Senior Ai Engineer

Paydoc Tech; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 200 000; Full time

Job summary

A fast-growing health-tech start-up is seeking a Founding AI Engineer to architect the AI core of a next-generation platform. You will work with cutting-edge LLMs and agentic AI systems to transform how doctors manage their practices and patient communications. The role offers ownership and autonomy, with a focus on real-world impact and innovation at the intersection of healthtech and fintech.

Benefits

Shape AI journey from inception

No legacy systems

Real-world impact on healthcare

Ownership and autonomy

Work at the frontier of applied AI

Qualifications

• Proven track record in building and deploying impactful ML/AI systems.
• Deep hands-on experience with NLP and LLMs, including fine-tuning, embeddings, or RAG pipelines.
• Strong engineering skills and solid understanding of ML fundamentals.

Responsibilities

• Architect and build the AI core of the next-generation platform.
• Design and deploy autonomous multi-step reasoning agents.
• Lead R&D, data strategy, and scalable ML pipelines.

Skills

Machine Learning

NLP expertise

Python programming

Cloud deployment

Analytical thinking

Tools

LLM frameworks

AWS

GCP

Azure

Job description

About UsPayDoc is a fast-growing health-tech start‑up from Etherealmed, founded by a practising anaesthesiologist who understands first‑hand the financial challenges specialist doctors face.

Built on the success of MxNode (a proven billing platform already trusted by + doctors across South Africa) PayDoc is the next step in creating seamless, mobile‑first solutions that bring financial fairness and efficiency to private practices. As a founding AI engineer, you'll architect the intelligent core of our next‑generation platform automating medical billing, scheduling, and patient communication. You'll work hands‑on with LLMs (GPT‑4, Claude, Gemini, etc.), build multi‑agent systems, and own projects from R&D to deployment, shaping how specialists manage time, cashflow, and care. If you're an elite Machine Learning Engineer or Data Scientist passionate about LLMs, agentic AI systems, and the intersection of fintech and healthtech, this is your chance to build something truly transformative from the ground up.

Your Role: Founding AI Engineer

As a Senior AI Engineer, you'll architect and build the AI core of our next‑generation platform. This isn't about incremental improvements — it's about designing intelligent, autonomous workflows that transform how doctors run their businesses and interact with patients. You'll work directly with the founders and clinical domain experts to build the AI foundation that powers our solution's evolution into an intelligent healthtech ecosystem.

What You’ll Build

• Agentic AI Systems: Design and deploy multi‑step reasoning agents capable of managing billing, scheduling, and communication autonomously.
• Multi‑LLM Strategy: Develop and integrate best‑in‑class models (GPT‑4, Claude, Gemini, Cohere) to optimise for accuracy, efficiency, and scale.
• Full Lifecycle Ownership: Lead everything from R&D and data strategy to scalable ML pipelines and MLOps deployment.
• AI Roadmap & Architecture: Collaborate with leadership to define the architecture and roadmap for NodeX's AI ecosystem.
• Continuous Innovation: Drive adoption of the latest advancements in LLMs, RAG systems, and agentic frameworks, with rigorous focus on ethics, security, and privacy.

What You Bring

• Proven track record in building and deploying impactful ML / AI systems.
• Deep hands‑on experience with NLP and LLMs, including fine‑tuning, embeddings, or RAG pipelines.
• Strong engineering skills (Python or similar) and solid understanding of ML fundamentals.
• Curiosity, analytical thinking, and the ability to turn complex, ambiguous challenges into structured solutions.
• Bonus points for experience with LangChain, LlamaIndex, or other agentic AI frameworks.
• Familiarity with OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, or Cohere ecosystems.
• Experience with MLOps practices and cloud deployment (AWS, GCP, or Azure).

Understanding of healthcare data or billing systems (a plus, but not required).

Why You’ll Love Working with Us

• Build from Zero: Shape our AI journey from inception.
• No legacy systems, no bureaucracy.
• Real‑World Impact: The AI you build will save doctors thousands of hours, accelerate payments, and improve patient experiences.
• Ownership & Autonomy: Small, high‑performance team with freedom to experiment and create.
• Work That Matters: Join one of the most exciting frontiers in applied AI, where fintech, healthtech, and intelligent automation meet.