Senior Agentic AI Lead

JOB SUMMARY Our client is bringing an existing product in-house that has, to date, been built and managed by a US-based development partner. We're looking for the most senior Agentic AI professional we can find in the Philippines to take ownership of this product going forward — someone with the technical depth of a quantum computing specialist, but applied to agentic AI systems, and the maturity to lead a small technical pod while working directly with the business. This is a hands-on leadership role: part senior engineer, part product owner, part governance lead. You'll be the technical anchor for the product, responsible for architecture, security, and delivery, while also mentoring and directing a developer focused on training the company's Small Language Models (SLMs). JOB RESPONSIBILITIES Own the technical direction of an agentic AI product being transitioned from an external US vendor to an in-house team Lead a small pod, including a developer dedicated to SLM training, setting priorities and reviewing their work Design and build using Claude Code, Postgres, and Rust as the core stack Establish and enforce governance operations — data handling, model behavior, access controls, and change management Embed application security thinking into every layer of the architecture, from code to deployment Bring genuine business acumen to technical decisions — balancing customer needs, cost, and delivery timelines Manage requirements and delivery through Jira, maintain the codebase in GitHub, and coordinate UI build-out via Loveable Produce clear, thorough documentation for architecture, processes, and product decisions Act as the primary technical point of contact for leadership and the incoming customer base QUALIFICATIONS Proven, senior-level experience in agentic AI systems — this is not an entry- or mid-level position Deep technical rigor comparable to someone with a quantum computing or similarly advanced technical background Hands-on experience training Small Language Models (SLMs) Strong working knowledge of enterprise-class systems: scalability, reliability, and security at production scale A security-first mindset — able to identify and mitigate application security risks proactively Experience with Claude Code, Postgres, and Rust (or clear ability to ramp quickly across this stack) Familiarity with GitHub, Jira, and ideally Loveable Track record of leading or mentoring other engineers Strong documentation habits and excellent written and verbal communication Solid project management skills — able to plan, prioritize, and deliver against timelines with minimal oversight Product-minded: comfortable thinking about the end customer, not just the code