AI Team Lead

Remote | Full-Time | Senior Level | Engineering Team

About ScholarshipOwl

ScholarshipOwl is the largest scholarship marketplace in the U.S., connecting over 11 million Gen Z students with private scholarships — and the brands that power them. Our mission is to make education financing more accessible and engaging, while giving brands a consent-driven way to connect with the next generation.

We’re powered by AI technology that simplifies scholarship discovery, streamlines the application process, and delivers measurable results for both students and partners. Whether it’s helping students secure funding or enabling brands to run impactful campaigns, we’re reshaping how education is funded — and discovered.

The Role

We’re looking for a hands-on and strategic  AI Team Lead  to drive the growth of our AI / ML capabilities. You’ll lead a small, high-impact team focused on building intelligent systems that power everything from personalized scholarship recommendations to AI-enhanced content and search.

You’ll have the opportunity to own the technical roadmap, guide the development of ML pipelines, and explore cutting-edge solutions in  LLMs, RAG, Recommender Systems, and Computer Vision . If you're excited about building AI that makes a real-world difference — and mentoring engineers in a fast-paced startup environment — this is the role for you.

What You’ll Do

Lead and mentor a remote-first team of Machine Learning Engineers

Architect, develop, and deploy scalable machine learning solutions in production

Define our AI strategy across use cases like LLMs, search, recommendations, and CV

Ensure high-quality delivery and best practices across ML lifecycle (data → model → monitoring)

Collaborate with product, engineering, and sales teams to align AI with company goals

Stay up to date with the latest research and bring innovative approaches to our stack

Balance technical hands-on work with leadership, mentorship, and strategic planning

Our Stack

We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all, but here’s what we’re currently using :

Languages & Frameworks : Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Transformers, Scikit-learn, Numpy, Pandas

ML Ecosystem : HuggingFace, MLflow, Langchain, LLamaIndex

Vector BDs : Strong preferences for BigQuery and Pinecone

Cloud Platform : Google Cloud (GCP)

Workflow & DevOps : Docker, GitLab, CI / CD pipelines, basic MLOps tools

What We’re Looking For

2+ years in machine learning engineering

Previous experience as an ML Engineer within an application company, understanding the nuances of integrating ML into end-user products.

Strong experience with  deep learning ,  ML pipelines , and  production deployments

Hands-on background in one or more of the following :

LLMs / RAG systems

Computer Vision

Recommendation Engines

Solid understanding of  SQL  and distributed system fundamentals

Familiarity with  MLOps  and cloud-native tools (AWS, Azure, or GCP)

Clear communicator who thrives in async-first, remote collaboration

Curious, proactive, and pragmatic — you know when to experiment and when to ship

Why Join ScholarshipOwl?

Mission-Driven Work  – Build technology that helps students unlock education opportunities

Fully Remote  – Work from anywhere while collaborating with a global team

High Impact & Ownership  – Small team, big challenges, real autonomy

Unlimited PTO  – Take time when you need it, we trust you

Home Office Budget  – $200 / month to invest in your ideal remote workspace

Continuous Learning Culture  – We support curiosity, experimentation, and growth

Annual Company Offsites  – Meet your teammates in person and connect beyond the screen

Ready to lead and build something meaningful?

Apply now and help us shape the future of AI-powered education.