The Company
Our client is a mature, commercially disciplined business that has made AI a deliberate part of how it operates rather than a side project. In just a few years, an informal group of enthusiasts has grown into a dedicated AI team, backed by an internal AI community and a clear mandate from leadership to deploy it wherever it earns a return. The next phase is about scale, governance and leadership, and they want someone who can drive it.

The Role
We are seeking an AI Lead to lead a dedicated AI team and own the technical direction of a live, in-house AI platform. This is a developer-first leadership role: you will stay close to the code while setting the architecture, standards and roadmap for how AI is built and used across the business. You will work with senior leaders to decide where AI delivers real value, and you will build and develop the team that delivers it.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Leading and developing a dedicated AI team of developers and business analysts
• Owning the technical direction of the AI layer, including how agents, an in-house language model and the data layer fit together
• Staying hands-on by reviewing designs, unblocking developers and building where it matters most
• Working with senior stakeholders to separate high-return AI use cases from the merely exciting
• Setting guardrails for AI-assisted development, including code review standards, quality controls and responsible use
• Helping teams outside IT build their own AI tools safely, with oversight rather than roadblocks
• Shaping the roadmap for a unified, AI-driven platform used across several business units

Skills and Experience We’re Looking For

• A strong commercial software development background in C# and .NET, with the credibility to lead developers by example
• Proven delivery of AI-enabled applications in production, including LLM APIs and agent-based solutions
• Experience leading or mentoring a technical team, ideally as a tech lead or lead developer (formal people management is advantageous)
• A sound grasp of AI concepts, limitations and risks, including quality, security and cost
• Experience with Cloud platforms
• Strong influencing skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to senior business stakeholders
• Experience setting standards for AI-assisted development

This position is based in Christchurch. If you’re ready to lead applied AI at a business that takes it seriously, please apply now or get in touch for a confidential conversation.