AI/Automation Development Lead

Department: IT Operations — AI, Automation & Tech Ops

Location: New York (Hybrid)

Reports To: Engineering Manager — AI, Automation & Tech Ops

The AI/Automation Development Lead is the hands-on technical leader for a small, high-output development team building AI-native applications and agentic automation systems. This is a coding-first role: you will write production code daily, lead by example in the codebase, and set the technical standard for a growing engineering function.

The defining characteristic of this role is that AI is not a feature you bolt on — it is how you build. You develop with Claude Code or equivalent AI-assisted tools as your default workflow. You design and implement agentic AI systems — autonomous agents, skills, tool-use patterns, and multi-step automation workflows — as core deliverables, not side projects. The stack (Flask/Python, React, Azure, MySQL) is the toolbox; agentic AI development is the craft.

You will take architectural direction and scoped requirements from the Engineering Manager, then own the technical execution: building, shipping, reviewing code, and driving the team to deliver. Approximately 60 –70% of your time is hands-on development; 30–40% is technical leadership, code review, and team coordination.

• Design and build agentic AI solutions as a primary focus: autonomous agents, skills, tool-use patterns, and multi-step automation workflows using LLM platforms (Claude, OpenAI, Copilot)
• Develop AI-powered applications that integrate agentic capabilities into enterprise workflows — replacing manual processes with intelligent automation
• Build full-stack applications using Flask/Python backends and React frontends, deploying to Azure Container Apps
• Develop with Claude Code or equivalent AI-assisted tools as your default workflow — AI-assisted development is the baseline expectation, not a nice-to-have
• Design and maintain MySQL database schemas, write performant SQL, and build ETL pipelines for enterprise data workflows
• Implement end-to-end solutions incorporating data pipelines, automation workflows, and AI capabilities across multiple active codebases
• Work within established CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps, enforce branch protection policies, and own Git workflow discipline across the development team

• Provide technical direction and hands-on code review for a combined team of onshore and offshore developers
• Establish and enforce development standards: branching strategy, PR-based workflows, test coverage expectations, and deployment procedures
• Drive adoption of AI-assisted development practices across the team as a practical approach to accelerating delivery
• Conduct regular code reviews and pair programming sessions to raise the team’s technical bar
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and cross-training across time zones to reduce single-point-of-failure risks
• Participate in hiring and onboarding as the engineering function grows

• Take architectural direction and scoped requirements from the Engineering Manager and drive them through to production-ready code
• Own delivery timelines for development workstreams, balancing speed with sustainability — the ability to say “yes, and here’s what it’ll take” is valued over unconditional commitment
• Build solutions that work within established governance frameworks (Legal, Security, CIO approval chains) without treating compliance as an obstacle
• Ensure applications meet compliance requirements (ICF/JSOX, data privacy regulations) by design through code quality and testing discipline
• Participate in discovery sessions and requirements gathering alongside the Engineering Manager for complex projects

• 5+ years of full-stack development experience with Python/Flask and React or equivalent modern frameworks
• Practical experience designing and building agentic AI workflows — autonomous agents, skills, tool-use patterns, and multi-step automation using LLM platforms (Claude, OpenAI, or equivalent)
• Proficiency with AI-assisted development tools (Claude Code, Cursor, or similar) as a daily working practice, not occasional experimentation
• Strong experience with Azure cloud services, particularly Azure Container Apps, Key Vault, and containerized deployments
• Expert-level SQL and hands-on experience with relational database administration, schema design, and performance optimization (MySQL preferred, Postgres or equivalent acceptable)
• Solid Git workflow management: branch protection policies, PR-based promotion flows, merge conflict resolution, and the discipline to enforce them across a team
• Working knowledge of CI/CD deployment workflows in Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions — you won’t own pipeline development, but you need to work fluently within them
• Experience with ETL pipeline development using Azure Data Factory or equivalent platforms
• API development and integration experience (REST, webhooks, OAuth/SCIM flows)

• Experience leading or mentoring a small development team, including distributed/offshore team members
• Strong code review discipline and ability to raise the technical bar for others
• Comfort working within structured governance and approval processes
• Clear communication skills — able to explain technical decisions to non-technical stakeholders and translate engineering constraints into plain language
• Experience with Agile/Scrum practices and comfort with iterative delivery

• Engineering fundamentals first: you write clean, maintainable code and expect the same from your team, whether the code was AI-assisted or hand-written
• Ownership mentality — you see a broken pipeline, a drifting schema, or a missed test, and you fix it or flag it, not route around it
• Genuine curiosity about emerging AI capabilities and a drive to put them into production, not just experiment
• Comfort with ambiguity in a team that is scaling and defining its processes as it grows

• Experience with enterprise IAM systems (Okta, SCIM provisioning, Entra ID)
• Familiarity with containerized application deployment and Docker
• Azure or cloud platform certifications (Azure Developer Associate, Azure DevOps Engineer, or equivalent)
• AI platform certifications (OpenAI, Copilot, AWS AI/ML)
• Experience with data modeling techniques (Star Schema, dimensional modeling) and enterprise analytics
• Track record delivering compliance-sensitive applications in regulated or enterprise environments
• Knowledge of DevOps and DataOps practices, infrastructure-as-code, and configuration management

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.

• AI-Native Development: Build agentic AI systems, intelligent automation, and AI-powered applications as your primary work — not as a side initiative
• High-Impact Engineering: Ship applications that directly drive efficiency and cost savings across a global organization
• Modern Stack: Work with AI-assisted development tools, Azure cloud infrastructure, and emerging AI platforms daily
• Growth Trajectory: Join during a scaling phase with clear opportunities to take on more scope as the engineering group matures
• Technical Depth: Operate across the full stack — frontend, backend, data, infrastructure, and AI integration — not siloed into one layer
• Governance That Makes Sense: Work in an environment where compliance and security are built into the workflow, not bolted on as blockers

The annual salary range for this position is $139,289-165,000. Placement within the salary range is based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and other factors permitted by law.

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance,
• Life insurance,
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance,
• 401k,
• Flexible paid time off,
• At least 15 paid holidays per year,
• Paid sick and safe leave, and
• Paid parental leave.

New York

Dentsu

Full time

Permanent