Lead AI Engineer, NLQ, Agentic Systems

Upwork

Lead AI Engineer developing AI-powered frameworks and NLQ capabilities at Upwork. Bridging data engineering with emerging AI to enhance decision-making and democratize data access.

Posted 4/16/2026full-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $151,500 - $215,500 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

PythonSQL

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design and implement scalable agentic frameworks that coordinate multiple AI agents to deliver accurate and reliable outcomes.
Build and optimize natural language query solutions that provide compliant, intuitive, and self-service access to enterprise data.
Develop and maintain evaluation frameworks for LLMs and prompts, driving measurable improvements in accuracy, scalability, and resilience.
Partner with data engineering peers to integrate AI orchestration with Python, SQL, and Snowflake pipelines.
Contribute to AI-powered summarization and explanation tools that enhance reporting, insights, and executive reviews.
Collaborate cross-functionally with product, analytics, and business teams to ensure solutions meet measurable business goals.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Proven experience delivering AI-powered data systems in production, including hands-on expertise with LLMs and prompt engineering.
Strong foundation in modern data engineering, with proficiency in Python, SQL, and platforms such as Snowflake.
Demonstrated ability to design agentic orchestration frameworks that scale across diverse business scenarios.
A collaborative problem-solver with strong communication skills, able to align stakeholders and create clarity across teams.
Growth mindset—excited to learn, iterate, and deliver measurable business outcomes through applied AI.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Comprehensive medical coverage for you and your family
Unlimited PTO
401(k) plan with matching
12 weeks of paid parental leave
Employee Stock Purchase Plan

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

AI frameworksnatural language processingLLMsprompt engineeringdata engineeringPythonSQLSnowflakeAI orchestrationscalability

Soft Skills

collaborative problem-solvingstrong communicationstakeholder alignmentclarity creationgrowth mindset