About the job
About the Role
At Radiant Industries, we are in the process of assembling a dynamic new team dedicated to managing our internal data infrastructure, executive analytics, and AI capabilities. In the capacity of Technical Lead (Director), you will play a pivotal role in shaping the technical vision for the team. This includes architecting our data platform, spearheading our AI strategy, and making informed decisions regarding build versus buy options.
This position blends leadership with hands-on expertise. You will guide the technical direction and mentor a talented group of engineers, while also getting involved in coding when necessary. A critical aspect of your role will be to oversee the evaluation of AI vendors, ensuring that we adhere to ITAR/EAR security requirements, as conventional AI tools are not readily compliant.
Key Responsibilities
Define Technical Direction: Design the architecture for our data platform (including Databricks, Fivetran, dbt) and AI tools, and guide the build-vs-buy decisions.
Own AI Strategy: Assess and select AI platforms (such as chatbots and enterprise search tools) that fulfill security requirements; lead the RAG evaluation process in the second half of the year.
Lead Technical Delivery: Ensure the successful integration of ION-Ramp, dashboards, and AI tools; be hands-on as required.
Mentor Engineers: Establish the technical standard for recruitment; foster the development of DevOps and Data Platform Engineers within the team.
Collaborate with Software Engineering: Work alongside the Software Engineering team to manage shared Databricks infrastructure, ensuring seamless coexistence of operational and engineering workloads.
Navigate Security Compliance: Partner with IT/Security teams to confirm that all technical decisions meet ITAR/EAR compliance standards.
Qualifications
Required
10+ years of experience in software or data engineering, with a strong foundation in AI/ML applications.
In-depth knowledge of the AI landscape, enabling vendor tool evaluation, understanding of RAG architectures, and guidance on build-vs-buy decisions.
Experience in data platform architecture, including design and implementation of systems on Databricks, Snowflake, or similar platforms.
Proven technical leadership skills, capable of setting direction, mentoring engineers, and effectively interacting with non-technical stakeholders.
Hands-on coding ability; you are a player-coach who can contribute code as needed, not just design diagrams.
Preferred
Experience in the hardware, aerospace, or defense sectors, with an understanding of manufacturing data, supply chain systems, and the complexities of physical production.
