AI Tech Lead

Job Description

ABOUT AI CENTRAL

AI Central (AIC) is NCS's enterprise AI capability spine — the group responsible for building, productising, and deploying NCS's AI platforms and reusable assets across regulated and mission-critical sectors. AIC works at the intersection of deep AI engineering and high-stakes client environments in aviation, land transport, public safety, telecommunications, and government.

AIC is not an internal support function. It is where NCS's most differentiated AI capabilities are built, validated, and scaled — and where solutions developed in Singapore are prepared for regional deployment across Asia Pacific.

THE ROLE

Lead teams that build what matters, fast.

Join a startup-style team embedded within one of Singapore's leading technology services firms, working directly with senior leaders to transform client opportunities into AI-powered products, MVPs, and new ventures.

This is a high-impact technical leadership role for experienced builders who thrive in ambiguity, can lead multidisciplinary teams, and know how to move from problem framing to production-ready solutions. You will use AI and AI engineers as a force multiplier across research, design, engineering, and delivery, while staying accountable for real client outcomes and team development.

We are looking for technical leaders who can demonstrate that they have:

• Led the design and deployment of consequential AI/ agentic systems in production environments
• Built and mentored high-performing engineering teams
• Exercised independent business acumen, critical thinking, and technical judgement under real constraints
• Created technical foundations and architectures that others build on
• Delivered measurable business value through AI innovation

You will not be working in a sandbox or building theoretical demos. You will be leading teams to deliver in live client contexts, shaping solutions that can be tested, adopted, and scaled across the region.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

Strategic Technical Leadership

• The end-to-end AI delivery methodology and technical standards for your assigned projects
• Technical architecture decisions that balance innovation, scalability, security, and business value
• The engineering roadmap and capability development strategy for your team

Team Development & Mentorship

• Building, leading, and growing a team of AI engineers and builders
• Technical onboarding, capability development, and career progression of team members
• Fostering a culture of excellence, innovation, and continuous learning

Reusable Asset & Knowledge Management

• The reusable asset library emerging from your team's client engagements are documented, abstracted, and ready for regional adaptation
• Technical playbooks, design patterns, and best practices that enable NCS to scale AI-native delivery
• Knowledge transfer mechanisms that build organizational capability

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Technical advisory to C-suite and senior client stakeholders on AI strategy, investment priorities, and architecture decisions
• Cross-functional collaboration with sales, delivery, and product teams to shape winning propositions
• Representing NCS's AI capabilities in client engagements and industry forums

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical Leadership & Delivery

• Lead multidisciplinary teams from client problem statement to working prototype, MVP, or production-ready solution
• Define technical architecture, technology stack, and delivery approach for complex AI initiatives
• Translate ambiguous business challenges into clear product hypotheses, technical strategies, and execution roadmaps
• Oversee the building and shipping of AI-enabled solutions using the right combination of software engineering, model orchestration, automation, and design tools
• Make sound architectural trade-offs across speed, quality, security, scalability, cost, and business value
• Ensure solutions meet enterprise-grade standards for reliability, maintainability, security, and observability

Team Management & Development

• Build, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of AI engineers and builders
• Conduct technical reviews, code reviews, and architecture reviews to maintain quality standards
• Provide coaching, feedback, and career development guidance to team members
• Foster a collaborative, innovative, and psychologically safe team culture
• Identify skill gaps and drive upskilling initiatives within your team

Strategic Advisory & Thought Leadership

• Advise client technology and business leaders on AI investment priorities, architecture decisions, and build-versus-buy choices — drawing on NCS's cross-sector experience and AIC's capability base
• Shape AI strategy and roadmaps in collaboration with the Chief AI Officer, sector leads and other NCS leadership
• Contribute to NCS's AI thought leadership through whitepapers, case studies, and industry presentations
• Stay current with emerging AI tools, methods, and frameworks, and evaluate their strategic fit for NCS and our clients

Process & Methodology Innovation

• Drive fast experiments and iterative delivery cycles to validate desirability, feasibility, and value
• Establish and continuously improve engineering practices, delivery methodologies, and quality standards
• Contribute reusable patterns, playbooks, and working practices that help NCS scale AI-native delivery across sectors and geographies
• Champion responsible AI principles, including fairness, transparency, privacy, and governance

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with sales and account teams to shape technical proposals and win strategies
• Collaborate with product managers to define product vision, roadmap, and feature prioritization
• Partner with infrastructure and security teams to ensure solutions meet enterprise standards
• Engage with regional teams to enable knowledge transfer and solution adaptation

THIS ROLE IS FOR YOU IF…

You are a proven technical leader

• You have successfully led engineering teams to deliver complex AI/ML solutions in production
• You balance hands-on technical contribution with strategic leadership and team development
• You can inspire, mentor, and grow engineering talent

You thrive in ambiguity and create clarity

• You are energised by ambiguity and know how to create clarity through action and leadership
• You are comfortable defining scope, shaping approach, and driving execution across multiple workstreams
• You make sound decisions with incomplete information and adapt as context evolves

You combine technical depth with business acumen

• You combine deep technical expertise with product instinct, business understanding, and strong judgement
• You can translate between technical complexity and business value
• You understand how to prioritize based on client impact and strategic value

You are an effective communicator and influencer

• You work well with senior stakeholders and can challenge assumptions constructively
• You can articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• You build trust and credibility through transparency and delivery

You are AI-fluent and forward-thinking

• You use AI fluently in your day-to-day workflow as a practical multiplier across design, code, research, and delivery
• You stay current with AI innovation and can separate hype from practical value
• You understand the limitations and risks of AI systems, not just their capabilities

You are outcome-focused

• You care about shipping real solutions that solve meaningful client problems
• You move quickly, but you also know where quality, trust, and maintainability matter most
• You measure success by client impact and team growth, not just technical sophistication 

Qualifications

Required

• Leadership Experience: 2+ years of experience leading engineering teams (3+ engineers) in delivering complex software or AI/ML solutions; 5+ years of overall AI/ technical experience
• Technical Expertise:
  • Strong hands-on engineering ability in Python, JavaScript, or similar languages
  • Deep experience building and integrating production-grade AI/ML applications
  • Proven track record architecting scalable, secure, and maintainable systems
• AI/ML Delivery: Demonstrated experience delivering AI, machine learning, or generative AI solutions in real-world, production settings with measurable business impact
• Modern AI Tooling: Strong understanding of modern AI tooling, including:
  • LLM application patterns and orchestration frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex)
  • Model deployment, monitoring, and evaluation approaches
  • Automation platforms and MLOps practices
  • Model limitations, risks, and responsible AI considerations
• Engineering Discipline: Ability to balance experimentation with sound engineering discipline, including security, reliability, observability, and maintainability
• Communication & Stakeholder Management:
  • Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
  • Ability to translate business needs into technical execution
  • Experience advising at the executive level
• Autonomy & Delivery: Proven ability to work independently, navigate ambiguity, lead through uncertainty, and deliver outcomes at pace

Good to Have

• Industry Experience:
  • Experience in consulting, venture building, startup environments, or innovation teams
  • Experience deploying AI solutions in enterprise or regulated environments — aviation, land transport, public safety, telecommunications, or government
  • Understanding of compliance requirements in regulated sectors
• Technical Breadth:
  • Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), APIs, CI/CD, analytics, and observability tools
  • Experience with infrastructure-as-code, containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and cloud-native architectures
  • Knowledge of data engineering, data governance, and data quality practices

Additional Information

WHY JOIN NCS

• Lead high-impact AI transformation programmes for major enterprises and public-sector organisations
• Move beyond traditional advisory work to help turn AI strategies into working solutions and measurable outcomes
• Work alongside multidisciplinary teams spanning consulting, AI, engineering, data science, product, and design
• Help build reusable AI capabilities that can scale across NCS and Asia Pacific

WHY SINGAPORE

• Asia’s innovation hub: Build your career in a leading global technology and AI ecosystem.
• Regional exposure: Work on impactful projects with opportunities spanning Asia Pacific.
• Global & multicultural: English-speaking, internationally connected, and home to talent from around the world.
• Exceptional quality of life: Enjoy a safe, clean and well-connected city with excellent public transport, healthcare and infrastructure.
• Gateway to Asia: Exceptional connectivity makes travelling across Asia and beyond easy.
• Work, live & explore: A vibrant city with world-class food, culture, nature and experiences.

We are driven by our AEIOU beliefs—Adventure, Excellence, Integrity, Ownership, and Unity—and we seek individuals who embody these values in both their professional and personal lives. We are committed to our Impact: Valuing our clients, Growing our people, and Creating our future.

Together, we make the extraordinary happen.

Learn more about us at ncs.co and visit our LinkedIn career site.

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