Senior AI Engineer

Senior AI Engineer

Zendesk

Lisbon, Portugal

Role Overview:

As a Senior AI Engineer, you will be a cornerstone of our technical strategy, leading the charge in building and deploying sophisticated AI systems, with a heavy focus on Large Language Models (LLMs) and Agentic Architectures.

You will not just build models; you will architect the future of our intelligent ecosystem. You will bridge the gap between deep technical implementation and high-level business strategy, ensuring that every line of code translates into measurable enterprise value. Your unique ability to weave complex AI concepts into actionable, stakeholder-ready narratives will be key to driving adoption and scaling our AI-first vision across the entire organization.

Key Responsibilities:

• Take full accountability for business KPIs (e.g., churn, AI adoption) by deeply understanding user workflows to ensure we build the right solutions, not just technically sound ones.
• Design, build, and deploy production-grade LLM applications - including agents, context engineering, and text-to-SQL - owning the entire journey from prototype to global scale.
• Establish rigorous evaluation frameworks and automated feedback loops to measure system accuracy, capture user outcomes, and drive relentless iteration.
• Develop high-performance Python services and APIs that seamlessly integrate advanced AI capabilities into our modern web ecosystem.
• Architect and maintain the underlying data foundations using Snowflake, dbt, and Airflow to ensure our AI products are powered by robust, reliable data.
• Act as a technical translator for non-technical partners, demystifying complex AI concepts to bridge the gap between engineering and business operations.
• Champion the latest advancements in LLMs and agentic architectures while leveraging AI-assisted development tools (Cursor, Claude Code) to maximize delivery velocity.

What We are Looking For:

Education & Experience:

• 3+ years' experience in AI engineering, Data Science, Machine Learning, or a related field.
• BA/BS in Computer Science, Data Science, or related discipline (advanced degree is highly preferred).

Business Acumen & User Focus:

• A proven track record of shipping production-grade intelligent systems (ML models, AI features, or recommendation engines) and refining them through rigorous feedback loops and real-world user impact.
• You form data-driven opinions on the product roadmap, grounded in a deep understanding of user needs and behavioral data.
• Experience engaging directly with users to deconstruct their workflows, ensuring your technical architecture is always driven by solving actual friction points.
• Exceptional ability to build trusted relationships with cross-functional partners, acting as a strategic consultant who bridges the gap between complex AI logic and business operations.

Technical Expertise:

• Proven expertise in architecting and benchmarking LLM-native applications, including autonomous agents and LLM workflows.
• Fluency in agentic design patterns, advanced prompt/context engineering, and rigorous model evaluation methodologies.
• Strong Python skills tailored for both high-performance AI logic and scalable backend service architecture.
• Advanced SQL capabilities with extensive experience navigating and optimizing large-scale cloud data environments.
• Strong command of backend API design and a solid understanding of the full web development lifecycle.
• Familiarity with the modern data stack, specifically Snowflake, dbt, and Airflow, to manage the flow of AI-ready data.
• Experience integrating AI-native development workflows (Cursor, Claude Code, or Copilot) to drive elite delivery speed.
• Functional knowledge of frontend technologies, particularly React, to ensure seamless AI integration into the user interface.

Communication & Collaboration:

• Ability to articulate complex AI logic as clear business value, ensuring technical roadmaps are understood and adopted by non-technical stakeholders.
• Proven history of operating effectively at the intersection of engineering, product, and analytics, driving alignment across diverse high-impact teams.
• Drive for self-improvement and knowledge sharing, with a deep-seated commitment to building inclusive, high-performing, and psychologically safe environments.