Lead AI Engineer

About This Job

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the strategic direction of AI engineering across Axos Bank; establish architectural standards for all AI initiatives
• Design enterprise-scale agentic systems; own technical vision for domain-specific agents and their integration patterns
• Establish and evolve best practices in prompt engineering, LLM integration, and agentic workflow design; document as organizational standards
• Lead architecture of sophisticated integrations with internal platforms; establish patterns and frameworks for reuse across initiatives
• Direct implementation of Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers; establish governance and data integration standards
• Own strategic AI skills and plugin platform; drive adoption and quality across the engineering organization
• Establish quality frameworks for AI systems; define metrics, testing strategies, and continuous improvement processes
• Drive ROI measurement and business impact analysis for all AI initiatives; communicate value to executive leadership
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to identify and implement AI automation opportunities; design organizational workflows
• Mentor and develop senior AI engineers; shape their technical growth and leadership capabilities
• Champion responsible AI practices; establish ethical frameworks and guardrails for all AI systems
• Define architectural decisions and trade-offs; lead design reviews and architecture governance
• Establish discovery and requirements methodology for AI-driven solutions; validate feasibility and strategic alignment
• Lead communication of AI strategy and accomplishments to executive stakeholders; present business cases and ROI

Key Skill Sets or Knowledge Requirements

• Customer Obsession: Relentlessly drives developer experience and customer value through intelligent automation; sets organizational standards.
• Strategic Leadership: Inspires and influences teams across organizational boundaries; shapes AI engineering culture and practices.
• Results Driven: Owns outcomes, removes blockers, and drives measurable business impact through strategic AI initiatives.
• Ethics & Governance: Champions responsible AI practices; establishes frameworks and guardrails for enterprise AI systems.
• Innovation at Scale: Identifies and implements emerging AI technologies with strategic business alignment; leads architectural evolution.
• Technical Excellence: Expert-level knowledge across the AI stack-from prompt engineering to agentic systems to enterprise integration patterns.
• Executive Communication: Translates complex AI concepts for executive audiences; communicates strategic value and ROI with clarity.

Desired Career Experience & Education Requirements

• 7+ years of professional experience in software engineering and/or AI/ML engineering
• 3+ years leading technical teams or shaping organizational technical strategy
• Demonstrated expertise in designing and deploying production AI systems at scale
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Mathematics, or related discipline (or equivalent demonstrated expertise at strategic level)

Nice to Have

• 4+ years of hands-on experience with Large Language Models, prompt engineering, and agentic systems in production
• Proven track record designing and deploying enterprise-scale AI platforms and agent networks
• Expert-level proficiency in Python and JavaScript with deep knowledge of software architecture and design patterns
• Experience with enterprise API ecosystems and complex integration challenges (REST, GraphQL, gRPC)
• Leadership experience building and scaling AI/ML teams; talent development and mentorship at multiple levels
• Deep expertise in CI/CD, automated testing, quality frameworks, and engineering culture
• Strategic experience in financial services, banking, fintech, or other heavily regulated industries
• Published thought leadership or conference presentations on AI engineering, LLMs, or agentic systems
• Expert knowledge of AI security, prompt injection mitigation, and responsible AI governance frameworks
• Advanced experience with Qdrant; expertise in vector database architecture for enterprise scale
• Deep expertise in Databricks and enterprise data engineering; experience architecting data + AI solutions

About Axos

Born digital-first, Axos delivers financial tools and services that allow individuals, small businesses, and companies to access and manage their money how, when, and where they want. We’re a diverse team of dynamic, insightful, and independent innovators who are excited to provide technology-driven solutions that offer unbeatable value to our customers.

Axos Financial is our holding company and is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "AX" (NYSE: AX).

Learn More about working at Axos Business Center

Pre-Employment Background Check, Medical, and Drug Test:

All offers are contingent upon the candidate successfully passing a credit check, criminal background check, and pre-employment medical and drug screening.

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Axos is an Equal Opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, religious creed, color, sex (including pregnancy, breast feeding and related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, military and veteran status, marital status, age, protected medical condition, genetic information, physical disability, mental disability, or any other protected status in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Job Functions and Work Environment:

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to sit for extended periods of time. Manual dexterity and coordination are required while operating standard office equipment such as computer keyboard and mouse, calculator, telephone, copiers, etc.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee may encounter while performing the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.