AI Expert Team Lead

Position Description The opportunity CGI is looking for a hands-on AI professional ready to build and lead one of our AI teams. You will shape the team, its ways of working and its technical direction from the ground up, while remaining close to experimentation, prototyping and delivery. This role is designed for someone who has already demonstrated strong technical ownership, rapid learning and the ability to guide others, whether through mentoring, leading initiatives or driving key technical decisions, and is ready to take the next step in leadership. Only candidates legally residing in Belgium will be considered for this position. C2-level in one of the 2 national languages and at least B2-level in the other and strong English proficiency is also mandatory. What you will do Build and lead the team. Create a small multidisciplinary team of data scientists, ML engineers, data engineers and architects. Clarify roles, priorities and ways of working, and foster an open culture of experimentation and continuous learning. Set direction and take ownership. Turn strategic ambitions into a focused AI roadmap, make pragmatic technical choices and coordinate closely with CGI's other AI teams to share expertise and avoid duplication. Move quickly from idea to value. Design and build prototypes, proofs of concept, MVPs and applied AI solutions. Structure short learning cycles, test assumptions early and use evidence to decide what should scale. Explore emerging technologies. Evaluate and apply relevant approaches across generative AI, machine learning, retrieval-augmented generation, MLOps, causal AI Agentic AI and knowledge graphs. Create reusable assets. Develop accelerators, reference architectures, patterns and demonstrators that make future AI initiatives faster, more consistent and easier to industrialise. Shape client solutions. Engage with clients to understand business challenges, identify high-value AI use cases and translate them into clear solution concepts, delivery options and measurable outcomes. Contribute to growth and visibility. Support proposals, workshops and co-creation sessions; help develop new AI offerings; and showcase results through demos, presentations, innovation events and internal communities. What you bring Hands-on AI expertise. Solid practical experience in AI/ML, data engineering, ML engineering or software engineering, with the technical credibility to challenge designs and support implementation. Rapid prototyping ability. Confidence turning ambiguous ideas into working experiments and prototypes, selecting the right level of engineering for each stage of discovery and delivery. Cloud and solution design. Good understanding of cloud-based AI architectures and services; experience with Microsoft Azure is preferred. Strong problem-solving and end-to-end solution-design skills are essential. Agile delivery leadership. Ability to prioritise work, coordinate a small cross-functional team and drive rapid iteration towards prototypes and MVPs using practical Agile principles. Client-facing communication. Ability to explain complex AI topics clearly, facilitate discussions and build trust with both business and technical stakeholders. Leadership mindset. Ambitious, proactive and comfortable taking initiative. You learn quickly, work autonomously and create energy around new ideas without losing focus on delivery. Experience and education. Typically 4 to 6 years of relevant experience, including exposure to mentoring, leading initiatives or driving technical decisions; Master's degree in Computer Science, AI, Data Science, Engineering or a related field. Valuable Additional Experience Certifications and specialisations. Cloud, AI, machine learning, architecture or Agile certifications are an advantage, as is experience helping define or launch a new AI service offering. A pre-employment screening is part of the application process. Your future duties and responsibilities Required Qualifications To Be Successful In This Role Together, as owners, let’s turn meaningful insights into action. Life at CGI is rooted in ownership, teamwork, respect and belonging. Here, you’ll reach your full potential because… You are invited to be an owner from day 1 as we work together to bring our Dream to life. That’s why we call ourselves CGI Partners rather than employees. We benefit from our collective success and actively shape our company’s strategy and direction. Your work creates value. You’ll develop innovative solutions and build relationships with teammates and clients while accessing global capabilities to scale your ideas, embrace new opportunities, and benefit from expansive industry and technology expertise. You’ll shape your career by joining a company built to grow and last. You’ll be supported by leaders who care about your health and well-being and provide you with opportunities to deepen your skills and broaden your horizons. That same commitment to fairness extends to how we use technology. To support our recruitment team, AI tools may be used to help assess applications though they never replace human judgement. All hiring decisions remain entirely in the hands of our recruitment professionals. Come join our team—one of the largest IT and business consulting services firms in the world.