Technical Lead, Central AI Lab

Vesta Software Group; United States; Remote; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Vesta Software Group seeks a Technical Lead for its Central AI Lab to build and ship production-grade AI capabilities and reusable starter kits. You will lead by example as a hands-on engineer, setting the engineering bar and delivering pilots with strong DevOps, security, and clear handover discipline.

The role targets measurable delivery in 90-day cycles across BUs, with occasional travel for BU workshops and portfolio events. Deep expertise in SDLC, backend and AI/LLM integration is required.

Qualifications

• 7+ years building and operating production software systems.
• Strong SDLC fundamentals: testing, code review, CI/CD, release management, incident thinking.
• Proven ability to design secure systems: authN/authZ, secrets management, audit/logging, least privilege.
• Strong backend engineering (APIs, data stores, async patterns) and comfort going full stack when needed.
• Cloud and DevOps competence (AWS and/or Azure; containers; infrastructure automation).
• Practical experience integrating AI/LLM capabilities into products or workflows.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end solution design and implementation for central pilots and reusable components.
• Lead technical discovery with BUs: constraints, data readiness, integration points, and security requirements.
• Support adoption of AI-DLC (AI driven Development Lifecycle) methodology across Portfolio BUs by leading by example and supporting change management efforts during transition.
• Build full-stack capabilities: APIs, integrations, data flows, UI surfaces where required, and LLM application layers (agents/RAG/workflows).
• Establish CI/CD patterns for AI-enabled systems (tests, security scanning, release gates, environment separation).
• Drive reliability: observability, cost controls, latency, fallbacks, and safe failure modes.
• Operationalize AI-DLC/AI-SDLC practices: spec-first delivery, eval harnesses, quality gates, and auditable artifacts.

Skills

Software engineering

SDLC fundamentals

Security design

Backend engineering

Cloud & DevOps

AI/LLM integration

Stakeholder communication

Tools

AWS

Azure

Containers

Infrastructure automation

Job description

Job Description:

Technical Lead, Central AI Lab

The Vesta Software Group acquires, manages, and builds software companies in a variety of vertical markets, enabling them to be clear leaders in their industries. Our companies provide mission-critical enterprise solutions for vertical industries across the entire industry value chain. The Vesta Software Group Limited is all about strengthening businesses within the markets in which we compete and enabling them to grow - whether through organic measures such as new initiatives and product development, day-to-day business, or through acquisitions.

Position

Build and ship production-grade AI capabilities that can be reused across Vesta Business Units (BUs). You will lead by example as a hands-on engineer, set the engineering bar, and turn pilots into repeatable starter kits with strong DevOps, security, and handover discipline.

This role is not "R&D" and not "just prototyping". The goal is measurable delivery in 90-day cycles, then reuse at scale.

Job Responsibilities

What you will deliver:

• Reusable "starter kits" aligned to the AI-First Strategy build plan (e.g., Maintenance automation kit, AI-SDLC kit, Commercial/Sales acceleration kit).

• Production-ready pilots with clear monitoring, evaluation, runbooks, and BU handover.

• Reference architectures and implementation patterns that work across heterogeneous BU stacks (Azure, AWS, on-prem, legacy products).

Technical leadership (hands-on):

• Own end-to-end solution design and implementation for central pilots and reusable components.

• Lead technical discovery with BUs: constraints, data readiness, integration points, and security requirements.

• Support adoption of AI-DLC (AI driven Development Lifecycle) methodology across Portfolio BUs by leading by example and supporting change management efforts during transition.

Engineering excellence and delivery:

• Build full-stack capabilities: APIs, integrations, data flows, UI surfaces where required, and LLM application layers (agents/RAG/workflows).

• Establish CI/CD patterns for AI-enabled systems (tests, security scanning, release gates, environment separation).

• Drive reliability: observability, cost controls, latency, fallbacks, and safe failure modes.

AI-SDLC and governance-by-design:

• Operationalize AI-DLC/AI-SDLC practices: spec-first delivery, eval harnesses, quality gates, and auditable artifacts.

• Ensure solutions can be safely operated by BUs with minimal central dependency (docs, runbooks, dashboards, training).

Mentorship and enablement:

• Coach junior engineers and partner engineers on modern SDLC, DevOps, and pragmatic AI delivery.

• Contribute to internal playbooks, templates, and show-and-tell case studies.

Job Qualifications

Must-have experience:

• 7+ years building and operating production software systems (SaaS, enterprise, or similar).

• Strong SDLC fundamentals: testing, code review, CI/CD, release management, incident thinking.

• Proven ability to design secure systems: authN/authZ, secrets management, audit/logging, least privilege.

• Strong backend engineering (APIs, data stores, async patterns) and comfort going "full stack" when needed.

• Cloud and DevOps competence (AWS and/or Azure; containers; infrastructure automation).

• Practical experience integrating AI/LLM capabilities into products or workflows (does not need to be "AI researcher" background).

• Ability to operate across varied tech environments (legacy + modern), with high autonomy and good stakeholder communication.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with modernization patterns (strangler, wrappers, service extraction).

• Exposure to Model Context Protocol (MCP) or similar context/tooling integration approaches.
• Experience shipping customer-facing support automation, voice workflows, or knowledge systems.
• Experience in vertical market software or multi-product portfolios.

Your Personal Characteristics Will Include

• A successful Lead Software Engineer in the Central AI Lab is a hands-on, delivery-focused technical leader who takes ownership, communicates clearly, and collaborates effectively across teams.
• They bring a security-first, reliable approach to building scalable, reusable solutions, stay adaptable in fast-moving environments, and mentor others to raise engineering standards.
• They remain curious, pragmatic, and inclusive, always focused on delivering real business value.

Travel: Occasional UK travel for BU workshops, onboarding, and group events. Optional international travel (USA/Canada/South America) for portfolio events.

Business Unit:

Vesta Software Group

Scheduled Weekly Hours:

37.5

Number of Openings Available:

1

Worker Type:

Regular

Career Site:

More About Jonas Software:

Jonas Software is a leading provider of enterprise management software solutions, serving a wide range of vertical markets including hospitality, healthcare, construction, education, personal care, fitness, leisure, moving and legal services, to name a few. Within these markets, Jonas is comprised of over 65 distinct brands, each a respected leader in its domain.

Jonas' vision is to be the branded global leader across these verticals and to be recognized by customers and industry stakeholders as the trusted provider of "Software for Life." We are committed to technology, product innovation, quality, and exceptional customer service.

Jonas Software supports over 60,000 customers in more than 30 countries. We employ over 6,000 skilled professionals, including industry experts and technology specialists. Across our broader network, we support a global workforce of more than 30,000 employees.

Headquartered in Canada, Jonas Software has a global footprint with offices around the world. We're a 100% owned subsidiary of Constellation Software Inc., based in Toronto, publicly listed on the TSX (CSU.TO), and a member of the S&P/TSX 60 Index.

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