AI lead

At Grape Up, we combine consulting expertise with cutting-edge engineering to help global enterprises build their most critical applications using cloud-native technologies and modern software delivery practices. AI isn’t new to us – we’ve been delivering it for clients across finance, insurance, and tech for years. But the pace is accelerating, and so are we. We’re scaling our Generative AI practice fast: more clients, bigger deals, deeper solutions. We need an AI Lead to own that growth – shaping the offer, closing pre-sales conversations, and running R&D that keeps us a step ahead. About the role: We’re looking for an AI Lead who bridges deep technical expertise with product and business thinking. Someone equally comfortable discussing AI’s business value with a client and designing its architecture from scratch. You’ll own three areas: shaping our AI offer, driving pre-sales as the technical expert, and running R&D projects – from PoC to production. If you want to move at startup speed while working with enterprise clients that actually matter – this is the place and time. Responsibilities Offer & Strategy • Define and evolve our AI/GenAI service offer • Establish standards and delivery methodologies for AI projects • Track market trends and evaluate emerging technologies (models, frameworks, architectures)   Pre-Sales • Drive pre-sales engagements – discovery workshops, scoping, effort estimation for AI projects • Prepare technical proposals and respond to RFPs/RFIs • Present and demo solutions to clients, including C-level stakeholders • Build client trust as the technical authority throughout the sales process   R&D & Delivery • Design and deliver GenAI/LLM/agentic AI solutions on cloud platforms • Prototype new solutions (PoC, MVP) in high-potential areas • Run model benchmarks, evaluate tooling, and make technology recommendations • Collaborate with delivery teams on production rollouts • Mentor engineers, conduct code reviews, and standardize AI practices across the company Requirements • 5+ years of experience in AI/ML, including at least 2 years with Generative AI/LLMs • Strong knowledge of: RAG, agentic AI (LangGraph/AutoGen/CrewAI), prompt engineering, fine-tuning, guardrails • Hands-on experience with at least one cloud platform (Azure/AWS/GCP) and MLOps practices • Production-level Python • Proven pre-sales or technical consulting background ⭢ you’ve led client conversations, built proposals, and scoped AI projects • Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business value • English C1+ ⭢ you work with international clients and technical documentation daily Nice to have • Experience with enterprise AI patterns (LLM gateway, observability, evaluation frameworks) • Familiarity with Databricks, Vertex AI, Azure AI Foundry, AWS Bedrock or similar platforms • Public portfolio: open-source contributions, conference talks, publications • Experience building or scaling an AI team What we offer • A role at the intersection of technology, product, and sales – with real influence over the company’s direction • Commission structure tailored to your role and performance • Flexibility in choosing your ideal work environment – office, hybrid or remote