AI/Automation Development Lead

Department: IT Operations — AI, Automation & Tech Ops 

Location: New York (Hybrid) 

Reports To: Engineering Manager — AI, Automation & Tech Ops 

ROLE OVERVIEW 

The AI/Automation Development Lead is the hands-on technical leader for a small, high-output development team building AI-native applications and agentic automation systems. This is a coding-first role: you will write production code daily, lead by example in the codebase, and set the technical standard for a growing engineering function. 

The defining characteristic of this role is that AI is not a feature you bolt on — it is how you build. You develop with Claude Code or equivalent AI-assisted tools as your default workflow. You design and implement agentic AI systems — autonomous agents, skills, tool-use patterns, and multi-step automation workflows — as core deliverables, not side projects. The stack (Flask/Python, React, Azure, MySQL) is the toolbox; agentic AI development is the craft. 

You will take architectural direction and scoped requirements from the Engineering Manager, then own the technical execution: building, shipping, reviewing code, and driving the team to deliver. Approximately 60–70% of your time is hands-on development; 30–40% is technical leadership, code review, and team coordination. 

HANDS-ON DEVELOPMENT — AI & AGENTIC SYSTEMS 

• Design and build agentic AI solutions as a primary focus: autonomous agents, skills, tool-use patterns, and multi-step automation workflows using LLM platforms (Claude, OpenAI, Copilot) 

• Develop AI-powered applications that integrate agentic capabilities into enterprise workflows — replacing manual processes with intelligent automation 

• Build full-stack applications using Flask/Python backends and React frontends, deploying to Azure Container Apps 

• Develop with Claude Code or equivalent AI-assisted tools as your default workflow — AI-assisted development is the baseline expectation, not a nice-to-have 

• Design and maintain MySQL database schemas, write performant SQL, and build ETL pipelines for enterprise data workflows 

• Implement end-to-end solutions incorporating data pipelines, automation workflows, and AI capabilities across multiple active codebases 

• Work within established CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps, enforce branch protection policies, and own Git workflow discipline across the development team 

TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP & TEAM DEVELOPMENT 

• Provide technical direction and hands-on code review for a combined team of onshore and offshore developers 

• Establish and enforce development standards: branching strategy, PR-based workflows, test coverage expectations, and deployment procedures 

• Drive adoption of AI-assisted development practices across the team as a practical approach to accelerating delivery 

• Conduct regular code reviews and pair programming sessions to raise the team’s technical bar 

• Facilitate knowledge sharing and cross-training across time zones to reduce single-point-of-failure risks 

• Participate in hiring and onboarding as the engineering function grows 

EXECUTION & DELIVERY 

• Take architectural direction and scoped requirements from the Engineering Manager and drive them through to production-ready code 

• Own delivery timelines for development workstreams, balancing speed with sustainability — the ability to say “yes, and here’s what it’ll take” is valued over unconditional commitment 

• Build solutions that work within established governance frameworks (Legal, Security, CIO approval chains) without treating compliance as an obstacle 

• Ensure applications meet compliance requirements (ICF/JSOX, data privacy regulations) by design through code quality and testing discipline 

• Participate in discovery sessions and requirements gathering alongside the Engineering Manager for complex projects 

REQUIREMENTS 

Technical Expertise 

• 5+ years of full-stack development experience with Python/Flask and React or equivalent modern frameworks 

• Practical experience designing and building agentic AI workflows — autonomous agents, skills, tool-use patterns, and multi-step automation using LLM platforms (Claude, OpenAI, or equivalent) 

• Proficiency with AI-assisted development tools (Claude Code, Cursor, or similar) as a daily working practice, not occasional experimentation 

• Strong experience with Azure cloud services, particularly Azure Container Apps, Key Vault, and containerized deployments 

• Expert-level SQL and hands-on experience with relational database administration, schema design, and performance optimization (MySQL preferred, Postgres or equivalent acceptable) 

• Solid Git workflow management: branch protection policies, PR-based promotion flows, merge conflict resolution, and the discipline to enforce them across a team 

• Working knowledge of CI/CD deployment workflows in Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions — you won’t own pipeline development, but you need to work fluently within them 

• Experience with ETL pipeline development using Azure Data Factory or equivalent platforms 

• API development and integration experience (REST, webhooks, OAuth/SCIM flows) 

Leadership & Collaboration 

• Experience leading or mentoring a small development team, including distributed/offshore team members 

• Strong code review discipline and ability to raise the technical bar for others 

• Comfort working within structured governance and approval processes 

• Clear communication skills — able to explain technical decisions to non-technical stakeholders and translate engineering constraints into plain language 

• Experience with Agile/Scrum practices and comfort with iterative delivery 

Mindset 

• Engineering fundamentals first: you write clean, maintainable code and expect the same from your team, whether the code was AI-assisted or hand-written 

• Ownership mentality — you see a broken pipeline, a drifting schema, or a missed test, and you fix it or flag it, not route around it 

• Genuine curiosity about emerging AI capabilities and a drive to put them into production, not just experiment 

• Comfort with ambiguity in a team that is scaling and defining its processes as it grows 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

• Experience with enterprise IAM systems (Okta, SCIM provisioning, Entra ID) 

• Familiarity with containerized application deployment and Docker 

• Azure or cloud platform certifications (Azure Developer Associate, Azure DevOps Engineer, or equivalent) 

• AI platform certifications (OpenAI, Copilot, AWS AI/ML) 

• Experience with data modeling techniques (Star Schema, dimensional modeling) and enterprise analytics 

• Track record delivering compliance-sensitive applications in regulated or enterprise environments 

• Knowledge of DevOps and DataOps practices, infrastructure-as-code, and configuration management 

EDUCATION 

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent professional experience. 

WHAT WE OFFER 

• AI-Native Development: Build agentic AI systems, intelligent automation, and AI-powered applications as your primary work — not as a side initiative 

• High-Impact Engineering: Ship applications that directly drive efficiency and cost savings across a global organization 

• Modern Stack: Work with AI-assisted development tools, Azure cloud infrastructure, and emerging AI platforms daily 

• Growth Trajectory: Join during a scaling phase with clear opportunities to take on more scope as the engineering group matures 

• Technical Depth: Operate across the full stack — frontend, backend, data, infrastructure, and AI integration — not siloed into one layer 

• Governance That Makes Sense: Work in an environment where compliance and security are built into the workflow, not bolted on as blockers 

Additional Information:

The annual salary range for this position is $139,289-165,000. Placement within the salary range is based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and other factors permitted by law.

Benefits available with this position include:

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance,

• Life insurance,

• Short-term and long-term disability insurance,

• 401k,

• Flexible paid time off,

• At least 15 paid holidays per year,

• Paid sick and safe leave, and

• Paid parental leave.

Dentsu also complies with applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, in accordance with its plans and policies. For further details regarding Dentsu benefits, please visit www.dentsubenefitsplus.com.

To begin the application process, please click on the "Apply" button at the top of this job posting. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, and qualified candidates will be contacted for next steps.

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