McKinstry

Director, AI Engineering

McKinstry • $165K — $252K *
Seattle, WA 98115In-Person
Enterprise Technology
11 - 15 years of experience
Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 15+ years in software engineering with a strong track record of operating production systems.
  • Experience in building and operating AI or ML applications in production settings.
  • Hands-on platform expertise in agent harnesses and provider-abstraction layers.
  • Experience managing a substantial team, with responsibility for hiring and budget.
  • Solid architecture judgment and experience in setting reference architectures for integrated systems.
  • Proficiency in cloud and AI delivery engineering, particularly with Azure, APIs, and CI/CD practices.
  • Ability to translate product requirements into executable engineering plans and validate outcomes with users.
  • A Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or related field; relevant experience may substitute.

Responsibilities

  • Own the technical strategy and reference architecture for AI systems.
  • Build and operate the core AI platform and agent harness.
  • Lead decision-making on model management and integration with cloud providers.
  • Establish engineering standards and drive production capability across divisions.
  • Oversee the enterprise agent marketplace ensuring reusable solutions are shared.
  • Conduct architecture and production-readiness reviews as the technical authority.
  • Transform prioritized use cases into production-grade systems with accountability for delivery timelines.
  • Manage the engineering team, ensuring quality, capacity planning, and alignment with business goals.

Benefits

  • Competitive pay with performance bonuses.
  • 401(k) plan with employer match and profit-sharing options.
  • Generous paid time off and holiday policies.
  • Comprehensive health insurance with various deductible options.
  • Family formation benefits including adoption and IVF assistance.
  • Up to 16 weeks of paid parental leave.
  • Transgender-inclusive health benefits.
  • Commuter benefits and pet insurance.
  • Paid community service time called 'Building Good'.
  • Learning and advancement opportunities through McKinstry University.
  • Onsite gyms or reimbursement options for remote employees.
Full Job Description
Director, AI Engineering

We are adding a Director, AI Engineering to our team in Seattle, WA. The Director, AI Engineering owns the development of the company's core AI technology and the platform it runs on, the enterprise engineering function, the technical strategy and reference architecture, and the production operations that keep released systems trusted. The role turns approved, requirements-backed use cases into secure, production-grade systems, agents, APIs, and integrations for every spoke, built once to a shared standard. Partners closely with enterprise AI strategy and leadership on use-case selection, prioritized roadmaps, enterprise architecture, to ensure the right systems and technical foundation.
  • Owns the AI technical strategy and reference architecture. Sets how AI systems are engineered: the reference architecture, integration patterns, agent platform, and build-versus-reuse calls that keep the portfolio coherent, built on McKinstry's Filesystem-Driven Agent Architecture. Enterprise strategy and portfolio selection sit with leadership; this role owns the technical strategy that executes them.
  • Owns the AI platform and the agent harness. Builds and operates McKinstry's core AI platform: the agent harness that turns a model into a governed capability (provider gateway, routing, context, memory, tool execution, output validation, and instrumentation), implemented on the Filesystem-Driven Agent Architecture, where every agent, skill, tool, and hook is defined in version-controlled files and folder location determines what is live. This is the platform the whole program builds on.
  • Owns the model-agnostic strategy and leads the build, buy, or host decision-making process. Keeps McKinstry portable across model providers through a provider-gateway layer, so changing a model or vendor is a configuration change, not a rebuild, with cost-tier routing and automatic failover. Owns the technical call on when to run managed models (Claude and peers), when to host models inside McKinstry's own tenant for data sovereignty or cost, and when to fine-tune or stand up an in-house or open-source model. Integrates and operates the selected platforms and partners (Anthropic, Microsoft, cloud providers) to McKinstry standards, including evaluation, support escalation, and capacity management. Commercial terms and vendor strategy sit with leadership.
  • Owns the enterprise AI engineering function and standards. Runs the shared production build capability that serves every spoke, and sets the engineering standards, code-quality bar, and agent build-and-evaluation methodology, so systems are built once to a known standard instead of re-solved division by division.
  • Owns the AI marketplace. Owns the build and operation of the enterprise agent marketplace (McKinstry Labs): the catalog of approved, tested, reusable agents, skills, and tools that divisions discover and build on, so capability compounds across the company instead of being rebuilt spoke by spoke.
  • Chairs the architecture and production-readiness reviews. Owns the technical gate: nothing reaches production without passing it. A fully technical authority, separate from the strategy and governance chairs.
  • Engineers approved work into shipped systems. Takes the prioritized scope set by the domain directors and their product managers and engineers it into production: design, build, test, deploy, and the move from prototype to production-grade system. Owns delivery commitments and timelines. Every build starts from agreed requirements with a named business owner and is validated with end users.
  • Builds and leads the engineering team. Recruits, develops, and directs the AI, ML, software, and platform management and engineers; allocates capacity against agreed priorities. Accountable for throughput, quality, and the cost, risk, and value of what ships from experiment through sunset.
  • Owns production operations and the agent lifecycle. Runs deployment, monitoring, observability, LLMOps, versioning, and lifecycle management in production, including the evaluation harness and release gates that keep systems accurate and safe.
  • Owns the AI technology radar. Runs structured evaluations of emerging models, tools, and platforms and sets the program's default technical position; escalates cross-division, client-facing, or spend-bearing calls for ratification.
  • Engineers security and responsible-AI controls into the build. Works with Information Security to build data protection, access control, model-access governance, prompt-injection defense, and output validation into the system, so guardrails live in code, not just policy. Implements the controls that satisfy RLSC and Data Governance policy.
  • Builds on the enterprise data foundation, not around it. Works with the Enterprise Data & AI Architect so every system reads and writes against the Four IDs and the MDM spine, and integrates into McKinstry systems such as Procore, Dynamics, and Fabric rather than standing up disconnected stores.


What You Need to Succeed at McKinstry
  • 15+ years in software engineering, with hands-on experience shipping and operating production systems, and enough recent depth to set the technical bar, not only manage to it.
  • Demonstrated experience building and operating AI or ML applications in production (LLM applications, agents, RAG, evaluation, tool and function calling, multi-agent orchestration) as the person accountable for whether the system worked.
  • Platform depth: has built or operated an agent harness or runtime and a provider-abstraction layer, with sound judgment on managed, self-hosted, and open-source model tradeoffs across cost, latency, and data sovereignty.
  • Experience managing a team of 5+ direct reports, or 10+ including matrixed contributors, owning hiring, budget, and a delivery culture that balances exploration with production commitments.
  • Architecture judgment: can set a reference architecture and integration patterns for a portfolio of systems and hold teams and vendors to them, while building against an enterprise data layer owned elsewhere.
  • Fluent in modern cloud and AI delivery engineering (for example Azure, APIs, CI/CD, LLMOps, observability), able to integrate against enterprise systems and a master-data layer rather than building disconnected stores.
  • Can translate product requirements and data constraints into a build plan engineers execute, and validate the result with end users.
  • Security-by-design discipline: builds access control, data residency, model-access governance, prompt-injection defense, and output validation into the system rather than bolting them on later.
  • Strong written and verbal communication: can write a technical design an engineer builds from, and report engineering status and risk to executives without rework.
  • Comfortable owning the build, the platform, the technical strategy, and the solution architecture without owning enterprise strategy or product, engineering the right thing on a data spine owned elsewhere.
  • Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field; relevant experience may be substituted. Cloud or security engineering credentials preferred.

PeopleFirst Benefits

When it comes to the basics, we have you covered:
  • Competitive pay
  • 401(k) with employer match and profit-sharing plan
  • Paid time off and holidays
  • Comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision with low or zero deductible options and low out of pocket maximums

People come first at McKinstry, and we go beyond the basic benefits with:
  • Family formation benefits, including adoption and IVF assistance
  • Up to 16 weeks paid parental leave
  • Transgender inclusive benefits
  • Commuter benefits
  • Pet insurance
  • "Building Good" paid community service time
  • Learning and advancement opportunities via McKinstry University
  • McKinstry Moves onsite gyms or reimbursement for remote workers

See benefit plan documents for complete details.

The pay range for this position is $165,800 - $252,100 per year; however, base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. A bonus may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the position offered. Base pay information is based on market location.

About McKinstry

McKinstry is an engineering company specializing in designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining high-performing buildings. Its professional staff and tradespeople deliver consulting, construction, energy, and facility services. As an early adopter of the DBOM process, the company advocates collaborative and sustainable solutions that are designed to ensure occupant comfort, improve systems efficiency, reduce facility operational costs, and ultimately optimize client profitability for the life of their building. McKinstry works with school districts, universities, municipalities, hospitals, and private companies nationwide. Its clients care about long-term planning, saving energy, and driving out waste, and have sophisticated facilities that require nothing but the best. The company was established in 1960 in Seattle, Washington.

McKinstry Careers

Joining McKinstry presents a prime opportunity to be part of a team that values innovation, leadership, and diversity training. McKinstry, a leader in designing, constructing, and managing efficient buildings, offers a variety of job opportunities that cater to professionals eager to drive sustainable changes in the industry.

Explore Job Opportunities

McKinstry is actively hiring and offers a range of positions that suit different skills and career aspirations. From engineering to project management, McKinstry seeks passionate, curious, and solution-driven team players. Explore open positions that match your professional interests and skills.

Internship Programs

McKinstry provides robust internship programs designed to foster growth and offer real-world experience in a supportive environment. Internships are a cornerstone of McKinstry’s commitment to professional development, helping interns to enhance their resumes and prepare for full-time roles through hands-on projects and mentorship.

Employee Benefits and Company Culture

McKinstry is dedicated to supporting its team members not only in their professional lives but also in their personal growth and well-being. The company offers competitive benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance, alongside opportunities for leadership development and diversity training. The culture at McKinstry is built on a foundation of respect and inclusion, where every team member’s contribution is valued.

Professional Growth and Development

Career growth at McKinstry is propelled by continuous learning and innovation. Employees are encouraged to take leadership roles within projects, participate in networking events, and engage in ongoing education programs. McKinstry supports career advancement through professional development courses and certifications.

Networking and Innovation

At McKinstry, networking and innovation go hand in hand. Employees are encouraged to collaborate across teams and disciplines, driving innovation that leads to industry-leading solutions and practices. McKinstry’s commitment to sustainability and efficient building solutions offers a unique platform for professionals to impact the future of the built environment.

Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity training and inclusion are integral to McKinstry’s ethos. The company strives to create a workplace where diverse perspectives are embraced, and everyone has the opportunity to succeed. McKinstry believes that a diverse workforce fosters creativity and innovation, which are critical for leadership in the industry.

Applying for a Position

When applying for a position at McKinstry, candidates are advised to tailor their resumes to highlight relevant experience and skills. The interview process is designed to assess not only professional qualifications but also a candidate’s fit within McKinstry’s culture and values.

Stay Connected with McKinstry Careers

Keep up to date with the latest from McKinstry through the Careers Blog. Gain insights from insider perspectives, and stay informed about new job opportunities and company news. Personalize your subscription to receive job alerts and insider tips tailored to your preferences.

Join McKinstry

Search for open positions that align with your skills and interests on the McKinstry Jobs portal. Discover what exciting and rewarding opportunities await at McKinstry, where your career development is supported by an unwavering commitment to innovation and leadership.

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READ CAREERS BLOG

Learn more about McKinstry
Size
5,001 employees
Industry
Real Estate & Construction
* Ladders Estimates

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