Senior AI Technical Lead

  Senior AI Technical Lead Cinchio Solutions is a part of the SSA Group, a visitor services company that provides admissions, retail, food & beverage, and catering to over 80 zoos, museums, aquariums, and iconic attractions in 26 states nationwide. Check out SSA at the below websites: www.thessagroup.com https://www.facebook.com/ssagrp/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/thessagroup https://www.instagram.com/thessagroup/ Position Title: Senior AI Technical Lead Reports to: CTO Job Description: The SSA Group has always had a deep-rooted passion for technological innovation. Innovation that helps the SSA Group continuously reshape to align with changing consumer expectations. Innovation that drives a great guest experience and exceptional revenue results. That passion has cultivated a culture of excitement around technology, digital experiences, and a willingness to be continual learners and early adopters to bring the latest advancements to our guests.   As we prepare for the next 50 years, SSA is expanding its digital innovation team at Cinchio Solutions and making a significant investment in Artificial Intelligence technologies, intelligent automation, and data-driven guest experiences. Cinchio Solutions are looking for a passionate and experienced AI technology leader to help define and build the next generation of intelligent products and services across hospitality, food & beverage, retail, and guest engagement platforms.   The position of Senior AI Technical Lead will play a foundational role in establishing Cinchio’s AI engineering capability and delivering innovative customer-facing solutions that create measurable operational and revenue impact across some of the most recognized cultural attractions in the country. This role will combine hands-on technical delivery with architectural leadership, mentoring, and strategic innovation.   Examples of initiatives this role may help deliver include: AI-powered upsell and recommendation engines within ordering platforms Intelligent inventory and ingredient forecasting driven by local event, weather, and traffic data Personalized product recommendations based on guest ordering behavior and purchasing trends “Surprise & Delight” loyalty features that dynamically reward guests using statistical and behavioral models AI-driven operational insights for food & beverage, retail, and admissions teams Intelligent automation and decision-support tooling for venue operators   This role will tremendously impact some of the coolest cultural attractions on the planet and help support our partners’ mission of sustainability, conservation, and animal welfare education.   Responsibilities Lead the technical design and delivery of AI-powered digital products and intelligent platform capabilities Help establish and evolve Cinchio’s AI engineering strategy, standards, tooling, and best practices Design scalable cloud-native AI solutions using AWS, Kubernetes, and distributed systems architectures Collaborate with product, engineering, and operational stakeholders to identify high-impact AI opportunities Develop proof-of-concepts and production-grade AI solutions from ideation through deployment Build and integrate intelligent services, APIs, recommendation systems, and data-driven automation capabilities Analyze large datasets to identify trends, behavioral patterns, and operational optimization opportunities Architect secure, scalable, and highly available AI-enabled applications and services Mentor and support less experienced engineers and developers through technical leadership and collaboration Participate in architectural decision-making, code reviews, and technical design discussions Work closely with engineering teams to ensure AI capabilities integrate cleanly into existing platforms and products Evaluate emerging AI technologies and identify opportunities for practical business application Ensure solutions comply with security, reliability, and operational best practices Troubleshoot, optimize, and continuously improve AI-driven systems and workflows Support Agile software development methodologies and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives   Requirements: Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or similar relevant experience 7+ years of software engineering and digital product development experience 3+ years of experience designing or implementing AI, machine learning, predictive analytics, recommendation systems, intelligent automation solutions, or LLM-powered applications Proven experience designing and deploying cloud-native applications on AWS Strong experience with Kubernetes and containerized application architectures Strong experience developing backend services and APIs using Golang or similar modern programming languages Strong experience with Python development, particularly within AI, machine learning, data engineering, automation, or LLM-driven application environments Experience working with relational databases such as PostgreSQL and distributed data architectures Experience building scalable, secure, and highly available systems in production environments Understanding of modern AI technologies, LLMs, data pipelines, vector search, recommendation systems, and intelligent workflow automation Experience integrating third-party APIs, data services, and event-driven systems Strong understanding of software architecture, SDLC methodologies, and engineering best practices Experience working within Agile development environments Proven ability to balance hands-on development with architectural leadership responsibilities Strong communication and collaboration skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders Public Cloud certifications and AI-related certifications preferred Experience mentoring or guiding less experienced engineers preferred   Core Competencies: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including exhibiting professionalism and diplomacy when working with teams and business stakeholders Proven experience coordinating multiple initiatives simultaneously while meeting deadlines in fast-paced environments Efficiency: Able to produce significant output with minimal wasted effort Attention to detail: Does not let vital details slip through the cracks or derail a project Endurance: Demonstrates tenacity and willingness to go the distance to get something done Proactivity: Acts without being told what to do and brings innovative ideas to the organization Flexibility/Adaptability: Adjusts quickly to changing priorities and conditions Strategic thinking/visioning: Able to communicate long-term technical vision while balancing practical delivery needs Creativity/innovation: Generates new and innovative approaches to technical and business challenges Teamwork: Reaches out to peers and collaborates effectively across engineering, product, and operational teams Mentorship: Demonstrates a willingness to support and develop less experienced colleagues through guidance and knowledge sharing   Location & Travel: This position is remote-based within the United States Infrequent travel to Denver may be required for planning sessions, workshops, and team collaboration   This is by no means an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts or working conditions associated with this job description. The Company reserves the right to revise the job description or to require that other or different tasks are performed when circumstances change (i.e., emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, rush jobs or technological developments) Compensation and Benefits  Full-Time, Exempt  $75 monthly cell phone stipend  Flex Time Off: no accruals; employees are encouraged to schedule time off as needed within business scope.  Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance and other voluntary benefits for you and your family; employee premiums applicable.  Participation in a 401(k) program with a 15% company match (must be 21 years or older, eligible after one year of employment with 1,000 hours worked, available to enroll during Open Enrollment Periods).  Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability, employer sponsored; scaled salary pay following submission and approval of leave  Parental Leave: Birthing Parent Plan covers up to (6-8) weeks fully paid leave, based on the birthing event.  SSA Paid Benefit: Up to 120 hours of Paid Leave for qualifying reasons, including Parental Bonding and your family’s serious medical conditions.  Up to 5 days Paid Bereavement Leave  On-Demand Pay Program: Get access to a portion of earned wages before payday.  Meal Plan & Employee Discounts where applicable  Paid sick leave is provided in accordance with applicable state and local laws. Accrual rates, caps, and usage rules vary by location.   Locations include: Arizona, California, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, Washington, D.C..  Colorado: Employees accrue 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours per year, under the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (HFWA).  Maryland: Employees accrue at least 1 hour of paid sick and safe leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours per year, as required under the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act.  Washington: Employees accrue 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 40 hours worked, in accordance with the Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Time.     SSA Holdings and its affiliated companies, including SSA Group, A&F Souvenir, Cinchio Solutions, and Behavioral Essentials, are equal opportunity employers. We are committed to diversity and inclusion in our hiring practices and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. A diverse team strengthens our collective impact.  All California Residents: By submitting your job application, you agree you have reviewed the SSA Group California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Candidate and Employee Privacy Notice ("Notice").    San Francisco Residents: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. Please see the "Fair Chance Ordinance - Know Your Rights" document for more information. By submitting your job application, you agree you have reviewed the "Fair Chance Ordinance - Know Your Rights" document.