AI Software Team Lead

Musashi AI North America, Inc. is a growing hardware and software focused company that builds smart vision solutions for quality assurance in manufacturing environments. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, Musashi AI North America employs a talented and dynamic team of R&D and Applications Engineers who lead design, prototyping, and testing efforts to drive new technology development, build innovative products, and support our deployed solutions.

The
AI Team Lead
, responsible for prioritizing team tasks, defining growth plans, and ensuring high team performance, will lead the development, deployment, integration, and ongoing maintenance of AI/ML solutions across the organization. This role focuses on transitioning AI/ML research and prototypes into robust, scalable production systems while ensuring continuous operation, performance optimization, and adaptability to evolving business needs. As a team lead, you will be both a
hands-on contributor and strategic leader
, managing a high-performing team of AI/ML engineers. You will be responsible for
setting the technical direction and AI strategy
,
prioritizing tasks
,
defining team structure
,
establishing KPIs
, and
driving team growth and development
. The role will be roughly
30% leadership and 70% hands-on
, balancing technical execution with leadership and mentoring responsibilities. The team lead will collaborate with cross-functional teams including optics, electrical and robotics, and dashboard analytics, and will influence strategic initiatives that drive cost reduction, productivity improvements, and long-term value.

Reports to:
Director of Engineering

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Math, or a related field. Preferably P.Eng or master's in Computer Science, Software Engineering.
• 10+ years of experience designing, deploying, and maintaining AI/ML solutions in production environments, including 5+ years in technical leadership or architecture roles.
• Deep experience with state-of-the-art computer vision algorithms and their real-world applications.
• Proficiency in Python, C, C++, and libraries such as OpenCV and CUDA.
• Expertise with frameworks such as TensorFlow and/or PyTorch.
• Experience productizing ML models with tools like CUDA, TensorRT, TFLite, and model quantization.
• Strong understanding of edge computing technologies (e.g., Nvidia GPUs) and cloud computing platforms.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and MLOps practices for deploying and updating ML systems.
• Proven ability to create, manage, and deploy deep learning datasets for computer vision tasks.
• Experience in industrial automation, automated inspection systems, or robotics is a strong asset.
• Strong mathematical, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and collaborate effectively in a team environment.

Job Responsibilities:

This role combines both
strategic leadership
and
hands-on execution
. To make the blend of responsibilities clear, they are grouped together below, showing how the AI Team Lead balances direction setting, team management, and direct technical contributions.

Strategic Leadership

• Ability to drive measurable business outcomes and communicating impact to leadership.
• Define the technical direction and long-term AI/ML strategy for Musashi AI North America.
• Provide strategic guidance on project planning, cost, risk management, and deployment feasibility.
• Define team structure, establish performance KPIs, and drive growth strategies for the AI/ML team.
• Prioritize engineering efforts and balance workloads across projects to meet key milestones.
• Present project updates, performance metrics, and future plans to internal stakeholders and leadership.

Operational & Hands-On Execution

• Lead the end-to-end deployment and integration of AI/ML models into production systems with a focus on scalability, performance, and robustness.
• Translate computer vision research and IP into production-ready, maintainable systems.
• Oversee maintenance and performance monitoring of deployed systems, ensuring minimal downtime and continuous improvement.
• Define and test models against production metrics and business KPIs.
• Conduct applied research to support product development and troubleshoot production issues.
• Monitor and evaluate new trends and technologies in AI/ML to guide internal strategy and tool adoption.
• Mentor junior engineers and drive team growth through recruitment, training, and performance development, fostering best practices across AI/ML and engineering teams.
• Travel to client and Musashi locations as needed for project execution and collaboration.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with system monitoring, alerting, and observability tools for production AI.
• Understanding of cybersecurity best practices for ML systems in industrial environments.

Personal Attributes:

• Creative and analytical thinker with a proactive and solution-oriented mindset.
• Strong time management and organizational skills.
• Confident communicator who can convey complex technical ideas across teams.
• Professional, mature, and composed under pressure.
• Initiative-driven and comfortable leading through ambiguity.
• Collaborative and respectful team member who uplifts peers and contributes to team culture.

Musashi AI North America Expectations:

• Uphold company values, policies, and ethical standards.
• Be a champion of the Musashi Philosophy and 5S principles.
• Maintain adherence to all safety protocols and procedures.
• Contribute to the achievement of company and departmental goals.
• Engage constructively with peers and cross-functional collaborators.

Please note: This job description is not exhaustive. Duties and responsibilities may change at any time based on business needs.