Technical Lead (Artificial Intelligence)

NCS Group; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

NCS Group in Singapore is seeking a high-impact technical leader to guide AI/ML delivery across client engagements, shaping prototypes to production systems. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, define architecture, and ensure delivery of scalable, value-driven AI solutions.

You balance hands-on contribution with strategic leadership, mentor engineers, and drive governance, security, and observability. This role requires strong business acumen and stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• Education: Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field.
• Leadership: 2+ years leading engineering teams (3+ engineers) delivering complex software or AI/ML solutions; 5+ years overall AI/technical experience.
• AI/ML Delivery: Experience delivering AI, ML, or generative AI solutions in production with measurable business impact.
• Modern AI Tooling: Understanding of LLM patterns and orchestration; MLOps, governance, and risk awareness.
• Engineering Discipline: Balance experimentation with security, reliability, observability, and maintainability.
• Stakeholder Management: Strong communication, translating business needs into technical execution.
• Autonomy: Ability to work independently, navigate ambiguity, and deliver at pace.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary teams from client problems to prototypes, MVPs, and production-ready solutions.
• Define architecture, technology stack, and delivery approach for complex AI initiatives.
• Translate ambiguous business challenges into product hypotheses and execution roadmaps.
• Oversee AI-enabled solutions with software engineering, model orchestration, automation, and design tools.
• Make architectural trade-offs across speed, quality, security, scalability, cost, and value.
• Ensure enterprise standards for reliability, maintainability, security, and observability.

Skills

Leadership

AI/ML delivery

Modern AI tooling

Engineering discipline

Stakeholder management

Autonomy

Architecture thinking

Education

Degree in Computer Science or related

Tools

LangChain

LlamaIndex

MLOps

Docker

Kubernetes

Cloud platforms

Job description

NCS is a leading AI Technology Services Firm with a 15,000-strong team across Asia Pacific. We combine platforms, capabilities, deep domain expertise, AI, and digital resilience to help clients move with greater agility and drive real business impact. NCS is a subsidiary of the Singtel Group.

THE ROLE

Lead teams that build what matters, fast.

Join a startup-style team within one of Singapore's leading technology services firms, working with senior leaders to transform client opportunities into AI-powered products, MVPs, and new ventures.

This is a high-impact technical leadership role for experienced builders who thrive in ambiguity, lead multidisciplinary teams, and move from problem framing to production-ready solutions. You will use AI and AI engineers as a force multiplier across research, design, engineering, and delivery, while remaining accountable for client outcomes and team development.

We are looking for technical leaders who have:

• Led the design and deployment of consequential AI/agentic systems in production
• Built and mentored high-performing engineering teams
• Demonstrated business acumen, critical thinking, and technical judgement under real constraints
• Created technical foundations and architectures that others build on
• Delivered measurable business value through AI innovation

You will lead teams delivering in live client environments, shaping solutions that can be tested, adopted, and scaled across the region.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

Strategic Technical Leadership

• End-to-end AI delivery methodology and technical standards
• Architecture decisions balancing innovation, scalability, security, and business value
• Engineering roadmaps and team capability development
• Build, lead, and grow a team of AI engineers and builders
• Drive technical onboarding, capability development, and career progression
• Foster excellence, innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning

Reusable Assets & Knowledge

• Ensure reusable assets from client engagements are documented, abstracted, and ready for regional adaptation
• Develop technical playbooks, design patterns, and best practices to scale AI-native delivery
• Establish knowledge transfer mechanisms that build organisational capability

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Advise C-suite and senior stakeholders on AI strategy, investment priorities, and architecture
• Collaborate with sales, delivery, and product teams to shape winning propositions
• Represent NCS's AI capabilities in client engagements and industry forums

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical Leadership & Delivery

• Lead multidisciplinary teams from client problems to prototypes, MVPs, and production-ready solutions
• Define architecture, technology stack, and delivery approach for complex AI initiatives
• Translate ambiguous business challenges into product hypotheses, technical strategies, and execution roadmaps
• Oversee AI-enabled solutions using software engineering, model orchestration, automation, and design tools
• Make architectural trade-offs across speed, quality, security, scalability, cost, and business value
• Ensure enterprise standards for reliability, maintainability, security, and observability

Team Management & Development

• Build, mentor, and grow high-performing AI engineering teams
• Conduct technical, code, and architecture reviews
• Provide coaching, feedback, and career development
• Foster a collaborative, innovative, and psychologically safe culture
• Identify skill gaps and drive upskilling

Strategic Advisory & Thought Leadership

• Advise technology and business leaders on AI investments, architecture, and build-versus-buy decisions, drawing on NCS's cross-sector experience and AIC capabilities
• Shape AI strategy and roadmaps with the Chief AI Officer, sector leads, and NCS leadership
• Contribute to whitepapers, case studies, and industry presentations
• Evaluate emerging AI tools, methods, and frameworks for NCS and our clients

Process & Methodology Innovation

• Drive rapid experiments and iterative delivery to validate desirability, feasibility, and value
• Continuously improve engineering practices, delivery methodologies, and quality standards
• Develop reusable patterns and playbooks to scale AI-native delivery across sectors and geographies
• Champion responsible AI, including fairness, transparency, privacy, and governance

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work with sales and account teams on technical proposals and win strategies
• Collaborate with product managers on product vision, roadmaps, and priorities
• Partner with infrastructure and security teams to meet enterprise standards
• Enable knowledge transfer and solution adaptation across regional teams

You are a proven technical leader

• You have led engineering teams delivering complex AI/ML solutions in production
• You balance hands-on technical contribution with strategic leadership and team development
• You can inspire, mentor, and grow engineering talent

You thrive in ambiguity

• You create clarity through action and leadership
• You define scope, shape approaches, and drive multiple workstreams
• You make sound decisions with incomplete information and adapt as context evolves

You combine technical depth with business acumen

• You combine technical expertise with product instinct, business understanding, and strong judgement
• You translate technical complexity into business value
• You prioritise based on client impact and strategic value

You communicate and influence effectively

• You engage senior stakeholders and challenge assumptions constructively
• You articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• You build trust through transparency and delivery

You are AI-fluent and forward-thinking

• You use AI as a practical multiplier across design, code, research, and delivery
• You stay current with AI innovation and separate hype from practical value
• You understand AI systems' limitations, risks, and capabilities

You are outcome-focused

• You care about shipping solutions that solve meaningful client problems
• You move quickly while maintaining quality, trust, and maintainability
• You measure success by client impact and team growth

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Education: Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field. Equivalent practical experience is valued
• Leadership: 2+ years leading engineering teams (3+ engineers) delivering complex software or AI/ML solutions; 5+ years overall AI/technical experience
• AI/ML Delivery: Experience delivering AI, ML, or generative AI solutions in production with measurable business impact
• Modern AI Tooling: Understanding of LLM application patterns and orchestration frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex); model deployment, monitoring and evaluation; automation platforms and MLOps; model limitations, risks, and responsible AI
• Engineering Discipline: Ability to balance experimentation with security, reliability, observability, and maintainability
• Stakeholder Management: Strong communication skills, ability to translate business needs into technical execution, and experience advising executives
• Autonomy: Ability to work independently, navigate ambiguity, lead through uncertainty, and deliver at pace

Good to Have

• Experience in consulting, venture building, startups, or innovation teams
• Experience deploying AI in enterprise or regulated environments such as aviation, land transport, public safety, telecommunications, or government
• Understanding of compliance requirements in regulated sectors
• Familiarity with AWS, Azure, GCP, APIs, CI/CD, analytics, and observability tools
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code, Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud-native architectures
• Knowledge of data engineering, governance, and data quality

WHY JOIN NCS

• Lead high-impact AI transformation programmes for major enterprises and public-sector organisations
• Turn AI strategies into working solutions and measurable outcomes
• Work across consulting, AI, engineering, data science, product, and design
• Build reusable AI capabilities that scale across NCS and Asia Pacific

WHY SINGAPORE

• Asia's innovation hub: Build your career in a leading global technology and AI ecosystem
• Regional exposure: Work on impactful projects across Asia Pacific
• Global & multicultural: English-speaking, internationally connected, and home to global talent
• Exceptional quality of life: Safe, clean, well-connected, with excellent public transport, healthcare, and infrastructure
• Gateway to Asia: Excellent connectivity across Asia and beyond
• Work, live & explore: World-class food, culture, nature, and experiences