Lead Java AI Engineer

About the Position

We are seeking a highly skilled Lead Java AI Engineer to take ownership of a vertical slice of an AI-driven platform, ensuring seamless development, implementation, and optimization of AI-influenced features, workflows, and systems. This role requires a hands-on approach, an AI-first mindset, and the ability to deliver high-quality solutions in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of a feature set or product area, managing development from design to delivery
• Work within the shared .claude/ environment, maintaining settings, skills, agents, and memory structures
• Update and manage CLAUDE.md as the central project reference point
• Contribute to TASKS.md to support iterative workflows and agile development
• Enhance project-level AI skills such as /commit, /wrap, /merge-to-main, and /review
• Extend agent memory capacity while adhering to design limits
• Design and implement backend and frontend features and functionality
• Build APIs, pipelines, and environments that align with architectural standards
• Ensure consistency and quality in system architecture and design principles
• Drive the creation of production-ready code using AI-enabled review tools
• Optimize development processes and workflows with AI-assisted technologies

Requirements

• Strong software engineering background with 5+ years of relevant experience
• At least 1 year of relevant leadership experience
• Expertise in Azure infrastructure, Git branching strategies, and CI/CD pipelines
• Knowledge of AI-first development practices and AI agent frameworks, MCP, model-context tools
• Proficiency in designing, implementing, and delivering fully owned vertical product slices
• Competency in clean code principles, scalable architecture, and system optimization
• Skills in gen AI-assisted development, prompt engineering, and workflow customization
• Excellent command of written and spoken English (B2+ level)

Nice to Have

• Background in AI architecture
• Familiarity with advanced AI integrations and frameworks
• Capability to innovate AI-enriched platform features independently

About the Company

EPAM Systems is a global software engineering and product development company that partners with the world’s leading brands to deliver digital transformation and technology innovation.