M

Associate AI Engineer

Medium
Full-time
On-site
Chicago
$150,000 - $200,000 USD yearly
AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation.

At AHEAD, we prioritize creating a culture of belonging, where all perspectives and voices are represented, valued, respected, and heard. We create spaces to empower everyone to speak up, make change, and drive the culture at AHEAD.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and do not discriminate based on an individual's race, national origin, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law, whether actual or perceived.

We embrace all candidates that will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives at AHEAD.

LAUNCH – Join AHEAD's Associate Development Program Our Mission: to attract and develop a diverse community of THE top IT consulting talent in the country and build AHEAD’s next generation of leaders.

LAUNCH serves as the foundation to develop our talent into high potential leaders at AHEAD. By exposing you to a variety of career paths and building your acumen across different practices in the business, we’re accelerating your growth and career trajectory at AHEAD.

Our development program is built on a foundation of technical training, completion of certifications, and shadowing, all supported by an ecosystem of AHEADians that will be part of your Launch journey, every step of the way! You’ll grow and develop key skills that will support your development as a technical and consulting expert. If you’re ready to begin an exciting career in IT Consulting, LAUNCH is where you should be!

Associate AI Engineer (Internally known as an Associate Technical Consultant)

As an Associate Engineer in LAUNCH, you will start out in a 3-month training program within our Digital Solutions Group (DSG) practice focused on AI solutions. Upon completion of LAUNCH, you will have the opportunity to work on client projects based on skillset, personal interest, and business needs.

Who we’re looking for: Think Big, Learn, and Be Curious

Innovative Thinkers

Enthusiastic Collaborators

Creative Problem Solvers

Curious Self – Starters

Responsibilities:

Ability to communicate effectively across teams, and build positive relationships

Demonstrate ability to work on teams, collaborate on projects, and contribute to the overall successful delivery of projects

Demonstrate drive and proactiveness to get things done, be solutions–oriented, and enjoy solving complex problems

Demonstrate resourcefulness, curiosity, creativity, courage, critical thinking, and a desire to use technology to search for new and innovative solutions to problems

Exercise sound reasoning, ingenuity, and inclusive perspectives to analyze issues, solve problems and make recommendations

Ability to execute, manage competing priorities, and deliver to deadlines

Qualifications:

Working knowledge of AI/ML fundamentals, including model types (transformers, embeddings, diffusion), data pipelines, and inference workflows

Proficiency in Python, with exposure to frameworks such as FastAPI, Flask

Familiarity with GenAI tooling (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, etc.) and vector stores (Pinecone, FAISS, Weaviate)

Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)

Understanding of MLOps concepts—version control (Git, DVC), CI/CD, observability, and deployment best practices

Experience in at least one of the following:

Academic or personal AI/ML projects

Internship or co-op in software or data engineering

Technical bootcamp or certificate program in AI, ML, or cloud computing

Certifications such as AWS Cloud Practitioner, Microsoft MS-900, or GCP Cloud Engineer are a plus

Excellent communication, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities

U.S. work authorization required

Experience in at least one of the below:

Graduated with a degree in technical discipline by 1/12/26

Prior intern, co-op, or research experience in IT, software, or relevant field is a plus

Successful completion in a technical–related bootcamp

$82,500 - $82,500 a year

Why AHEAD: Through our daily work and internal groups like Moving Women AHEAD and RISE AHEAD, we value and benefit from diversity of people, ideas, experience, and everything in between.

We fuel growth by stacking our office with top-notch technologies in a multi-million-dollar lab, by encouraging cross department training and development, sponsoring certifications and credentials for continued learning.

USA Employment Benefits include:

Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance

401(k)

Paid company holidays

Paid time off

Paid parental and caregiver leave

Plus more! See benefits https://www.aheadbenefits.com/ for additional details.

The compensation range indicated in this posting reflects the On-Target Earnings (“OTE”) for this role, which includes a base salary and any applicable target bonus amount. This OTE range may vary based on the candidate’s relevant experience, qualifications, and geographic location.

#J-18808-Ljbffr