Engineering Manager, AI StudioSuffolk's AI Studio is seeking a hands-on Engineering Manager to lead the engineering execution of our AI systems and platform services. This role combines technical leadership, people management, and hands-on engineering. You will manage a team of AI engineers (U.S. and India) while contributing directly to architecture, code, and delivery of production AI systems.You will focus on:Raising engineering rigorImproving system architecture qualityEnsuring scalable, reliable AI servicesDriving consistent delivery executionThis role reports to the VP, Artificial Intelligence, and partners closely with Product and Domain leaders.Scope of responsibility includes:Engineering execution qualityPlatform architecture implementationTeam technical mentorshipDelivery predictabilityOffshore team coordinationResponsibilitiesAI Systems Engineering LeadershipGuide the team in building production-grade RAG pipelines and agentic systemsEstablish practical patterns for multi-model orchestration and inference reliabilityEnsure AI systems include cost controls, fallback strategies, and evaluation frameworksReview and improve agent safety, tool invocation patterns, and guardrailsArchitecture & Distributed Systems QualityLead architecture reviews for new AI services.Improve API design standards, versioning practices, and event-driven patternsEnsure proper handling of retries, idempotency, and asynchronous workflowsDrive adoption of observability and monitoring best practicesIdentify and remediate architectural debt.Team LeadershipDirectly manage AI engineers in the U.S.Provide technical oversight and structured guidance to offshore India engineersConduct code reviews and system design reviewsCoach engineers in distributed systems thinking and production hardeningImprove sprint execution discipline and technical accountabilityDelivery & Operational ExcellenceEnsure AI solutions move from prototype to production reliablyPartner with Product and Domain AI leads to translate requirements into well-architected systemsCoordinate closely with DevOps on deployment, CI/CD, and infrastructure standardsImprove predictability in delivery timelines and system reliabilityQualificationsQualifications8 years of professional software engineering experience2+ years developing enterprise AI applications2+ years of people management or technical team leadershipHands-on experience building LLM-integrated applicationsExperience with RAG pipelines, vector databases and agentic stacksStrong background in backend and distributed systems designStrong AWS experience (Lambda, ECS/EKS, API Gateway, SQS/SNS, Step Functions, Bedrock)Proven ability to lead offshore or distributed teamsStrong coding proficiency in Python and one of Java, NodeJS, Rust or KotlinYou AreA strong senior engineer who enjoys mentoring othersComfortable reviewing architecture and writing production codeExcited by applied AI, but grounded in systems engineering fundamentalsStructured in execution and clear in communicationAble to raise the team's technical bar without overcomplicating systemsWhat Success Looks LikeAI services are production-ready, observable, and scalableThe offshore team operates with clarity and accountabilityArchitecture decisions are consistent and well-documentedThe AI engineering team improves in distributed systems maturityDelivery is predictable and high-qualityWorking ConditionsWhile performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit for long periods of time; talk or hear; perform fine motor, hand and finger skills in the use of a keyboard, telephone, or writing.
The employee is frequently required to stands; walk; and reach with arms and/or hands. Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus. The employee will spend their time in an office environment with a quiet to moderate noise level. Job site walking.EEO StatementSuffolk provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, national origin, citizenship, genetic information, disability, protected veteran, gender identity, age or any other status protected by law.
This policy applies to recruiting, hiring, transfers, promotions, terminations, compensation, benefits, and all other terms and conditions of employment. Suffolk will not tolerate any unlawful discrimination toward, or harassment of, applicants or employees by anyone at Suffolk, or anyone working on behalf of Suffolk.Compensation InformationWhere required by law, pay ranges can be found in Suffolk's job postings. Base Salary for this position is just one component of Suffolk's total rewards package for employees. Actual salaries may be based on several factors including, but not limited to, a candidate's skill set, experience, education and other qualifications.
Suffolk offers a comprehensive benefits package as part of its overall total rewards strategy. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly to reflect market trends.