Senior RAG Engineer

MCI Careers; Wes-Kaap; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

MCI Careers is seeking a Senior RAG Engineer to lead the design and optimization of Retrieval-Augmented Generation platforms powering enterprise AI solutions. The role requires expertise in semantic search, vector databases, information retrieval and Generative AI technologies.

You will provide technical leadership while ensuring knowledge retrieval systems are accurate, scalable, secure, and aligned with business needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, AI, Software Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of software engineering experience.
• Experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale Retrieval-Augmented Generation solutions.
• Strong proficiency in Python and backend development.
• Extensive knowledge of embeddings, semantic search, vector databases, and information retrieval techniques.
• Experience building scalable retrieval, indexing, and knowledge management systems.
• Experience integrating RAG architectures with Large Language Models.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and optimization of Retrieval-Augmented Generation platforms for enterprise AI solutions.
• Design scalable Retrieval-Augmented Generation architectures and knowledge ingestion/indexing frameworks.
• Establish retrieval standards and best practices; architect knowledge access solutions.
• Drive improvements in retrieval quality, vector search, and semantic retrieval performance.
• Develop scalable APIs and retrieval services; ensure integration with LLMs and AI workflows.
• Provide technical leadership, mentor engineers, and evaluate emerging retrieval technologies.

Skills

Python

Embeddings

Vector databases

Information retrieval

RAG architectures

Cloud infrastructure

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

Pinecone

Weaviate

Chroma

Milvus

LangChain

LlamaIndex

Haystack

Job description

POSITION OVERVIEW

MCI is one of the fastest-growing tech-enabled business services companies in the USA, with a strong call center footprint and operations that extend across multiple countries. We deliver Customer Experience (CX), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), and Anything-as-a-Service (XaaS) cloud technology solutions across a wide range of industries, including healthcare, retail, government, education, telecom, technology e-commerce, and financial services. Our contact centers are powered by both on-site and remote agents, leveraging advanced technologies to enhance customer journeys, drive scalability and reduce costs.

At MCI we are committed to fostering an environment where professionals can build meaningful careers, access continuous learning and development opportunities and contribute to the success of a globally expanding, industry-leading organization.

We are seeking a Senior RAG Engineer to lead the design and optimization of Retrieval-Augmented Generation platforms that power enterprise AI solutions. This role requires expertise in semantic search, vector databases, information retrieval, and Generative AI technologies.

You will provide technical leadership while ensuring knowledge retrieval systems are accurate, scalable, secure, and aligned with business needs.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Responsibilities:

Retrieval Architecture & Platform Design

• Lead the development of enterprise-grade retrieval and knowledge systems.
• Design scalable Retrieval-Augmented Generation architectures.
• Develop enterprise knowledge ingestion and indexing frameworks.
• Establish retrieval standards and best practices.
• Architect solutions that support AI-powered knowledge access.

Search Optimization & Knowledge Management

• Drive improvements in retrieval quality and performance.
• Optimize vector search and semantic retrieval capabilities.
• Improve relevance, accuracy, and response quality.
• Design evaluation methodologies and testing frameworks.
• Support knowledge lifecycle management processes.

Enterprise Integration & Delivery

• Enable seamless integration of retrieval systems with AI applications.
• Collaborate with AI engineers and product teams.
• Integrate retrieval systems with LLMs and AI workflows.
• Support enterprise-wide AI initiatives and deployments.
• Develop scalable APIs and retrieval services.

Governance, Security & Compliance

• Maintain operational excellence and regulatory compliance.
• Implement security controls and data governance standards.
• Monitor platform performance and availability.
• Conduct root cause analysis and issue resolution activities.
• Maintain technical documentation and operational procedures.

Leadership & Innovation

• Provide technical leadership and support organizational AI growth.
• Mentor engineers and technical teams.
• Evaluate emerging retrieval technologies and frameworks.
• Recommend enhancements to platform architecture.
• Contribute to AI strategy and innovation initiatives.

CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering, or related field.

Minimum 5 years of software engineering experience.

Experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale Retrieval-Augmented Generation solutions.

Strong proficiency in Python and backend development.

Extensive knowledge of embeddings, semantic search, vector databases, and information retrieval techniques.

Experience building scalable retrieval, indexing, and knowledge management systems.

Experience integrating RAG architectures with Large Language Models.

Knowledge of cloud infrastructure and distributed computing environments.

Experience leading technical projects and mentoring engineering teams.

Strong troubleshooting and performance optimization skills.

Excellent communication and stakeholder management capabilities.

Experience working within complex enterprise technology environments.

Nice to Have

• Experience with Pinecone, Weaviate, Chroma, Milvus, or equivalent platforms.
• Experience with LangChain, LlamaIndex, Haystack, or related frameworks.
• Knowledge of enterprise search and knowledge management solutions.
• Experience with MLOps and AI deployment pipelines.
• Cloud certifications in AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Knowledge of AI governance, security, and compliance frameworks.
• Master's Degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or related discipline.
• Experience supporting enterprise AI transformation programs.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

This job operates in a professional office environment. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be largely sedentary and will be required to sit/stand for long periods while using a computer and telephone headset. The employee will be regularly required to operate a computer and other office equipment, including a phone, copier, and printer. The employee may occasionally be required to move about the office to accomplish tasks; reach in any direction; raise or lower objects, move objects from place to place, hold onto objects, and move or exert force up to forty (40) pounds.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

All MCI Locations

• Must be authorized to work in the country where the job is based.

Subject to the program and location of the position

• Must be willing to submit up to a LEVEL II background and/or security investigation with a fingerprint. Job offers are contingent on background/security investigation results.
• Must be willing to submit to drug screening. Job offers are contingent on drug screening results. (Does not apply in Canada)

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), it is the policy of MCI and its affiliates to provide reasonable accommodations when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability unless such accommodations would cause undue hardship. The policy regarding requests for reasonable accommodation applies to all aspects of employment. If reasonable accommodations are needed, please contact Human Resources.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

At MCI and its subsidiaries, we embrace differences and believe diversity is a benefit to our employees, our company, our customers, and our community. All aspects of employment at MCI are based solely on a person's merit and qualifications. MCI maintains a work environment free from discrimination, one where employees are treated with dignity and respect. All employees share in the responsibility for fulfilling MCI's commitment to a diverse and equal opportunity work environment.

MCI does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. MCI will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with local and federal requirements.

MCI will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. We adhere to these principles in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, promotion, benefits, social and recreational programs, and discipline. In addition, it is the policy of MCI to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified employees who have protected disabilities to the extent required by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances where an employee works.