Job Description

Ciklum is looking for a Principal AI Lead to join our team full-time in India.

We are a custom product engineering company that supports both multinational organizations and scaling startups to solve their most complex business challenges. With a global team of over 4,000 highly skilled developers, consultants, analysts and product owners, we engineer technology that redefines industries and shapes the way people live.

About The Role

As a Principal AI Lead, become a part of a cross-functional development team engineering experiences of tomorrow.

Responsibilities

Define and evolve Ciklum's AI Engineering strategy, frameworks and best practices across clients and internal initiatives
Serve as the primary technical advisor to executive stakeholders (CTOs, CIOs, VPs of Engineering) on AI strategy and system architecture
Drive the vision and roadmap for enterprise AI adoption, guiding teams on architecture, governance, and value realization
Lead the design, development and deployment of advanced AI systems across Data Science and AI Engineering domains
Architect and implement scalable AI pipelines and LLM-driven applications, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), orchestration and multi-agent systems
Act as the overall AI architecture authority across multiple engagements, ensuring design excellence, scalability and alignment with client enterprise standards
Contribute hands-on to development activities, from experimentation and prototyping to production-grade implementation
Collaborate with cross-functional engineering, data and product teams to align technical solutions with client and business objectives
Apply MLOps and LLMOps best practices for CI/CD, observability, evaluation and continuous improvement of AI models and pipelines
Integrate AI services with enterprise platforms (e.g., Confluence, Jira, GitHub, CRM, ERP) and ensure seamless interoperability
Drive innovation through internal frameworks and accelerators
Ensure all AI solutions comply with security, data privacy and responsible-AI standards
Champion innovation in AI through the creation of reusable frameworks, accelerators, and reference architectures
Evangelize AI best practices internally and externally through publications, talks, and open-source contributions
Guide client and internal teams in adopting emerging AI paradigms such as agentic systems, RAG frameworks and autonomous orchestration
Lead and mentor senior AI engineers, fostering a culture of excellence, experimentation and continuous learning across teams and practices (e.g., contributing to Ciklum's AI Academy)
Represent Ciklum's AI capability in public forums, conferences, and strategic client discussions
Collaborate with marketing and partnerships teams to strengthen Ciklum's brand as an AI thought leader

Commercial / Presales

Drive technical leadership in presales engagements, shaping AI strategies and architectures that align with client business objectives
Collaborate directly with C-suite and senior client executives to define AI roadmaps, value propositions, and investment priorities
Produce high-quality technical content for proposals, RFPs, whitepapers, and thought- leadership materials
Partner with delivery and commercial teams to identify new growth opportunities and establish Ciklum as a trusted AI partner

Leadership & Practice Development

Provide strategic and technical leadership to AI engineering teams across multiple projects and geographies
Shape hiring strategy and talent development plans to scale AI capabilities within Ciklum
Mentor, coach and review work of Expert-level engineers, ensuring consistent delivery quality and architectural rigor
Contribute to the definition and rollout of AI practice-wide standards, playbooks, and reusable components

Requirements

We know that sometimes, you can't tick every box. We would still love to hear from you if you think you're a good fit!

10+ years of professional experience in software or data engineering, including at least 4–5 years in AI/ML solution architecture or AI leadership roles
Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional AI programs or large-scale AI solution deliveries
BSc, MSc, or PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering or a related quantitative field
Deep understanding of probability, statistics and the mathematical foundations of machine learning and optimization
Proven experience architecting and scaling enterprise-grade AI systems, including LLM- driven and multimodal solutions, across production environments
Experience defining AI system blueprints, reference architectures, and integration patterns across multiple domains and client ecosystems
Exposure to agentic system design, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and prompt engineering techniques
Strong proficiency in Python and common AI/ML development frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, LangChain, Hugging Face or equivalent)
Solid understanding of modern AI engineering practices, including model lifecycle management, observability, evaluation, versioning and continuous improvement
Familiarity with AI solution delivery methodologies (e.g., CRISP-ML(Q), TDSP or modern agile ML lifecycles)
Ability to visualize, interpret, and communicate model outputs and insights effectively using modern tools and dashboards

Specific Technical Requirements

Proven experience in architecting and implementing end-to-end AI/ML solutions — from data ingestion and model training to deployment, monitoring and optimization
Strong software engineering skills for AI system development, including data processing, API integration, and model serving (Python, SQL and optionally Java/Scala or similar)
Hands-on experience with cloud-native AI platforms and services (AWS SageMaker, Azure ML, GCP Vertex AI or NVIDIA AI stack)
Proficiency in designing scalable ML/LLM pipelines and applying MLOps/LLMOps best practices (CI/CD, orchestration, monitoring, versioning, and deployment automation)
Experience with diverse data modalities (structured, text, image, audio, video) and multimodal model integration
Familiarity with handling complex data scenarios such as class imbalance, time-series forecasting and anomaly detection
Understanding of security, data governance and compliance considerations in AI system design

Domain Experience

Ability to advise senior stakeholders on AI opportunity assessment, ROI modeling and transformation strategies
Experience designing AI governance frameworks and compliance strategies in highly regulated industries
Broad exposure to enterprise-scale AI solution design across industries such as BFSI, Healthcare, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Energy, Telecom or Technology sectors
Proven ability to translate business and operational requirements into robust AI system architectures that deliver measurable impact
Familiarity with challenges of deploying AI in regulated environments and ensuring compliance with data privacy and protection frameworks (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, PCI DSS)
Experience managing sensitive or high-value data (PII, PHI), implementing strong security, governance and access control mechanisms
Understanding of enterprise data ecosystems and integration patterns (CRM, ERP, knowledge management or workflow systems)

Business-related Requirements

Strong executive communication and storytelling ability, capable of influencing technical and business audiences alike
Proven record of representing organizations in external speaking engagements, conferences, or public panels
Demonstrated experience driving innovation initiatives and contributing to organizational AI strategy
Proven experience delivering production-grade AI solutions that achieve measurable business and operational outcomes
Strong ownership of the full AI engineering lifecycle — from problem framing and architecture design to deployment, optimization, and continuous improvement
Ability to align technical decisions with business priorities, ensuring scalability, reliability, and measurable value from AI initiatives
Excellent collaboration and communication skills to work effectively with cross-functional stakeholders, delivery teams, and clients
High degree of autonomy, accountability, and attention to detail in managing complex, multi-component AI systems

Desirable

Track record of AI thought leadership through publications, blogs, podcasts or open- source contributions
Recognized presence in professional or academic AI communities (e.g., conferences, research collaborations)
Experience building and scaling internal AI centers of excellence or practice communities
Strong background in software or solution architecture, ideally with previous experience as a Software or Data Architect
Proven ability to design scalable, distributed, and fault-tolerant AI architectures, integrating APIs, microservices, and event-driven components
Experience with MLOps and LLMOps practices, including pipeline automation, containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and continuous deployment of AI models
Deep learning expertise using TensorFlow, PyTorch, or JAX, including fine-tuning and optimization of large models
Hands-on experience with Large Language Models (LLMs), Generative AI applications, and agentic or RAG-based systems
Advanced SQL and familiarity with modern data platforms (Databricks, Snowflake, or equivalent)
Experience with Big Data and streaming frameworks (Apache Spark, Kafka, Flink, etc.)
Understanding of NoSQL and graph databases (e.g., Cassandra, Neo4j) and their role in AI knowledge management
Experience with cloud-native architectures and certified expertise in AWS, Azure, or GCP AI/ML services
Exposure to research or innovation projects, with publications or open-source contributions considered an advantage

What`s in it for you

Strong community: Work alongside top professionals in a friendly, open-door environment
Growth focus: Take on large-scale projects with a global impact and expand your expertise
Tailored learning: Boost your skills with internal events (meetups, conferences, workshops), Udemy access, language courses, and company-paid certifications
Endless opportunities: Explore diverse domains through internal mobility, finding the best fit to gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge technologies
Care: We've got you covered with company-paid medical insurance, mental health support, and financial & legal consultations

About Us

At Ciklum, we are always exploring innovations, empowering each other to achieve more, and engineering solutions that matter. With us, you'll work with cutting-edge technologies, contribute to impactful projects, and be part of a One Team culture that values collaboration and progress.

India is a strategic innovation hub for Ciklum, with growing teams in Chennai and Pune leading advancements in EdgeTech, AR/VR, IoT, and beyond. Join us to collaborate on game-changing solutions and take your career to the next level.

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Explore, empower, engineer with Ciklum!

Interested already We would love to get to know you! Submit your application. We can't wait to see you at Ciklum.