Founding AI/ML Engineer (Private Equity - NYC)

LOCATION New York
SALARY $200,000 - $300,000

Founding AI/ML Engineer

Who We Are

We’re a Private Equity / investment firm embarking on setting up our A.I. specific arm of the company. The goal is to build AI-powered tools to transform how we manage due diligence, investor relations, and portfolio operations across more than 50 portfolio companies.

Our leadership team is deeply invested in building this capability from the ground up. We’ve completed our first proof-of-concept project with a contract engineer and now we’re ready to bring on a Founding AI/ML Engineer to own and expand this function.

This is a rare opportunity to join a greenfield initiative — you’ll have full ownership over the technical direction, collaborate directly with leadership, and build tools that have both internal and portfolio-wide impact.

 

What’s The Job

As the Founding AI/ML Engineer, you’ll be the driving force behind the design, development, and deployment of our core AI and data products. You’ll operate across the full stack — from data infrastructure and modeling to product integration — with the autonomy to shape our systems and tooling choices.

 

What You’ll Do:

  • Lead development of internal AI systems from scratch — including RAG pipelines, intelligent document processing (e.g. automating DDQ and NDA workflows), and investor relations tools.

  • Partner closely with the Head of Product to define requirements and co-develop solutions for both internal operations and portfolio companies.

  • Build production-ready models that can be customized and deployed across 50+ portfolio companies, supporting a range of use cases.

  • Work hands-on across the stack (Python, SQL, backend integrations) to ship features quickly and iterate based on feedback.

  • Collaborate directly with leadership — including the CEO, Head of Investments, and Product team — to identify new opportunities where AI can improve efficiency and insight.

  • Define the long-term technical roadmap, making key decisions on frameworks, infrastructure, and best practices (current preference is PyTorch, but you’ll have the freedom to choose).

This is not a pure research or data science role — it’s an applied engineering position where you’ll translate ideas into usable, production-ready systems.

 

What Skills We’re Looking For

Core Profile:

  • Strong Computer Science background (Bachelor’s or Master’s from a top university preferred).

  • 3–10 years of hands-on experience in Software + ML engineering.

  • Proven experience taking projects end-to-end — from concept to production — not just analysis or experimentation.

  • Deep technical skills across Python, data pipelines, model development, backend architecture, and AI/ML application.

  • Familiarity with latest AI technologies & tools; fine-tuning models, RAGs etc.

  • Comfortable in a blank-slate environment with minimal existing infrastructure.

  • Excited by both the technical and business impact of their work — able to propose and own new ideas that improve efficiency and outcomes.

Bonus / Preferred Backgrounds:

  • Experience at both Big Tech (technical rigor) and startups (ownership and agility).

  • Prior exposure to building or deploying AI tools in production.

  • Strong communication skills — able to collaborate with product and business stakeholders effectively.

  • Entrepreneurial mindset — enjoys working independently with high autonomy and accountability.

Who typically isn’t a fit:

  • Specialists limited to data science, consulting, or research-only roles.

  • Engineers who haven’t owned full product lifecycles or operated without large support teams.

 

Compensation:

  • $200,000 - $300,000 Base Salary + Bonus (based on experience)

  • Full benefits package

 

Why This Opportunity?

This is a foundational hire — a chance to define the AI vision, architecture, and culture for an organization that’s serious about using technology to transform an industry. You’ll have the autonomy of a startup engineer, the resources of an established firm, and the opportunity to shape products that touch dozens of companies.

APPLY NOW
John Birchall

Director, Data Science & Data Engineering

(646) 766-9575
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