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AI Engineer, Lead

Lead a team of AI Engineers to design and implement production AI systems for large enterprise customers at Distyl AI.

Location
San Francisco
Compensation
$200k–$250k/yr
Level
lead
Type
full time · Hybrid

Posted by employer 4 months ago

First seen on Joblaze 1 month ago

Last verified on the company career page 1 day ago

Role intensity

40% coding

AI in the day-to-day

You use AI tools daily to write and debug code, explore designs, analyze data, and automate repetitive work.

Requirements

Experience
8+ years

Not disclosed in this posting: visa sponsorship.

Benefits

401k Match Wellness Benefits Commuter Benefits Equity/Stock Options Complimentary Lunches Flexible Time Off Health Insurance

Joblaze summary

In this role, the Lead AI Engineer at Distyl AI is responsible for overseeing the architecture and delivery of production AI systems tailored for large enterprise clients. The position requires a strong foundation in cloud systems, API design, and data engineering, along with a hands-on approach to integrating AI solutions into existing customer platforms. Ideal candidates will have over eight years of engineering experience, including leadership in technical decision-making and project execution. Distyl AI fosters a mission-driven culture that emphasizes innovation and collaboration, making it suitable for those eager to take ownership of impactful projects.

Joblaze insights

  • Listed about a month ago — first seen on Joblaze September 3, 2026. Last confirmed on Distyl AI's careers page October 31, 2026.
  • Salary band is in line with the typical range for AI/ML roles (median ~$190,000).
  • Starts above 55% of 33 comparable lead ai/ml roles in United States that list AI/ML we track (median $194,600 across 22 companies). See AI/ML salary trends
  • AI/ML appears in 70.1% of 87 comparable lead ai/ml roles in United States.

Quick facts

Is the AI Engineer, Lead role remote?
It's hybrid — Distyl AI expects some on-site time in San Francisco.
What's the salary range?
Distyl AI lists $200,000–$250,000 for this role.
How much experience is required?
At least 8 years of relevant experience for this AI Engineer, Lead role.
Where is the role based?
Distyl AI is hiring for this position in San Francisco.
What's the tech stack?
Joblaze extracted these technologies from the posting: AI/ML, API design, Data Engineering, cloud systems, system integrations.
What seniority level is this role?
Distyl AI targets lead candidates for this position.
Is this full-time or contract?
Full-time for this AI Engineer, Lead role at Distyl AI.

From the original posting

What We Are Looking For

AI Engineers are hands-on technical leaders who own the architecture, execution, and delivery of critical production AI systems for large enterprise customers. They make technical decisions, lead project delivery, coach engineers, and partner closely with customer stakeholders and Distyl’s AI strategy team to ensure systems deliver real business value.

This role is for engineers who want ownership over production outcomes: shaping system architecture, leading technical execution, working directly with customers, and improving AI systems under real-world constraints.

Key Responsibilities

  • Lead and mentor a team of AI Engineers—owning technical direction, code quality, execution standards, and individual growth

  • Design and implement AI systems that combine models, agents, retrieval, evaluation, and execution into coherent, production-ready systems aligned with real business outcomes

  • Work directly with customer stakeholders, often in high-visibility settings, and communicate clearly about system behavior, tradeoffs, limitations, and paths to improvement

  • Operate and improve live AI systems by measuring behavior, identifying failure modes, debugging issues, and rapidly iterating on quality, reliability, and usefulness

  • Integrate AI systems into customer data platforms, APIs, and existing applications. Make pragmatic system design decisions that balance speed, robustness, maintainability, and long-term operability

  • Take accountability for outcomes in production and adapt systems as requirements evolve

Who You Are

  • 8+ years of engineering experience, including experience as a tech lead or engineering lead on customer-facing or production AI projects

  • Ownership mentality for AI systems. You take responsibility for whether an AI system delivers its intended value in production. You are comfortable making independent technical decisions across system design, evaluation, integration, and iteration

  • Technical leadership in teams. Management experience is not required, but you should have led engineers through technical decision-making, execution, mentorship, and delivery. Growth in this role includes taking on broader technical and leadership scope over time

  • Strong solutions architecture fundamentals: You have experience with cloud systems, system integrations, API design, and data engineering. You can understand how an AI system fits into a broader enterprise ecosystem and operate as a peer to customer architecture and engineering teams

  • AI-Native Working Style: You use AI tools daily to write and debug code, explore designs, analyze data, and automate repetitive work. You are curious about new model capabilities and techniques, and actively incorporate them into how you build and iterate on systems

  • Willingness to travel: Travel is typically 10–30%, depending on the project, customer needs, and your role on the engagement

What We Offer

  • The base salary range for this role is $200-$250K, depending on experience, location, and level. In addition to base compensation, this role is eligible for meaningful equity, along with a comprehensive benefits package

  • Flexible time off

  • Complimentary in-office lunches and snacks provided

  • Ownership of high-impact projects across top enterprises

#LI-Hybrid

Standard company text repeated across Distyl AI's postings is omitted here.

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