AI Engineer

HyperionDev; Durban; Hybrid; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in tech education is seeking an AI Engineer to design and develop AI prototypes. This role involves working closely with product and engineering teams to create innovative AI solutions. You'll need a strong background in machine learning and programming, with opportunities to grow and learn in a flexible, hybrid work environment.

Benefits

Flexible scheduling with remote options

Opportunity to enroll part-time in Coding Bootcamps

Collaboration with leaders in edtech

Contribution to accessible education and tech careers

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in machine learning, data science, or AI engineering.
• Strong programming skills in Python with relevant libraries.
• Experience with LLMs and cloud-based AI services.

Responsibilities

• Rapidly build and iterate on AI prototypes using various tools.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on AI use cases.
• Optimize app performance for proof-of-concept demos.

Skills

Machine Learning

Data Science

Python

AI Engineering

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, AI

Tools

Pydantic

OpenAI

LangChain

Azure ML

AWS Sagemaker

Google Vertex AI

Job description

ABOUT US

HyperionDev is one of the largest providers of accelerated tech education in EMEA and one of the oldest providers of 'coding bootcamps' in the world. We work with top universities such as Imperial College London, The London School of Economics, The University of Edinburgh, and Stellenbosch University to deliver structured technical courses and bootcamps that accelerate people into fulfilling tech careers. We have been recognised as one of the top education technology scaleups in the world and gained the financial backing of Meta (previously Facebook) which recognised us as the most socially impactful startup operating in Africa, where we initially started our work.

We are dedicated to closing the global tech skills gap and we achieve this by integrating tech education with human mentorship and expert code review powered by a workforce in Southern Africa, which lowers the cost of accessible education in technology. This model has been successful, allowing us to reach millions of learners a year from over 60 countries. We have partnered with government bodies such as the UK's Department for Education, which provides scholarships for students to study on our bootcamps and gain employment at companies like AstraZeneca and the UK's NHS.

We're backed by nearly 2000 investors, having raised the largest crowdfunding round of funding for an edtech company in history. As a primarily bootstrapped, profitable, and scale-up tech business, join us as we play our part in making the world a more stable, safer, and fair place.

We're also home to Longdue, an independent narrative game studio incubated within HyperionDev. Longdue crafts psychologically rich, story-driven RPGs that challenge players to navigate complex moral worlds and deeply human stories. Inspired by games like Disco Elysium, Longdue is developing a new RPG IP focusing on world-building, narrative depth, and artistic innovation. While HyperionDev focuses on transforming education and careers through technology, Longdue carries the same mission-driven DNA into storytelling with purpose and resonance.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking a highly skilled and agile AI Engineer to design, develop, and deploy fast-turnaround AI prototypes. You will work closely with our product and engineering teams to explore innovative AI solutions that can be tested and validated rapidly. Your role involves translating conceptual ideas into tangible MVPs using machine learning, deep learning, and generative AI technologies.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Rapidly build and iterate on AI prototypes using tools such as AI Agents, LLM API calls, Pydantic AI, Langchain, RAGs, and others.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define AI use cases and data requirements.
• Build interactive demos or APIs to showcase prototypes to stakeholders.
• Stay current with AI/ML advancements and evaluate new tools and libraries.
• Optimize app performance and scalability for proof-of-concept demos.

REQUIREMENTS

Minimum:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, AI, or related fields.
• 2+ years of experience in machine learning, data science, or AI engineering.
• Strong programming skills in Python and experience with relevant libraries (e.g., Pydantic, OpenAI, LangChain).
• Hands-on experience with LLMs, foundational models, and cloud-based AI services (Azure ML, AWS Sagemaker, Google Vertex AI).
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, startup-like environment focused on rapid delivery and iteration.
• Experience building APIs or lightweight UIs for AI models.

Preferred:

• Experience with prompt engineering and fine-tuning LLMs.
• Knowledge of MLOps or deploying open-source large language models.
• Familiarity with vector databases (Pinecone, Weaviate, FAISS).
• Experience in AI products for EdTech, FinTech, or HealthTech is a plus.

BENEFITS

Hybrid work: Flexible scheduling with remote options for those not near a HyperionDev campus.

Learn new tech skills: Opportunity to enroll part-time in our Coding Bootcamps.

Join the heart of tech in Africa, Europe, and the US: Collaborate with top leaders in edtech and developer education.

Life-changing work: Contribute to making education and tech careers accessible to those who need it most.

OUR VALUES

We are a people-forward company with a purpose. We focus on growth, learning, and continuous improvement, challenging ourselves and others to do their best work.