Lead AI Engineer - Conversational AI & Semantic Search (Databricks / LangChain)

We are seeking a Lead AI Engineer to design, build, and deploy an AI-powered chatbot/agent on Databricks, similar in architecture to an existing internal tool (LangGraph/LangChain orchestration + vector database semantic search) but applied to a new business use case. The ideal candidate can work independently, reverse-engineer/inherit concepts from prior implementations, and own the solution from prototype through production deployment.

Responsibilities

• Design and build a conversational AI / agentic application using LangChain and/or LangGraph, deployed on Databricks
• Implement semantic search / retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines using vector embeddings and a vector database (e.g., Databricks Vector Search, Chroma, Pinecone, FAISS)
• Define and tune similarity-matching logic (embedding models, distance metrics, thresholding, ranking of "% match" style results)
• Integrate with data sources (Databricks Unity Catalog tables, Delta Lake, APIs) to source and prepare the underlying knowledge base/corpus
• Own the ML/LLMOps lifecycle: experimentation, evaluation, versioning, deployment, and monitoring of the chatbot in production
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to translate a new use case into technical requirements
• Write clean, maintainable, well-documented Python code and establish testing and CI/CD practices for the AI application
• Ensure appropriate handling of data privacy, access control, and cost management (token usage, compute)

Requirements

• 5+ years of software/ML engineering experience, with at least 1 year working directly with LLM-based applications
• Proficiency in Python, including building, debugging, and refactoring production-grade code
• Expertise in LLM orchestration frameworks such as LangChain and/or LangGraph, including agent design, chains, tool calling, and state/memory management
• Skills in vector databases, embeddings, and semantic search, including generating embeddings, indexing them in a vector store, and implementing similarity search or RAG retrieval
• Familiarity with the Databricks platform, including notebooks, jobs, clusters, and Unity Catalog
• Experience calling and prompt-engineering against LLM providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Azure OpenAI
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience)
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to work with limited handoff documentation and ambiguous requirements
• English proficiency at B2 level or higher

Nice to have

• Knowledge of MLOps/LLMOps tooling such as MLflow, model/prompt versioning, and evaluation frameworks for LLM outputs
• Background in API/backend development using FastAPI, Flask, or similar, for exposing the chatbot as a service
• Familiarity with front-end/chat interface integration, wiring a backend agent to a chat UI

We offer

With us you can:

• Work on a flexible schedule remotely or from any of our comfortable offices or coworking spaces in Ukraine
• Receive the necessary equipment to perform your work tasks
• Change projects and technology stacks within EPAM
• Gain experience in various business domains (Insurance, E-commerce, Healthcare, Finance, Travelling, Media, Artificial Intelligence, and more)
• Relocation opportunities may be available for eligible candidates, depending on the role and openings at other EPAM locations
• Participate in volunteer, charity programs and communities (both technical and interest-based)

We focus on your professional growth:

• You can plan your individual career path together with your manager
• Receive regular feedback from colleagues
• Improve your English for free with certified teachers (Speaking Clubs, client interview preparation courses, etc.)
• Get the opportunity to undergo free training and certification in AWS, GCP, or Azure Clouds
• Use the internal E-learn training program (18,200+ specialized training and mentoring programs)
• Access corporate accounts on LinkedIn Learning, Get Abstract and other partner resources
• Study at EPAM Solution Architecture School with the instructors who are practicing architects
• Develop as a leader, join Delivery Management, Resource Management, Leadership Essentials school and more
• Participate in internal communities (500+ meetups, technical discussions, brainstorming sessions, online events and conferences annually)

What we offer:

• Vacation and sick leave (including a sick leave without a medical certificate)
• A wide range of Voluntary Medical Insurance programs providing both medical treatment and various preventive options (including sports activities)
• Medical insurance for family members at corporate rates
• Company support during significant life events (childbirth or adoption, marriage, etc.)
• Support for psychological comfort: discounts on services from mental health specialists or coaches, thematic training
• E-kids program - a free programming language training program for EPAMers' children

Kindly note that this role supports remote work, but only from within Ukraine.

Kindly be advised that the set of benefits, including learning, certification, and other opportunities, may vary depending on the role you apply for. Our recruiter will be able to share more details about the specific opportunity during your general interview.

EPAM strives to provide its global team of over 62,350 professionals in more than 55 countries with opportunities for professional growth from day one of collaboration. Our colleagues are the source of EPAM's success, so we value cooperation, strive to always understand our clients' business and aim for the highest quality standards. No matter where you are, you will join a dedicated, diverse community that will help you realize your potential to the fullest.

Remote in Ukraine