[Remote] Lead AI Engineer - Advance AI (applied ML, Gen AI, ML Ops)(Remote Or Hybrid)

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Target’s Advanced AI team builds end-to-end AI/ML systems that create business value across the enterprise. The Lead AI Engineer designs, builds, deploys, and maintains production-grade AI/ML applications, providing hands-on technical leadership and partnering across engineering, product, platform, security, and business teams.

Responsibilities

• As a Lead AI Engineer for Advanced AI, you will help design, build, deploy, and maintain AI/ML applications that support automation, insight, and action across core business workflows
• You will work closely with Data Scientists, engineers, product partners, platform teams, security teams, and business stakeholders to turn ambiguous business problems into practical, scalable technical solutions
• In this role, you will provide hands-on technical leadership for AI engineering initiatives
• You will contribute to architecture and design decisions, evaluate appropriate models, frameworks, and tools, write maintainable production-quality code, and help establish strong engineering practices across development, testing, deployment, observability, documentation, and ongoing support
• You will help ensure AI applications are secure, reliable, maintainable, and aligned to Target’s enterprise standards for infrastructure, platform architecture, data handling, and operational readiness
• You will also partner with senior engineers and engineering leaders to shape technical approaches, identify implementation risks, resolve roadblocks, and support the evolution of reusable AI engineering patterns
• This role requires curiosity and continuous learning, including staying current with developments in AI, machine learning, LLMs, agentic systems, and modern software engineering practices
• A successful Lead AI Engineer will help deliver production-grade AI applications that create measurable business value while raising the technical quality and capability of the broader team

Skills

• 4-year degree in Quantitative disciplines (Science, Tech, Engineering, Mathematics) or equivalent industry experience required
• 5+ years of hands-on software engineering experience, including experience building and operating production systems
• Strong experience developing AI/ML applications, including LLM-powered applications, agentic systems, applied machine learning solutions, data-intensive applications, or intelligent automation capabilities
• Strong proficiency with Python and experience with modern AI/ML or deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, or similar tools
• Experience working with model APIs, prompt orchestration, agent development patterns, retrieval-augmented generation, evaluation frameworks, observability tools, cloud ML platforms, containers, or orchestration technologies
• Strong understanding of system design, application architecture, model and framework tradeoffs, experimentation, evaluation strategy, performance optimization, and production deployment considerations for AI systems
• Experience building scalable, maintainable, and well-tested services, APIs, data pipelines, applications, or platforms
• Experience with version control, CI/CD, code review practices, documentation, operational monitoring, and production support
• Ability to translate ambiguous business problems into clear technical approaches and collaborate with cross-functional partners to deliver practical solutions
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts clearly to engineers, Data Scientists, product partners, business stakeholders, and leaders
• Ability to mentor engineers, contribute to technical direction, and raise the quality of engineering practices within a team
• Self-driven and results-oriented, with strong ownership, sound judgment, and the ability to move quickly while maintaining high technical standards
• Collaborative team player with a commitment to continuous learning, knowledge sharing, and building reliable AI systems that create business value
• MS in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Applied Mathematics or a related technical field preferred

Benefits

• Eligible team members and their dependents may receive comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more.
• Eligible team members: 401(k), employee discount, short term disability, long term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays, and paid vacation.
• This position may be considered for a Remote or Hybrid (known internally at Target as "Flex for Your Day") work arrangement based on Target's needs. Remote team members work full-time from home or an alternate location that's not a Target location, have no desk at a Target location, and may travel to HQ up to 4 times a year.
• Hybrid/Flex for Your Day: the team member's core role may be performed either remote or onsite at a Target location depending upon what the role, team and tasks require for that day.

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