AI Integration Lead / Developer

HRCorp; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,350,000; Full time

Job summary

HRCorp is seeking an AI Engineering Lead to drive AI-driven features across core systems in Johannesburg, architect data pipelines, evaluate AI providers, and build internal tools that scale as the function grows.

You will lead hands-on development with Python and Node, set best practices, and partner with stakeholders to identify high-impact opportunities. This role demands independent decision-making and strong communication within a growing team.

Qualifications

• 3-5+ years of software engineering with hands-on AI/LLM integration.
• Proven ability to ship production-ready AI features.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of AI-driven features and integrations.
• Evaluate and integrate AI/LLM providers into existing systems.
• Build and maintain data pipelines to support AI-driven workflows.
• Develop internal tools and automations that leverage AI capabilities.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to identify high-impact opportunities for AI adoption.
• Set technical direction and best practices for AI development as the function grows.

Skills

AI/LLM integration

Data pipelines

Leadership

Independent decision-making

Communication

Tools

Python

JavaScript/Node

AI APIs

Embeddings

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and implementation of AI-driven features and integrations
• Evaluate and integrate AI/LLM providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, AWS Bedrock, etc.) into existing systems
• Build and maintain data pipelines to support AI-driven workflows
• Develop internal tools and automations that leverage AI capabilities
• Collaborate with stakeholders to identify high-impact opportunities for AI adoption
• Set technical direction and best practices for AI development as the function grows

Requirements

• 3-5+ years of software engineering experience, with hands-on AI/LLM integration work
• Strong scripting/development skills (Python, JavaScript/Node)
• Experience working with AI APIs, embeddings, and/or model fine-tuning
• Proven ability to ship production-ready AI features, not just prototypes
• Independent, communicative, and able to lead technical decisions with limited oversight

Nice to Have

• Experience with vector databases, RAG pipelines, or agentic workflows
• Familiarity with workflow/automation tools (Zapier, Make) and BI tools (Looker, BigQuery)
• Prior experience scaling an AI function from early-stage to establishe