Manager, Engineering (Software & AI)

Berkley•Urbandale, IA

4h•$127,000 - $165,000

About The Position

The Manager, Engineering (Software & AI) is a hands‑on, solutions‑focused engineering leader responsible for leading cross‑disciplinary teams of data engineers and software / AI engineers. This working manager role balances people leadership with direct technical contribution and is accountable for delivering practical, high‑quality solutions within approved scope and timelines.

Requirements

3–10 years in software and/or data engineering, with proven leadership experience.
Experienced in leading mixed teams of data, software, and AI engineers.
Expertise in modern application architectures and solution patterns.
Hands-on background designing and deploying AI/machine learning solutions in production.
Strong grasp of applied machine learning: model training, evaluation, and iteration.
Experience with generative AI and LLMs for real use cases, such as document processing and decision support.
Practical knowledge of prompt engineering, grounding, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG).
Skilled at integrating AI into end-to-end application workflows.
Extensive Databricks experience for data engineering, analytics, and AI solutions.
Able to design/manage data pipelines and feature preparation for AI and analytics workloads.
Understanding of data quality, governance, security, and lineage.
Experience delivering AI solutions in enterprise or regulated settings, aware of privacy and responsible AI requirements.
Proven ability to mentor and guide engineering teams toward practical, timely outcomes.
Sound judgment balancing accuracy, speed, cost, and complexity in AI solutions.
Experience in data modernization efforts utilizing Databricks.
Proficient in Python and object-oriented programming.
Demonstrated record of delivering business-focused solutions within timelines.
Strong communication skills; effective with senior technical and business stakeholders.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop cross-functional teams of data, software, and AI engineers, overseeing engineering initiatives that deliver scalable, secure, and production-ready application, data, analytics, and AI solutions with a strong focus on Databricks and modern data platforms.
Drive engineering programs from inception through execution, actively contributing as a hands-on manager in architecture, design, code reviews, and technical problem solving to ensure alignment with approved standards and timelines.
Champion AI and data modernization strategies, translating business needs into executable solutions while proactively managing risks, dependencies, and tradeoffs across all engineering initiatives.
Establish and reinforce engineering standards, monitor key metrics, and foster continuous improvement, talent development, and performance management across disciplines.
Partner with senior leaders and stakeholders, clearly communicating progress and decisions to ensure business priorities are met.