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:
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Define and evolve Ciklum’s AI Engineering strategy, frameworks and best practices across clients and internal initiatives
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Serve as the primary technical advisor to executive stakeholders (CTOs, CIOs, VPs of Engineering) on AI strategy and system architecture
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Drive the vision and roadmap for enterprise AI adoption, guiding teams on architecture, governance, and value realization
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Lead the design, development and deployment of advanced AI systems across Data Science and AI Engineering domains
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Architect and implement scalable AI pipelines and LLM-driven applications, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), orchestration and multi-agent systems
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Act as the overall AI architecture authority across multiple engagements, ensuring design excellence, scalability and alignment with client enterprise standards
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Contribute hands-on to development activities, from experimentation and prototyping to production-grade implementation
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Collaborate with cross-functional engineering, data and product teams to align technical solutions with client and business objectives
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Apply MLOps and LLMOps best practices for CI/CD, observability, evaluation and continuous improvement of AI models and pipelines
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Integrate AI services with enterprise platforms (e.g., Confluence, Jira, GitHub, CRM, ERP) and ensure seamless interoperability
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Drive innovation through internal frameworks and accelerators
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Ensure all AI solutions comply with security, data privacy and responsible-AI standards
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Champion innovation in AI through the creation of reusable frameworks, accelerators, and reference architectures
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Evangelize AI best practices internally and externally through publications, talks, and open-source contributions
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Guide client and internal teams in adopting emerging AI paradigms such as agentic systems, RAG frameworks and autonomous orchestration
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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)
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Represent Ciklum’s AI capability in public forums, conferences, and strategic client discussions
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Collaborate with marketing and partnerships teams to strengthen Ciklum’s brand as an AI thought leader
Commercial / Presales:
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Drive technical leadership in presales engagements, shaping AI strategies and architectures that align with client business objectives
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Collaborate directly with C-suite and senior client executives to define AI roadmaps, value propositions, and investment priorities
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Produce high-quality technical content for proposals, RFPs, whitepapers, and thought- leadership materials
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Partner with delivery and commercial teams to identify new growth opportunities and establish Ciklum as a trusted AI partner
Leadership & Practice Development:
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Provide strategic and technical leadership to AI engineering teams across multiple projects and geographies
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Shape hiring strategy and talent development plans to scale AI capabilities within Ciklum
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Mentor, coach and review work of Expert-level engineers, ensuring consistent delivery quality and architectural rigor
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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!
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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
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Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional AI programs or large-scale AI solution deliveries
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BSc, MSc, or PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering or a related quantitative field
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Deep understanding of probability, statistics and the mathematical foundations of machine learning and optimization
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Proven experience architecting and scaling enterprise-grade AI systems, including LLM- driven and multimodal solutions, across production environments
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Experience defining AI system blueprints, reference architectures, and integration patterns across multiple domains and client ecosystems
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Exposure to agentic system design, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and prompt engineering techniques
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Strong proficiency in Python and common AI/ML development frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, LangChain, Hugging Face or equivalent)
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Solid understanding of modern AI engineering practices, including model lifecycle management, observability, evaluation, versioning and continuous improvement
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Familiarity with AI solution delivery methodologies (e.g., CRISP-ML(Q), TDSP or modern agile ML lifecycles)
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Ability to visualize, interpret, and communicate model outputs and insights effectively using modern tools and dashboards
Specific technical requirements:
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Proven experience in architecting and implementing end-to-end AI/ML solutions — from data ingestion and model training to deployment, monitoring and optimization
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Strong software engineering skills for AI system development, including data processing, API integration, and model serving (Python, SQL and optionally Java/Scala or similar)
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Hands-on experience with cloud-native AI platforms and services (AWS SageMaker, Azure ML, GCP Vertex AI or NVIDIA AI stack)
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Proficiency in designing scalable ML/LLM pipelines and applying MLOps/LLMOps best practices (CI/CD, orchestration, monitoring, versioning, and deployment automation)
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Experience with diverse data modalities (structured, text, image, audio, video) and multimodal model integration
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Familiarity with handling complex data scenarios such as class imbalance, time-series forecasting and anomaly detection
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Understanding of security, data governance and compliance considerations in AI system design
Domain experience:
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Ability to advise senior stakeholders on AI opportunity assessment, ROI modeling and transformation strategies
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Experience designing AI governance frameworks and compliance strategies in highly regulated industries
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Broad exposure to enterprise-scale AI solution design across industries such as BFSI, Healthcare, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Energy, Telecom or Technology sectors
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Proven ability to translate business and operational requirements into robust AI system architectures that deliver measurable impact
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Familiarity with challenges of deploying AI in regulated environments and ensuring compliance with data privacy and protection frameworks (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, PCI DSS)
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Experience managing sensitive or high-value data (PII, PHI), implementing strong security, governance and access control mechanisms
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Understanding of enterprise data ecosystems and integration patterns (CRM, ERP, knowledge management or workflow systems)
Business-related requirements:
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Strong executive communication and storytelling ability, capable of influencing technical and business audiences alike
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Proven record of representing organizations in external speaking engagements, conferences, or public panels
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Demonstrated experience driving innovation initiatives and contributing to organizational AI strategy
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Proven experience delivering production-grade AI solutions that achieve measurable business and operational outcomes
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Strong ownership of the full AI engineering lifecycle — from problem framing and architecture design to deployment, optimization, and continuous improvement
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Ability to align technical decisions with business priorities, ensuring scalability, reliability, and measurable value from AI initiatives
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Excellent collaboration and communication skills to work effectively with cross-functional stakeholders, delivery teams, and clients
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High degree of autonomy, accountability, and attention to detail in managing complex, multi-component AI systems
Desirable:
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Track record of AI thought leadership through publications, blogs, podcasts or open- source contributions
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Recognized presence in professional or academic AI communities (e.g., conferences, research collaborations)
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Experience building and scaling internal AI centers of excellence or practice communities
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Strong background in software or solution architecture, ideally with previous experience as a Software or Data Architect
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Proven ability to design scalable, distributed, and fault-tolerant AI architectures, integrating APIs, microservices, and event-driven components
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Experience with MLOps and LLMOps practices, including pipeline automation, containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and continuous deployment of AI models
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Deep learning expertise using TensorFlow, PyTorch, or JAX, including fine-tuning and optimization of large models
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Hands-on experience with Large Language Models (LLMs), Generative AI applications, and agentic or RAG-based systems
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Advanced SQL and familiarity with modern data platforms (Databricks, Snowflake, or equivalent)
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Experience with Big Data and streaming frameworks (Apache Spark, Kafka, Flink, etc.)
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Understanding of NoSQL and graph databases (e.g., Cassandra, Neo4j) and their role in AI knowledge management
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Experience with cloud-native architectures and certified expertise in AWS, Azure, or GCP AI/ML services
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Exposure to research or innovation projects, with publications or open-source contributions considered an advantage
What`s in it for you?
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Strong community: Work alongside top professionals in a friendly, open-door environment
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Growth focus: Take on large-scale projects with a global impact and expand your expertise
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Tailored learning: Boost your skills with internal events (meetups, conferences, workshops), Udemy access, language courses, and company-paid certifications
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Endless opportunities: Explore diverse domains through internal mobility, finding the best fit to gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge technologies
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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.
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