AI Technical Lead - LLM/RAG

Description :

About Academian :

Academian is a carve-out of an existing 22-year IT company Intraedge Inc. Academian is a service, product, and learning development company in the education domain with a current headcount of 500+ team members.

We are rapidly becoming a leading force in the education technology space.

We specialize in delivering innovative services, products, and learning development solutions tailored for the education sector.

Our expertise spans across K-12, higher education, professional institutions, publishers, online program managers (OPMs), and corporate learning environments.

At Academian, we combine deep industry knowledge with a product-oriented design approach, enabling us to craft high-impact learning experiences and technology solutions.

From content development and media production to strategic staffing and custom software development, we support every phase of the educational lifecycle.

Our Specialties Include :

- EdTech Solutions : LMS, CMS, Custom Software, Cloud Architecture

- Digital Learning : Content Design, Learning Experience Design, Accessibility, Media Development

- Education Services : K-12, Higher Education, Workforce Development, Publishing & Prepress

- Strategic Services : Product Management, Strategic Consulting, Technology & Digital Transformation, Staffing.

Were passionate about shaping the future of learningand were looking for talented, mission-driven individuals to grow with us.

Join our team and be part of building meaningful solutions that make a real impact in education.

Role Overview :

We are seeking an experienced AI Technical Lead to spearhead the development and deployment of cutting-edge AI solutions.

The ideal candidate will possess a strong foundation in AI algorithms, hands-on expertise with machine learning and deep learning frameworks, and a forward-thinking approach to leveraging emerging AI technologies like AGENTIC AI, RAG, Graph Databases, and open-source LLMs.

This role also involves guiding the team to deliver scalable, efficient, and impactful AI products aligned with the EdTech domain.

Key Responsibilities :

AI Model Development :

- Design, train, and deploy AI models for diverse use cases, including :

1. Computer Vision : Image recognition, object detection, segmentation etc.

2. Natural Language Processing (NLP) : Text classification, summarization, question-answering systems etc.

3. Generative AI : Fine-tuning and deploying open-source large language models (LLMs) and Private Models.

4. RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) : Implement AI systems combining retrieval with generative models.

- Optimize AI models for performance, scalability, and accuracy using core algorithms (regression, KNN, SVM, etc.

Open-Source LLM Development :

- Develop and fine-tune open-source LLMs to cater to domain-specific needs.

- Deploy open-source LLMs effectively in production environments, ensuring scalability and low latency.

- Explore and implement open-source tools and frameworks like Hugging Face, LangChain, and Transformer libraries.

Integration & Architecture :

- Integrate AI solutions with Vector/Graph db for advanced data relationships and queries.

- Implement and manage MLOps/LLMOps pipelines for efficient deployment, monitoring, and scaling of AI models.

Leadership :

- Mentor and guide junior engineers, fostering innovation and skill development.

- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product management, data engineering, and software development, to align AI strategies with business goals.

Infrastructure :

- Leverage cloud AI platforms (AWS SageMaker, Google Vertex AI, Azure AI) for scalable solutions.

- Adopt open-source frameworks and tools (e., TensorFlow, PyTorch, Hugging Face) for experimentation and development.

Best Practices :

- Establish robust practices for coding, testing, and documenting AI solutions.

- Stay at the forefront of AI research and emerging trends like AGENTIC AI, RAG, and open-source LLM development.

Requirements :

Experience :

- 4+ years of experience in AI/ML.

- Proven expertise in designing and deploying AI solutions in production environments.

Technical Skills :

- Strong proficiency in machine learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-learn).

- Hands-on experience with tools like Hugging Face, OpenAI API, and Google AI tools.

- In-depth understanding of core ML algorithms (regression, KNN, clustering, etc.) and deep learning models.

- Familiarity with open-source LLM development and deployment

- Experience with RAG architectures, Graph Databases, and LLMOps practices.

- Expertise in CI/CD pipelines, containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and cloud AI platforms (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure).

Domain Knowledge :

- Familiarity with EdTech standards (LTI, xAPI, QTI) and adaptive learning systems is a strong plus.

Soft Skills :

- Exceptional leadership and team mentoring abilities.

- Strong problem-solving skills and excellent communication for technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Education :

- Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science, AI, Data Science, or related fields