{"id":2159972,"url":"https://alion.io/job/very-big-things-lead-ai-engineer","title":"Lead AI Engineer","company":{"id":3902871,"name":"Very Big Things","domain":"verybigthings.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/very-big-things","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"BambooHR","truth_index":null},"role":"AI/ML","role_family":"AI/ML","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"inferred","locations":[],"countries":[],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":7,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"AWS","optional":false},{"name":"Azure","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Claude Code","optional":false},{"name":"Copilot","optional":false},{"name":"GCP","optional":false},{"name":"LLM","optional":false},{"name":"Next.js","optional":false},{"name":"PostgreSQL","optional":false},{"name":"Pulumi","optional":false},{"name":"React.js","optional":false},{"name":"SQL","optional":false},{"name":"Terraform","optional":false},{"name":"Vercel","optional":false},{"name":"Windsurf","optional":false},{"name":"JavaScript","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2025-12-17T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2025-12-17","last_verified_at":"2026-10-12T06:08:29Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":299,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":299},"description":"Why This Role Matters\nWe're seeking an exceptional Lead AI Engineer to architect and build an internal workflow automation platform that will become a core customer offering, working directly with our CEO and leadership team while operating more like a technical founder than a traditional employee. This is a rare opportunity for someone who thrives on autonomy, moves fast, and isn't afraid to break things in pursuit of progress-you'll build the platform foundation, then deploy into enterprise customer environments to rapidly implement solutions enhanced with AI.\nThis role demands strong ownership. You'll build the platform foundation, then deploy into customer organizations to understand their workflows and rapidly implement enterprise-grade solutions enhanced with AI. If you're someone who sees problems and solves them without waiting to be told, this role is for you.\nHow You'll Contribute\nFoundation Phase:\nDesign and build the core architecture for an enterprise workflow automation platform\nMake critical technical decisions about stack, architecture patterns, and implementation independently\nCreate robust APIs, integrations, and workflow engines adaptable to diverse enterprise needs\nDeployment Phase (Primary Focus):\nDeploy virtually or on-site into customer organizations across the US\nConduct discovery sessions to understand workflows and requirements\nRapidly prototype and build custom solutions tailored to each enterprise\nIteratively integrate AI capabilities to enhance automation and drive value\nAct as the technical face of the company during customer engagements\nThroughout:\nWork autonomously with minimal oversight from CEO and leadership\nMake architectural decisions and push back constructively when needed\nMove fast, ship quickly, and iterate. Success comes through iteration, not upfront planning\nWhat Makes You a Great Fit\n7+ yearsbuilding production software across front-end and back-end; history of shipping complex systems.\n2+ yearsbuilding with Gen-AI in real products.\nExpert withTypeScript/JavaScriptand modern stacks (e.g.,Next.js/React, Node/Nest/Express). Comfortable across data layers (Postgres/SQL, caches, vector stores).\nLLM-assisted development expertise:You’ve materially increased velocity and quality using tools likeCursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, Copilot(or equivalents), and you know how to design prompts, break down problems, enforce tests, and review AI output safely.\nSolid grasp ofsecurity and compliance(authN/Z, RBAC/ABAC, audit, data residency, secrets, PII handling).\nFamiliar withcloud + DevOps(Vercel/AWS/GCP/Azure), CI/CD, IaC (Terraform/Pulumi), and monitoring/observability.\nLeadership:proven experience guiding senior engineers, establishing patterns, and raising the bar; strong client-facing communication.\nDomain bonus (nice-to-have):retail, hospitality, logistics, healthcare/life sciences.\nWe value expert builders who areas strong with people as they are with code-clear communicators who set expectations, navigate ambiguity, and lead teams through challenges. Technical excellence matters, and so do leadership and communication.\nWe value curiosity, proactive learning, and ownership. If you’re a thoughtful builder who likes turning ambiguity into impact, you’ll fit right in.\nPerks & Benefits\nCompetitive compensation with performance upside.\nComprehensive benefits\nRemote work\nPTO\nFinal package depends on experience and location.\nWho We Are, What We Stand For\nVery Big Things is a generative-AI consulting and implementation partner. We combine forward-deployed engineers, product strategists, and researchers to ship bespoke AI systems that deliver measurable ROI for mid-market and enterprise clients. We’re AI-native: we build, use, and continuously improve our own workflow tooling (e.g., AI Sprints across R&D → Production) to move from idea to business impact fast.\nWe are remote-friendly with an East-coast heartbeat; client-onsite time varies by engagement.\nWe optimize for skill, signal, and values over pedigree. Expect a fast process: intro → working session (realistic client scenario) → panel → references.\nWe focus on mid-market and enterprise clients.\nLegal disclaimer\nVBT is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all teammates.","description_format":"text","description_chars":4303,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":7,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Artificial Intelligence","Design & Creative","LLM & Generative AI"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-09T08:05:11Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":6,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.211,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":299,"expected_fill_days":23,"reasons":["conf:0","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-10-12T06:55:09Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/very-big-things-lead-ai-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/very-big-things-lead-ai-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-12T10:31:33Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":16162,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-13T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":3902871},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=3902871"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fvery-big-things-lead-ai-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fvery-big-things-lead-ai-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fvery-big-things-lead-ai-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/very-big-things-lead-ai-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvery-big-things-lead-ai-engineer"}]}