Lead Agentic AI Engineer – Vice President

Citi is seeking a Lead Agentic AI Engineer at the Vice President level to architect and deliver production-grade agentic AI systems that sit at the intersection of large language models, retrieval-augmented generation, and modern full-stack engineering. This role operates within Citi's technology organization and carries direct ownership over the design, development, and deployment of intelligent, multi-agent platforms that drive measurable outcomes across the business.

You will build and scale multi-tenant agentic ecosystems, develop custom fine-tuning applications, and ensure the platform adheres to our core principles: Trust, Adoption, Cost, Operations, and Scalability. You will lead by example, setting the standard for code quality and architectural purity while driving high-impact business use cases.

This role requires deep expertise in Python, LLMs, and Agentic workflows, combined with strong full-stack capabilities (Java, React, and microservices) to seamlessly integrate AI capabilities into enterprise-grade platforms.

Key Responsibilities
1. Core Platform & Application Development
Full-Stack Engineering: Lead the development of custom AI platform components. Build and maintain full-stack applications utilizing Python, Java (Spring Boot), and modern frontend frameworks like React (e.g., developing internal LLM/SLM fine-tuning planes, microservices, and experiment tracking dashboards).
Agentic Frameworks: Code and optimize multi-tenant intelligent agents utilizing modular orchestration patterns such as ReAct and ReWOO, and frameworks like Google's Agent Development Kit (ADK).
Strict Architectural Implementation: Develop and enforce clean, decoupled integration layers. Build Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers ensuring a strict communication flow: Agents interact solely with MCP servers, and MCP servers interact solely with APIs to retrieve data. Direct database access from agents or MCP servers is strictly prohibited.
2. Advanced Data Retrieval & Logic Engineering
Next-Generation RAG: Write the data ingestion and retrieval code for advanced Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures, including Knowledge Graph RAG (GraphRAG), LightRAG, and hierarchical summary trees (RAPTOR).
Vector & Graph Integrations: Develop seamless integrations with graph and vector databases (such as Neo4j and pgvector) to power complex, thematic data retrieval.
Prompt & Intent Engineering: Design robust LLM instructions and classification logic to prevent collisions in complex workflows, ensuring mutually exclusive intents are handled with high precision.
3. Use Case Development & Forward Deployment
SME Collaboration: Act as a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), working directly with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) on business and domain understanding to accurately translate complex enterprise workflows into automated, agent-driven code.
Seamless Integration: Partner with UI and workflow integration developers to ensure the backend agentic logic connects flawlessly with user-facing layers and existing enterprise APIs.

Qualifications
Required Experience & Education
10+ years of professional software engineering experience.
5+ years of experience in AI/ML, with at least 2+ years specifically in Generative AI (LLMs, RAG, Agentic workflows).
3+ years of leadership experience managing technical teams and delivering complex software or AI solutions.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.

Technical Skills
AI/ML & Python: Deep hands-on expertise in Python, LLM orchestration, prompt engineering, and agentic frameworks (ADK, LangChain, LangGraph, etc.).
Full-Stack & Microservices: Strong proficiency in backend development using Java (Spring Boot) or Python (FastAPI), and frontend development using React.
Data & Databases: Experience integrating applications with relational database like Oracle and Graph databases (Neo4j) and Vector databases (pgvector, Pinecone, or Milvus).
Cloud & Infrastructure: Extensive hands-on experience with AWS services and infrastructure related to AI/ML deployment and scaling.

Leadership & Portfolio
Player-Coach Mindset: Proven ability to write high-quality, production-grade code while simultaneously mentoring junior developers and guiding technical strategy.
Production Portfolio: A strong portfolio of projects showcasing the successful delivery of AI solutions into a production business environment.
Communication: Excellent communication skills to collaborate effectively with business SMEs, UI developers, and platform stakeholders. 

Joining Citi means working on AI challenges that operate at genuine global scale, within a team committed to technical excellence and meaningful engineering impact. You will have the autonomy to lead complex problem-solving, the support to grow your expertise, and access to a collaborative environment where engineering quality and business outcomes are taken seriously.

• A hybrid working model that balances 3 days in the office with 2 days working remotely, giving you flexibility without sacrificing team connection.

• The opportunity to lead cutting-edge agentic AI and LLM engineering at one of the world's largest financial institutions, with access to enterprise-scale data and infrastructure.

• Continuous learning and technical development, including exposure to the latest AI frameworks, tooling, and research applied to real-world production systems.

• Competitive compensation and a comprehensive financial wellbeing package appropriate for a Vice President-level role.

• Wellbeing support and work-life balance programmes designed to sustain long-term performance and personal wellbeing.

• Access to global collaboration across Citi's technology and AI community, with opportunities to influence engineering direction beyond your immediate team.

Apply today to lead the development of agentic AI systems that will define how one of the world's most consequential financial institutions operates in the age of intelligent automation.

#LI-MB1

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In addition to salary, Citi’s offerings may also include, for eligible employees, discretionary and formulaic incentive and retention awards. Citi offers competitive employee benefits, including: medical, dental & vision coverage; 401(k); life, accident, and disability insurance; and wellness programs. Citi also offers paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays. For additional information regarding Citi employee benefits, please visit citibenefits.com. Available offerings may vary by jurisdiction, job level, and date of hire.

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We use automated processing, including artificial intelligence, for our legitimate business interests (or our reasonable and appropriate business purposes) to identify and align the candidate's skills and abilities with a specific job opening. Additionally, if you so choose, or consent, we can match your skills and abilities to other suitable roles at Citi.

Importantly, all our hiring processes and decisions, including determining your suitability for a role, are conducted, checked, and decided by individuals. Our automated processing and AI do not involve relying on automatic or autonomous decision-making. Please refer to any Jurisdictional Considerations, with specific provisions for your country (where relevant) for further details.

Illinois residents – AI Notice and Right

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Citi is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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