Lead AI Engineer

Role overview

EPAM Systems is hiring a Lead AI Engineer for its Doha, Qatar team. This is an onsite position focused on shaping AI-enabled engineering practices, building the right operating model for adoption, and helping teams move toward spec-driven and agentic delivery.

The role will have a strong impact on how AI is introduced across engineering workflows. You will guide strategy, architecture, governance, and implementation so that AI solutions are scalable, secure, compliant, and tied to measurable business value.

What you will do

• Design and roll out token-efficient AI search and retrieval solutions that balance cost, relevance, and performance.
• Guide teams on when to use RAG, agents, copilots, or more traditional engineering approaches for the best outcome.
• Establish spec-driven development methods, along with governance mechanisms and reusable standards.
• Create KPIs that track productivity improvements, quality uplift, and the maturity of AI adoption.
• Develop complete AI pipelines spanning embeddings, vector databases, retrieval layers, LLM integration, and streaming inference.
• Shape the operating model for agent-based systems, including rollout controls, version management, and observability.
• Work with product owners and engineering leaders to build AI adoption roadmaps and improve team capability.
• Lead training, playbooks, and mentoring efforts to prepare teams for AI-enabled engineering practices.
• Ensure responsible AI use through strong attention to security, safety, ethics, and compliance requirements.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a similar discipline.
• At least 4 years of experience building production AI systems, or at least 2 years working on production-grade LLM/RAG solutions.
• Demonstrated experience leading AI transformation, strategy creation, and adoption programs.
• Strong practical knowledge of RAG systems, including embeddings, vector databases, and retrieval methods.
• Very good Python skills, plus familiarity with Java and API styles such as REST and gRPC.
• Experience using agent frameworks and applying agentic workflows in enterprise software delivery.
• Working knowledge of Kubernetes, cloud platforms, CI/CD, and deployment automation.
• Hands-on experience integrating hosted LLM services and self-managed models into scalable architectures.
• Understanding of AI observability, testing approaches, model version control, and prompt governance.

What the company offers

• Private medical coverage and life insurance.
• An end-of-service gratuity.
• Annual air tickets for expatriates.
• Corporate programs, including an employee referral scheme with rewards.
• Learning and development support such as in-house training, coaching, professional certifications, and courses.

Additional information

The role is based in Doha, Qatar and requires onsite work.