Head of AI Engineering

Position Overview

This role represents a partner company's search for a Head of AI Engineering based in Germany. This position allows you to establish and steer a company-wide AI strategy, influencing the adoption of next-generation technologies across engineering and business domains. You will lay the groundwork for scalable AI capabilities, encompassing everything from platform architecture and governance to the creation of AI-driven workflows.

The job merges strategic leadership, advanced technical knowledge, and hands-on execution within a rapidly evolving technology setting. You will liaise with teams in engineering, security, product management, analytics, and business units to convert AI opportunities into dependable, production-grade solutions. The role involves setting standards, platforms, and operating frameworks that empower teams to utilize AI responsibly and efficiently.

Key Responsibilities

• Craft and implement a strategic AI roadmap emphasizing the development of AI as a fundamental technology platform.
• Evaluate current AI tools, vendor relationships, internal technologies, cost structures, ownership frameworks, potential risks, and unauthorized AI uses throughout the organization.
• Create an AI operational model including ownership policies, project prioritization, experimentation protocols, and production deployment criteria.
• Design and implement an AI platform architecture featuring AI gateways, security protocols like authentication and access control, model routing mechanisms, logging systems, cost tracking, usage monitoring, and audit capabilities.
• Oversee a sanctioned AI technology ecosystem incorporating models, vendors, APIs, SaaS offerings, self-hosted modules, and platform standards.
• Promote AI adoption within engineering productivity workflows, code review processes, testing, automation, refactoring, support channels, analytics, product development, and marketing operations.
• Institute governance and security methodologies to safeguard sensitive data, private codebases, credentials, production environments, and ensure compliance and risk mitigation.
• Deploy frameworks for AI observability and evaluation to oversee quality, reliability, latency, usage, expenses, and ROI.
• Develop AI adoption initiatives including comprehensive training, cultivating internal advocates, establishing playbooks, and advocating responsible AI practices.
• Form and lead an AI Engineering division that harmonizes centralized platform services with domain-specific AI projects.
• Collaborate with senior technical and business leadership to align AI initiatives with wider organizational goals.
• Provide architectural direction, technical mentorship, and guarantee successful progression from experimentation to production deployment.

Candidate Requirements

• Proven experience in leadership roles such as Head of AI, Engineering Manager, Director of AI Engineering, or similar.
• Demonstrated success building technology platforms and AI-centric engineering functions from conception through to delivery.
• Comprehensive understanding of production AI environments including architecture, dependability, latency control, cost management, monitoring, evaluation, security, and lifecycle governance.
• In-depth knowledge of large language models, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures, AI agents, tool/function invocations, model routing, prompt lifecycle handling, and evaluation frameworks.
• Insight into software development cycles and how AI can enhance productivity, testing protocols, code review, documentation, and onboarding processes.
• Strong security orientation, addressing issues such as data leaks, privacy risks, prompt injection, unsafe tool access, credential management, and vendor-related vulnerabilities.
• Familiarity with AI financial operations concepts including total cost of ownership, budgeting, forecasting, vendor relationships, and ROI calculations.
• Ability to work in partnership with CTOs, engineering leadership, security teams, product managers, data analysts, and other business stakeholders.
• A blend of high-level strategic leadership with the capacity for hands-on technical involvement when necessary.
• Proven track record in turning AI strategies into concrete outcomes through detailed roadmaps, execution plans, adoption tracking, and ongoing refinement.
• Bonus skills include expertise developing or deploying AI gateways or proxy layers (e.g., LiteLLM), introducing AI developer tools (such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, JetBrains AI), background in Platform Engineering or Engineering Productivity, experience with AI-based workflows in QA automation, support, analytics, or marketing, knowledge of self-hosted models and AI observability pipelines, plus familiarity with engineering and infrastructure tools like GitHub, GitLab, Jira, Slack, CI/CD, and cloud or hybrid systems.

Employment Benefits

• Fully remote work arrangement offering flexibility to select your work location.
• Support for official employment where applicable, including assistance navigating administrative procedures.
• Entitlement to 20 paid vacation days, public holidays, and sick leave coverage.
• Access to healthcare insurance plans from premier providers.
• Support for mental health and availability of professional wellbeing services.
• Monthly budget for benefits investable in hobbies, sports, or personal interests.
• Opportunities for professional growth through courses, workshops, mentorship, and language learning.
• Participation in corporate events, team outings, and community programs.
• Chance to architect cutting-edge AI capabilities from the base up within a tech-driven culture prioritizing autonomy, openness, innovation, and ongoing growth.

Additional Information

The application process is conducted through an AI-assisted matching platform to efficiently and fairly shortlist candidates based on core requirements. All final hiring decisions, interviews, and assessments are directly handled by the employer. Data privacy is respected under GDPR and related laws, with applicants able to exercise rights regarding their personal information. AI tools may be used for initial application reviews but final decisions rest with human recruiters.