Lead Engineer, Platform Engineering - AI

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE); Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 133,900 - 154,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

401(k) plan

Life insurance

Paid leave

Job summary

A leading global market company is seeking an AI Platform Engineering Lead in Chicago, Illinois. The role involves guiding AI Platform Operations, defining platform strategy, and ensuring effective stakeholder engagement. The ideal candidate has substantial experience in IT infrastructure and leadership, coupled with knowledge of AI/ML solutions. A competitive salary is offered, along with extensive employee benefits including healthcare and a 401(k) plan.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in IT infrastructure or platform engineering roles.
• 3+ years in technical leadership or management positions.
• 1+ years hands-on experience with Kubernetes in production.
• Experience managing teams of 5+ technical staff.
• Strong executive communication and presentation skills.
• Fluent in English.

Responsibilities

• Define platform strategy, roadmap, and capability evolution.
• Manage team budget and vendor relationships.
• Build and lead the AI Platform Operations team.
• Drive continuous improvement and platform maturity initiatives.

Skills

IT infrastructure management

Technical leadership

Kubernetes

Workflow automation tools

Vendor management

Executive communication

AI/ML infrastructure

Project Management

Customer focus

Effective communication

Job description

Overview

We are on a mission as a team. We are problem solvers and partners, always starting with our customers to solve their challenges and create opportunities. Our start-up roots keep us nimble, flexible, and moving fast. We take ownership and make decisions. We all work for one company and work together to drive growth across the business. We engage in robust debates to find the best path, and then we move forward as one team. We take pride in what we do, acting with integrity and passion, so that our customers can perform better. We are experts and enthusiasts - combining ever-expanding knowledge with leading technology to consistently deliver results, solutions and opportunities for our customers and stakeholders. Every day we work toward transforming global markets.

The AI Platform Engineering Lead drives the AI Platform Operations team, guiding platform strategy, governance, and stakeholder engagement. They align technical execution with business goals, ensuring cost-effective, secure, and scalable AI/ML solutions. The lead also oversees integration and optimization of AI workflow automation tools within a containerized architecture, establishes deployment best practices, and collaborates across teams to set security standards, manage resources, and maintain compliance.

Responsibilities

• Define platform strategy, roadmap, and capability evolution
• Establish governance frameworks, policies, and exception processes
• Manage team budget, CapEx planning, and vendor relationships
• Build and lead the AI Platform Operations team
• Serve as executive liaison for platform matters
• Own major incident management and executive communication
• Drive continuous improvement and platform maturity initiatives
• Align platform capabilities with enterprise architecture standards
• Respond to and assist in production operations in a 24/7 environment
• Provide technical analysis, resolve problems, and propose solutions
• Provide support to, and coordinate with, developers, operations staff, release engineers, and end-users
• Educate and mentor team members and operations staff

Knowledge and Experience

• 8+ years in IT infrastructure or platform engineering roles
• 3+ years in technical leadership or management positions
• 1+ years hands‑on experience with Kubernetes in production
• 1+ years working with workflow/orchestrion automation tools
• Experience managing teams of 5+ technical staff
• Demonstrated success in vendor management and contract negotiation
• Strong executive communication and presentation skills
• Understanding of AI/ML workloads and infrastructure requirements
• Experience with enterprise monitoring and observability tools
• Ability to work in a service‑oriented team environment
• Project Management, organization, and time management
• Customer focused, and dedicated to the best possible user experience
• Communicate effectively with both technical and business resources
• Fluent speaking, reading, and writing in English

Illinois Base Salary Range

The expected base salary for this role, if located in Illinois, is between $133,900 - 154,500 USD. The base salary range does not include Intercontinental Exchange’s incentive compensation. While we provide this range as general guidance, at ICE we compensate employees based on the skillset and experience of the individual. Regular full‑time ICE employees are eligible for a suite of competitive employee benefits, including healthcare coverage (medical, dental and vision), a 401(k) plan, life insurance, time off, and paid leave for qualifying circumstances.

New York Base Salary Range

The expected base salary for this role, if located in New York, is between $149,400 - 180,000 USD. The base salary range does not include Intercontinental Exchange’s incentive compensation. While we provide this range as general guidance, at ICE we compensate employees based on the skillset and experience of the individual. Regular full‑time ICE employees are eligible for a suite of competitive employee benefits, including healthcare coverage (medical, dental and vision), a 401(k) plan, life insurance, time off, and paid leave for qualifying circumstances.

California Base Salary Range

The expected base salary for this role, if located in California, is between $149,400 - 180,000 USD. The base salary range does not include Intercontinental Exchange’s incentive compensation. While we provide this range as general guidance, at ICE we compensate employees based on the skillset and experience of the individual. Regular full‑time ICE employees are eligible for a suite of competitive employee benefits, including healthcare coverage (medical, dental and vision), a 401(k) plan, life insurance, time off, and paid leave for qualifying circumstances.

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics.