AI Engineering Lead

AI Engineering Lead

Recruiter

Sixty60 Recruitment

Job Ref

JHB000158/MVV

Date posted

Thursday, July 2, 2026

Location

Johannesburg, South Africa

SUMMARY

AI Engineering Lead - Johannesburg or Cape Town (Hybrid)

POSITION INFO

Contract: 6 to 12 months (negotiable based on project scope) Working Model Hybrid: 3 days onsite | 2 days remote per week Purpose Our client is seeking an experienced AI Engineering Lead to lead the AI Engineering capability. The successful candidate will be responsible for building, deploying, and operating scalable, secure, and production-ready AI and Generative AI solutions that deliver measurable business value across the enterprise. Key Responsibilities Lead, mentor, and develop high-performing AI Engineering teams. Build, deploy, and operationalise AI and Generative AI solutions. Establish MLOps, CI/CD, and AI engineering best practices. Deploy, monitor, and optimise production AI models. Ensure AI governance, security, quality, and model lifecycle management. Collaborate with Product, Data, and Architecture teams to deliver enterprise AI capabilities. Drive continuous improvement of AI engineering platforms, tooling, and processes. Foster a culture of engineering excellence through coaching and mentorship. Requirements 8+ years' experience in Software Engineering or AI Engineering. 3+ years' experience leading AI Engineering teams. Strong proficiency in Python. Hands-on experience with Azure Machine Learning. Experience using MLflow for model lifecycle management. Experience with TensorFlow and/or PyTorch. Knowledge of Kubernetes and containerised deployments. Strong understanding of DevOps, CI/CD, and MLOps practices. Experience integrating Azure OpenAI solutions is advantageous. Excellent technical leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills.