Lead AI-First Software Engineer — Architect & Mentor

Direct Supply; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous benefits

Job summary

Direct Supply in Milwaukee seeks a Senior Software Engineer to lead AI-powered, scalable software initiatives. You will architect AI-enhanced systems, mentor engineers, and set technical direction across web, mobile, and server-based platforms.

You will work on innovative AI features, integrate models via APIs, and drive observability, security, and performance. This role requires 5+ years of software development with AI experience and a Bachelor’s in CS or related field.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software development, including 2+ years in AI-powered apps or AI-integrated solutions.
• Hands-on experience developing AI-driven applications with models/APIs (e.g., Hugging Face, OpenAI, Anthropic).
• Proficiency with Microsoft environments (VS, VS Code) and cloud services (AWS, Azure) for scalable AI apps.
• Strong understanding of AI model cost optimization, scaling, and performance tuning.
• Experience integrating LLMs, agentic workflows, and autonomous AI systems into production.
• Proven ability to mentor engineers and lead AI-first engineering transformations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor engineers in AI-first development practices.
• Architect and scale AI-enhanced systems for security, scalability, and high performance.
• Integrate AI capabilities like chatbots, image diagnostics, and content automation into products.
• Drive adoption of AI-powered tooling to improve developer efficiency.
• Implement observability and monitoring for AI applications and proactive issue resolution.
• Design AI-driven APIs and microservices for reliable model interactions.

Skills

AI integration

Innovation leadership

Change management

Mentoring engineers

NLP/CV/GenAI

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS or related

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Visual Studio/VS Code

AWS

Azure

Job description

Direct Supply in Milwaukee seeks a Senior Software Engineer to lead AI-powered, scalable software initiatives. You will architect AI-enhanced systems, mentor engineers, and set technical direction across web, mobile, and server-based platforms.

You will work on innovative AI features, integrate models via APIs, and drive observability, security, and performance. This role requires 5+ years of software development with AI experience and a Bachelor’s in CS or related field.