Senior AI Engineer Job at Inference Group (Cape Town)

Senior AI Engineer

Inference Group

Location:
South Africa , Cape Town

Category:
IT - Software Development

Contract Type:
Not provided

Salary:

Not provided

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Job Description:

We’re looking for a Senior AI Engineer to help lead, shape, and scale our AI engineering practice - someone who loves getting their hands dirty in the code and stepping back to guide the bigger picture. This role goes well beyond individual contribution. You’ll set technical direction, raise the bar on best practice, mentor and grow other engineers, and act as a trusted senior technical voice for both clients and internal teams. You’ll work closely with leadership to define how AI engineering is delivered at Inference Group as we scale and have real influence over the direction we take. This is a high-impact role for someone who thrives at the intersection of software engineering, data science, and AI, enjoys ownership, and gets genuine satisfaction from building something and helping others do great work.

Job Responsibility:

Design, develop, and deploy AI and machine learning solutions using the Microsoft Azure ecosystem
Build, train, fine-tune, and evaluate machine learning models using large, real-world data sets
Own AI solutions end-to-end — from data ingestion and modelling through to deployment, monitoring, and optimisation
Lead the delivery of scalable, production-ready AI solutions, embedding strong MLOps practices
Continuously assess and improve model performance, accuracy, and reliability
Oversee AI/ML delivery across multiple client engagements, ensuring consistency and quality
Set technical standards for architecture, coding, deployment, and performance across AI projects
Mentor and coach AI Engineers and junior team members
Review and guide technical work to ensure solutions are secure, ethical, maintainable, and scalable
Help shape and evolve our AI engineering best practices, documentation, and delivery frameworks
Support hiring, onboarding, and growing the AI engineering team as the business scales
Act as a senior technical contact, able to explain AI concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
Partner with consultants, data engineers, and delivery leads to turn business challenges into effective AI solutions
Contribute to strategic conversations, helping clients understand how AI can create meaningful, long-term value

Requirements:

5–8+ years’ experience in AI/ML, data engineering, or software engineering, including time in a senior or lead role
A proven track record of delivering end-to-end AI/ML solutions into production
Experience mentoring engineers or acting as a technical lead on projects
Strong architectural thinking
Confidence making technical decisions and taking ownership of outcomes
The ability to communicate clearly and collaborate across technical and non-technical teams
A genuine interest in emerging AI technologies and a commitment to continuous learning
Strong experience with Microsoft Azure, including some or all of: Azure Machine Learning (Azure ML), Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Data Lake Storage, Azure Cosmos DB, Azure SQL Database, Azure DevOps, Power BI, Azure OpenAI Service

What we offer:

Hands-on experience
Mentorship
Access to the latest technologies
Ongoing training and certifications

Additional Information:

Job Posted:
February 14, 2026

Work Type:

Hybrid work

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