Head of AI Development

At SPD Technology, we bring together a team of like-minded people who are driven by the desire to bring value through their work, united in their commitment to high performance and delivering custom, cutting-edge tech solutions that drive clients’ growth. We empower our people with a culture of excellence and enable them with the opportunity to uphold their accountability to contribute on each level. We value humanity and collaboration, encourage professional and personal growth, and foster a supportive and flexible work environment where everyone’s contribution is welcomed.

About the role:

SPD Technology is building a centralized AI Development Division (AI Studio) to unite efforts and enhance the revenue stream through AI-inclusive client engagements. The Head of AI Development will own this from zero: winning AI-related deals alongside BizDev, delivering solutions, building a team, and establishing SPD as a credible AI engineering partner.

This is a build-and-ship role. Value is proven through won deals, delivered projects, and satisfied clients.

Work Environment: The role offers a flexible work schedule, allowing you to adapt your working hours with the requirement to attend all team meetings.

As a qualified expert You will

Pre-sales & Solution Architecture

• Lead technical discovery and solution design for AI opportunities
• Produce solution-grade proposals: architecture, scope, risk assessment
• Present to clients; partner with BizDev on positioning and differentiation
• Build reusable pre-sales assets: reference architectures, case studies, estimation frameworks

AI Studio Delivery

• Stand up and operate the AI Studio as first-choice platform for AI-heavy work
• Deliver across models: full ownership, component delivery, advisory, embedded expertise
• Build reusable delivery frameworks and accelerators
• Manage cross-team resource collaboration during ramp-up

Team Building

• Hire 2–3 engineers in first 6 months, scaling to 5–8 based on demand
• Define team composition balancing pre-sales support with delivery capacity
• Build career paths that attract and retain strong AI engineers

Innovation & Knowledge Leadership

• Lead pragmatic R&D with clear objectives and success criteria
• Contribute to AI community of practice: tech talks, mentoring, knowledge sharing

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• Generate external thought leadership: conference talks, case studies, publications

Cross-Functional Integration

• Connect Studio work with Sales, Marketing, and Account Management
• Collaborate with L&D on AI education for broader engineering staff qualification with AI skills
• Operate as organizational asset — proactive engagement, not isolated silo

We’re looking for you if you have

• Production experience designing and delivering AI systems (LLMs, RAG, agentic workflows — not just POCs)
• Non-dogmatic understanding of AI technology boundaries and architectural trade-offs
• Proven client-facing capability: leading discovery, scoping solutions, presenting to executive and technical audiences
• Consultancy mindset: discovery and analysis as value, not just build
• Team leadership experience (3–5+ people); evidence of people growing under their leadership
• Success operating in matrix/federated organizations without direct authority
• Pragmatic R&D skills: bounded research plans, clear success criteria, ROI discipline

Highly desired

• Data architecture literacy: understanding of data pipelines, ETL/ELT patterns, vector databases, data quality, and governance — sufficient to design end-to-end AI solutions and direct data engineering work
• Broader AI/ML background beyond GenAI (classical ML, deep learning, CV, NLP)
• Understanding of sales cycles, marketing positioning, account management dynamics
• Recognized technical authority that earns respect from senior AI practitioners

Beneficial

• Passion for training and enablement — sees knowledge sharing as contribution
• Marketing and positioning savvy — can produce technical content for market differentiation

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• Experience with technology vendor partnerships and co-marketing

Nice to have

• Startup or 0→1 experience
• Academic/research connections in AI
• Distributed team experience across cultures

Reveal great tech solutions

Join the team of experts who create custom, cutting-edge tech solutions for world-renowned businesses, fueling client growth. Unleash your potential, tackle new challenges, and be part of a team that values your skills and contributions. Focus on long-term impact and building tailored, long-lasting partnerships with our clients.

Experience an agile and flexible working environment

Enjoy the freedom of fully remote work with a flexible working schedule. Empower yourself with a stable workload and a stable income, supported by provided laptops and licensed software. We focus on lasting cooperation and unite result-oriented individuals who stand on a high-performance approach to work.

Embrace the opportunity for personal and professional growth

Benefit from performance and merit reviews, elevate your skills with personal development plans, and individual learnings through the corporate library, public speaking support, and more.

Be among like-minded people

Work with a team of one mind who cares about what they do and how they do. Collaborate with top-notch experts who are always ready to help and support you through any challenges. Join company-wide tech and cultural events, and contribute to meaningful CSR initiatives that resonate with your values. Feel supported by your HR, and take advantage of our referral bonus program.

Interview steps

1. Pre-Screen (Recruiter) — resume vs. must-haves, motivations, salary alignment
2. HM Interview (VP Delivery) — career arc, leadership philosophy, organizational fit, consultancy mindset
3. Tech Interview

• System Design — architecture exercise with trade-off decisions (AI/ML technical panel)
• AI/ML Depth — case study of system they built; technical Q&A on GenAI and classical ML

1. BizDev Interview (VP BizDev) — client discovery role-play, pre-sales collaboration model
2. VP / BU Interview (BU Heads) — Pod operating model discussion, collaboration expectations
3. Final HM Interview (VP Delivery) — 90-day alignment, mutual expectations, reference check plan