Technical Lead (Artificial Intelligence)

NCS is a leading AI Technology Services Firm with a 15,000-strong team across Asia Pacific. We combine platforms, capabilities, deep domain expertise, AI, and digital resilience to help clients move with greater agility and drive real business impact. NCS is a subsidiary of the Singtel Group.

THE ROLE

Lead teams that build what matters, fast.

Join a startup-style team within one of Singapore's leading technology services firms, working 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, lead multidisciplinary teams, and 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 remaining accountable for client outcomes and team development.

We are looking for technical leaders who have:

Led the design and deployment of consequential AI/agentic systems in production

Built and mentored high-performing engineering teams

Demonstrated 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 lead teams delivering in live client environments, shaping solutions that can be tested, adopted, and scaled across the region.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

Strategic Technical Leadership

End-to-end AI delivery methodology and technical standards

Architecture decisions balancing innovation, scalability, security, and business value

Engineering roadmaps and team capability development

Build, lead, and grow a team of AI engineers and builders

Drive technical onboarding, capability development, and career progression

Foster excellence, innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning

Reusable Assets & Knowledge

Ensure reusable assets from client engagements are documented, abstracted, and ready for regional adaptation

Develop technical playbooks, design patterns, and best practices to scale AI-native delivery

Establish knowledge transfer mechanisms that build organisational capability

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

Advise C-suite and senior stakeholders on AI strategy, investment priorities, and architecture

Collaborate with sales, delivery, and product teams to shape winning propositions

Represent NCS's AI capabilities in client engagements and industry forums

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Technical Leadership & Delivery

Lead multidisciplinary teams from client problems to prototypes, MVPs, and production-ready solutions

Define architecture, technology stack, and delivery approach for complex AI initiativesTranslate ambiguous business challenges into product hypotheses, technical strategies, and execution roadmaps

Oversee AI-enabled solutions using software engineering, model orchestration, automation, and design tools

Make architectural trade-offs across speed, quality, security, scalability, cost, and business value

Ensure enterprise standards for reliability, maintainability, security, and observability

Team Management & Development

Build, mentor, and grow high-performing AI engineering teams

Conduct technical, code, and architecture reviews

Provide coaching, feedback, and career development

Foster a collaborative, innovative, and psychologically safe culture

Identify skill gaps and drive upskilling

Strategic Advisory & Thought Leadership

Advise technology and business leaders on AI investments, architecture, and build-versus-buy decisions, drawing on NCS's cross-sector experience and AIC capabilities

Shape AI strategy and roadmaps with the Chief AI Officer, sector leads, and NCS leadership

Contribute to whitepapers, case studies, and industry presentations

Evaluate emerging AI tools, methods, and frameworks for NCS and our clients

Process & Methodology Innovation

Drive rapid experiments and iterative delivery to validate desirability, feasibility, and value

Continuously improve engineering practices, delivery methodologies, and quality standards

Develop reusable patterns and playbooks to scale AI-native delivery across sectors and geographies

Champion responsible AI, including fairness, transparency, privacy, and governance

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work with sales and account teams on technical proposals and win strategies

Collaborate with product managers on product vision, roadmaps, and priorities

Partner with infrastructure and security teams to meet enterprise standards

Enable knowledge transfer and solution adaptation across regional teams

You are a proven technical leader

You have led engineering teams delivering 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

You create clarity through action and leadership

You define scope, shape approaches, and drive multiple workstreams

You make sound decisions with incomplete information and adapt as context evolves

You combine technical depth with business acumen

You combine technical expertise with product instinct, business understanding, and strong judgement

You translate technical complexity into business value

You prioritise based on client impact and strategic value

You communicate and influence effectively

You engage senior stakeholders and challenge assumptions constructively

You articulate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences

You build trust through transparency and delivery

You are AI-fluent and forward-thinking

You use AI as a practical multiplier across design, code, research, and delivery

You stay current with AI innovation and separate hype from practical valueYou understand AI systems' limitations, risks, and capabilities

You are outcome-focused

You care about shipping solutions that solve meaningful client problems

You move quickly while maintaining quality, trust, and maintainability

You measure success by client impact and team growth

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

Education: Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field. Equivalent practical experience is valued

Leadership: 2+ years leading engineering teams (3+ engineers) delivering complex software or AI/ML solutions; 5+ years overall AI/technical experience

AI/ML Delivery: Experience delivering AI, ML, or generative AI solutions in production with measurable business impact

Modern AI Tooling: Understanding of LLM application patterns and orchestration frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex); model deployment, monitoring and evaluation; automation platforms and MLOps; model limitations, risks, and responsible AI

Engineering Discipline: Ability to balance experimentation with security, reliability, observability, and maintainability

Stakeholder Management: Strong communication skills, ability to translate business needs into technical execution, and experience advising executives

Autonomy: Ability to work independently, navigate ambiguity, lead through uncertainty, and deliver at pace

Good to Have

Experience in consulting, venture building, startups, or innovation teams

Experience deploying AI in enterprise or regulated environments such as aviation, land transport, public safety, telecommunications, or government

Understanding of compliance requirements in regulated sectors

Familiarity with AWS, Azure, GCP, APIs, CI/CD, analytics, and observability tools

Experience with infrastructure-as-code, Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud-native architectures

Knowledge of data engineering, governance, and data quality

WHY JOIN NCS

Lead high-impact AI transformation programmes for major enterprises and public-sector organisations

Turn AI strategies into working solutions and measurable outcomes

Work across consulting, AI, engineering, data science, product, and design

Build reusable AI capabilities that 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 across Asia Pacific

Global & multicultural: English-speaking, internationally connected, and home to global talent

Exceptional quality of life: Safe, clean, well-connected, with excellent public transport, healthcare, and infrastructure

Gateway to Asia: Excellent connectivity across Asia and beyond

Work, live & explore: World‑class food, culture, nature, and experiences

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