Lead Machine Learning Engineer (AI)
$250,000–$350,000 base + bonus
New York, NY (or Chicago)
Private equity innovation meets applied AI
A leading investment firm is hiring a founding AI/ML engineer to build the future of internal and portfolio-facing AI applications. This is a high-impact, high-visibility role working directly with senior leadership across the organization to define and deliver production-ready systems that drive real outcomes.
You’ll own everything from prototyping to deployment. Projects will span internal process automation, NLP tools for finance workflows, and scalable proof-of-concepts for portfolio companies across tech and services. The goal: deliver fast, tangible business value through creative applications of machine learning.
What You’ll Do
- Build and fine-tune NLP and vision models using frameworks like PyTorch and HuggingFace
- Develop retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines and custom embeddings
- Ship internal tools with light front end/back end components
- Work closely with product and data leads to select and integrate third-party AI services
- Own infrastructure decisions and help define internal ML engineering best practices
What You Bring
- 5–10 years of experience in applied ML or AI engineering
- Track record of building and deploying models beyond prototypes
- Solid computer science fundamentals, ideally backed by a relevant master’s degree
- Excellent Python engineering skills, with cloud deployment experience (AWS preferred)
- Ability to explain ML solutions to non-technical stakeholders and execs
Tech Stack & Environment
- Python, PyTorch, HuggingFace
- AWS, GCP or Azure
- Retrieval-augmented generation, embedding pipelines
- Collaborative product environment with high executive engagement
- Lean, high-trust, fast-delivery culture
Why Join
You’ll be the first AI engineer at a top-tier investment firm that sees machine learning as core to its future. This is a rare chance to work on high-autonomy projects with direct C-level backing, building tools that will shape how investments, operations, and insights happen across dozens of companies. Long-term career growth and visibility come built in.
About People In AI
People In AI is a specialized recruiting partner for high-impact roles at the intersection of machine learning, software, and business. We help top talent find opportunities where they can thrive—and support them every step of the way.
