Lead AI Engineer, NLQ & Agentic Systems

As a Lead AI Engineer on our Data Platform & Services (DPS) team, you will bridge deep data engineering expertise with emerging AI capabilities to build production‑grade AI‑powered systems. You’ll design and deploy agentic frameworks, natural language querying (NLQ) capabilities, and prompt/LLM evaluation strategies that unlock insights at scale across Upwork. This is an opportunity to deliver tangible impact, enabling faster decision‑making, democratizing data access, and empowering analysts and stakeholders throughout the company.

Upwork is establishing an operational hub in Toronto, Canada. The new office is expected to be fully operational by Q4 2026. This role will require 3 days in office once we have an office open.

This position will initially be employed through a partner to ensure a seamless hiring process while we establish the hub. Once the hub is established, there may be opportunities to transition to employment with Upwork, depending on business needs and other requirements. While employed by the partner, you’ll work as part of Upwork’s team, with access to our resources, culture, and growth opportunities.

Our partner will offer competitive benefits. When Upwork’s hub is established, we will be excited to offer employment and benefits directly as business needs require.

Responsibilities

• 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.

What it takes to catch our eye

• 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.

Upwork is committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workforce. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law.