including data pipelines and model training.
• Develop and deploy ML and generative AI solutions for enterprise use cases.
• Design cloud-native infrastructure and automated deployment pipelines.
• Collaborate with product, data engineering, and security/compliance teams.
• Promote responsible AI practices and governance.

Skills

Python

Distributed systems

Cloud-native

DevOps practices

Mentoring engineers

Data pipelines

LLM applications

Retrieval-based AI

Technical leadership

Architectural design

Education

Bachelor or International Equivalency degree in CS, ECE, IS or related field

Associate Degree in CS/EE/IS + 2 years experience

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

Airflow

CI/CD tooling

Job description

Our AI Technical Lead is responsible for designing and delivering scalable AI systems that enable intelligent applications across the organization. This role combines hands‑on engineering, system architecture, and technical leadership to build production‑grade machine learning and generative AI platforms. The Lead works closely with product, data engineering, and infrastructure teams to bring AI capabilities from experimentation into reliable production systems while supporting the organization’s broader AI strategy and innovation initiatives.Location: this position has preference to based in hybrid work location (onsite and WFH). There may be opportunity for fully remote within a mutually acceptable location. #LI-HybridSuccess

Looks Like

• AI systems move efficiently from experimentation and pilot phases into reliable production environments.
• Engineering teams operate within clear architectural standards and scalable development practices.
• AI capabilities deliver measurable business impact.
• The organization is able to rapidly develop, test, and scale new AI-driven solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership Provide technical leadership and mentorship to a team of AI engineers. Establish engineering standards, coding practices, and architectural guidelines for AI system development. Lead design reviews, guide technical decision making, and resolve complex engineering challenges. Serve as a technical escalation point for AI system architecture and implementation.
• AI System Architecture Architect end-to-end AI systems including data pipelines, model training workflows, AI service layers, and scalable AI application infrastructure. Design and implement AI-powered applications including large language model (LLM) systems and retrieval-based knowledge applications. Define architecture patterns that support experimentation, rapid prototyping, and production deployment of AI capabilities. Develop service-based architectures that enable AI functionality to be integrated across enterprise applications.
• AI Engineering & Development Develop and deploy machine learning and generative AI solutions that support enterprise use cases. Build reusable AI services and platform components that enable teams to rapidly develop and scale AI capabilities. Implement evaluation, monitoring, and reliability systems to ensure consistent model performance. Optimize AI pipelines for performance, scalability, and operational efficiency.
• Cloud & MLOps Design cloud-native infrastructure supporting AI and machine learning workloads. Implement containerized AI services and automated deployment pipelines. Support the development of scalable AI platforms that enable experimentation, model deployment, and operational monitoring. Ensure AI systems follow best practices for reliability, observability, and cost management.
• Collaboration & Delivery Work closely with product managers, data engineers, and business stakeholders to identify and deliver high-value AI use cases. Translate business requirements into scalable AI architecture and engineering solutions. Partner with cross-functional teams to move AI solutions from pilots and experimentation into production environments. Support initiatives that enable the organization to scale AI capabilities across multiple business domains.
• Responsible AI & Governance Promote responsible AI practices including transparency, fairness, and privacy considerations. Implement safeguards and monitoring systems for AI applications operating in production. Collaborate with security and compliance teams to ensure AI systems meet regulatory and organizational standards.

Required Education (must meet one of the following)

• Bachelor or International Equivalency degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Information Systems, or closely related field of study; or equivalent work experience (Two years' relevant work experience is equivalent to one-year college).
• Associate Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Information Systems, or closely related field of study + 2 years additional experience.

Required Experience

• 6/ + years of experience in software engineering, machine learning engineering, and/or related AI/ML technical roles.
• Experience designing and deploying machine learning or generative AI systems.
• Strong programming experience in Python and modern backend technologies.
• Experience building distributed systems or cloud-native architectures.
• Experience implementing machine learning workflows or model deployment pipelines.
• Preference for additional experience in: Developing large language model (LLM) applications.
• Experience with retrieval-based AI systems or knowledge-driven applications.
• Working with cloud platforms and modern DevOps practices.
• Mentoring engineers, leading technical initiatives, and/or serving as a technical lead.
• Working with large-scale data pipelines.

Compensation

As of the date of this posting, a good faith estimate of the current pay range is $118,506 - $177,758. The position is eligible for an annual incentive bonus (variable depending on company and employee performance). The pay range for this position takes into account a wide range of factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, and so forth. At Blue Cross of Idaho, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top range for the position. Compensation decisions are dependent on factors and circumstances at the time of offer.

Benefits

We offer a robust package of benefits including paid time off, paid holidays, community service and self-care days, medical/dental/vision/pharmacy insurance, 401(k) matching and non-contributory plan, life insurance, short and long term disability, education reimbursement, employee assistance plan (EAP), adoption assistance program and paid family leave program. We will adhere to all relevant state and local laws concerning employee leave benefits, in line with our plans and policies.

Reasonable accommodations

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.