Lead Engineer

Brooksource; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading digital solutions firm in Houston is seeking a Lead AI Engineer to guide a team focused on developing agentic AI systems and LLM-powered applications. The ideal candidate has over 5 years of software engineering experience, particularly in AI/ML, and has built and deployed AI agents. Responsibilities include directing technical initiatives, mentoring team members, and collaborating with stakeholders to ensure alignment with business goals. This role combines hands-on development with team leadership in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in software engineering, with recent focus on AI/ML or GenAI.
• Hands-on experience building and deploying AI agents.
• 1–2+ years of team leadership or mentorship experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of agentic AI systems.
• Architect and deliver LLM-powered applications.
• Guide team decisions on agent reliability and trust.

Skills

AI/ML experience

Building and deploying AI agents

Strong Python skills

Software engineering fundamentals

Experience with LLMs

Tools

LangGraph

Databricks

Snowflake

Microsoft Fabric

Job description

Our client’s Digital Solutions team is rapidly scaling its AI capabilities, with a strong focus on agentic AI systems, enterprise GenAI, and workflow automation. They are seeking a Lead AI Engineer to anchor a new team of 5–6 engineers, driving both technical direction and light people leadership.

This role is ideal for someone who has personally built and deployed AI agents, understands why those agents can be trusted, and can guide others in building high-quality, production‑ready systems.

What You’ll Do

• Lead the design and development of agentic AI systems (planning, tool use, memory, evaluation)
• Architect and deliver LLM-powered applications, including RAG and multi-agent workflows
• Guide team decisions on agent reliability, evaluation frameworks, and trust
• Oversee implementation of:
• Guardrails and safety mechanisms
• Observability and performance monitoring
• Collaborate with Data Engineering on Databricks, Snowflake, or Microsoft Fabric
• Contribute hands-on to development while mentoring a team of AI Engineers
• Partner with stakeholders to ensure solutions align with business goals and enterprise constraints

Required Experience

• 5+ years in software engineering, with recent focus on AI/ML or GenAI
• Hands‑on experience building and deploying AI agents
• Ability to clearly articulate:
• "Why this agent works"
• "Why this agent can be trusted"
• Experience with:
• LangGraph (or similar orchestration frameworks)
• Agent registries (e.g., LangSmith, Agent 365)
• Strong Python and software engineering fundamentals
• Experience with LLMs, RAG pipelines, and evaluation frameworks
• Exposure to data platforms (Databricks, Snowflake, or Fabric)

Leadership Requirements

• 1–2+ years of team leadership or mentorship
• Ability to guide architecture while staying hands‑on
• Comfortable participating in collaborative, peer‑driven interviews and onboarding

Eight Eleven Group provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, citizenship, disability, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, amnesty or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.