Senior Manager, AI Engineer Intelligence Layer

DataJobs; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 190,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare plans

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off with holidays & sick

Job summary

Alvarez & Marsal is hiring a Senior AI Engineer to build the Intelligence Layer, a knowledge-graph-based platform. You will integrate LLMs, design agentic pipelines, and ensure secure access with governance and observability. The role is onsite in Chicago, IL with a salary range of USD 190,000–210,000 per year.

You’ll work on ingestion, graph modeling, retrieval services, and APIs, collaborating with Leads, Architects, and delivery partners to implement scalable, production-grade systems.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering experience with production apps or data platforms.
• Hands-on knowledge graphs, graph data modeling, and graph query languages.
• Experience with APIs, Python development, and modern frontend frameworks.
• Practical experience with Claude, ChatGPT, or similar LLM platforms.
• Familiarity with MCP, tool orchestration, and governance requirements.

Responsibilities

• Build the Intelligence Layer components: ingestion pipelines, knowledge graphs, retrieval services and APIs.
• Develop agentic pipelines with orchestration, tool routing and state management.
• Ensure secure access, governance, client confidentiality and reliability.
• Collaborate with Leads, Architects and vendors; deliver technical documentation.
• Integrate enterprise data sources and maintain source permissions and metadata.

Skills

5+ years of software engineering

Knowledge graphs

APIs

Python

React

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Tools

Neo4j

Cypher

Claude

ChatGPT

MCP

OAuth 2.0

OpenID Connect

Microsoft Entra ID

Microsoft Azure

React

APIs

Job description

Alvarez & Marsal is hiring a Senior AI Engineer to build and scale the Intelligence Layer, an A&M knowledge-graph-based platform that securely makes structured and unstructured knowledge available through search experiences. This role combines platform engineering with AI integration and agentic workflow development, with a focus on secure access, governance, and production reliability.

Location: Chicago, IL (onsite) | Salary: USD 190,000 - 210,000 per year

What you’ll build

• Components of the Intelligence Layer, including ingestion pipelines, knowledge graph models, retrieval services, APIs, and user-facing capabilities.
• Graph schemas and queries using Neo4j and Cypher (or comparable graph technologies).
• Integrations that connect enterprise structured data and unstructured content, while preserving source permissions, metadata, and governance requirements.
• LLM integrations, including applying the Model Context Protocol (MCP) so Intelligence Layer capabilities are available to approved AI tools.
• Production-grade agentic pipelines with multi-step orchestration, tool routing, MCP-based tool use, retrieval, state management, evaluation, guardrails, observability, and human-in-the-loop controls.
• Secure, maintainable software that supports client confidentiality, access control, reliability, and observability.

How the work is delivered

• Partner with the Lead and Architect and delivery partners on implementation, testing, debugging, code review, and technical documentation.
• Communicate risks and blockers early and help the team make practical technical decisions as priorities evolve.

What you bring

• 5+ years of software engineering experience building production applications or data platforms.
• Hands-on experience with knowledge graphs, graph data modeling, and graph query languages, ideally Neo4j and Cypher.
• Full-stack development experience with strong Python and back-end skills, plus working experience with a modern front-end framework (React is listed).
• Experience designing, building, and consuming APIs and integrating multiple structured and unstructured data sources.
• Practical experience with Claude, ChatGPT, or comparable large language model platforms.
• Hands-on experience building production agentic pipelines or workflows, including orchestration, tool use, retrieval, state management, evaluation, guardrails, observability, or human oversight.
• Working knowledge of Model Context Protocol, including how MCP servers expose tools and data to AI clients.
• Experience working directly with third-party delivery vendors on implementation, technical review, issue resolution, and delivery coordination.
• Strong problem-solving, communication, and documentation skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).

Technologies you’ll use

• Neo4j, Cypher, Python
• Large language model platforms, Claude, ChatGPT
• Model Context Protocol (MCP)
• OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Azure
• React, APIs, agentic pipelines

Benefits

• Healthcare plans, flexible spending and savings accounts, life, AD&D, and disability coverages for regular employees working 30+ hours per week.
• 401(k) retirement savings plan, including an annual discretionary contribution when eligibility requirements are met.
• Paid time off including vacation, personal days, seventy-two (72) hours of sick time (prorated for part-time employees), ten federal holidays, one floating holiday, and parental leave.

First-year outcomes

• Support delivery of the initial production iteration of the Intelligence Layer knowledge graphs.
• Deliver reusable agentic pipeline components supporting secure, governed workflows across business units and use cases.
• Enable global search and business unit specific search across approved structured and unstructured data sources.
• Ship tested ingestion, graph, retrieval, API, and user-interface components internal teams can operate and extend.
• Establish reusable engineering patterns and documentation to expand to additional business units and data sources.

Preferred qualifications

• Hands-on experience building MCP servers, agent tools, or custom AI integrations.
• Experience with Microsoft Azure services for application hosting, data, search, identity, or AI.
• Experience implementing enterprise authentication and authorization using Microsoft Entra ID, OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, token scoping, or on-behalf-of flows.