AI Engineering Manager

About us

At KingMakers, we’re not here to follow the industry; we’re here to shape it. We’re redefining sports and gaming entertainment across Africa, creating platforms that bring millions of users closer to the games and experiences they love.

Since 2018, we’ve grown rapidly to become one of the key players in the region, recognized for redefining the industry and setting the stage for what’s next.

Our mission is bold: we aim to inspire, empower, and create meaningful value for the people and communities we serve. Collaboration and innovation are at the heart of our culture, driving every interaction to be memorable, impactful, and forward-looking.

We think big, move fast, and challenge convention. From revolutionizing user experiences to solving some of the most complex engineering challenges, we set the gold standard. If you’re ready to make your mark, there’s no better time to join KingMakers.

About the role

As an AI Engineering Manager at KingMakers, you will lead the adoption of AI across the organization, driving cross-functional projects that blend innovation with real-world impact. You’ll define the technical vision for ML and generative AI, mentoring teams on best practices while ensuring our solutions are ethical, scalable, and business-focused. Your role will be to evangelize AI internally and empower teams to transform ideas into cutting-edge, reliable products.

What You Will Be Doing:  

• Define and own the AI/ML roadmap, ensuring alignment with business goals and measurable impact across products and operations.
• Lead cross-functional AI initiatives, from early discovery to production-ready solutions, influencing stakeholders and driving adoption company-wide.
• Design and oversee robust ML and LLM pipelines, ensuring performance, reliability, and scalability.
• Champion the use of generative AI (LLMs, RAG, fine-tuning) and guide teams on best practices for responsible and explainable AI.
• Partner with Product, Data, and Engineering teams to identify opportunities for AI-driven innovation and automation.
• Establish and scale MLOps/LLMOps frameworks, including CI/CD, monitoring, model registry, and drift detection.
• Mentor and grow a multidisciplinary team of engineers and data scientists, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning.
• Drive cost/performance optimization of AI models and infrastructure (Azure OpenAI, Databricks, Kubernetes).
• Ensure compliance with data privacy (GDPR) and ethical AI principles, embedding governance and auditability into all processes.
• Act as the internal AI evangelist, running workshops, demos, and training sessions to build organizational AI literacy.
• Collaborate with external vendors and partners to evaluate, integrate, and scale AI tools effectively.
• Stay at the forefront of LLM and GenAI trends, rapidly testing and implementing new capabilities that give the company a competitive edge.

Requirements

What You Need for This Role:  

Technical skills

• Strong programming expertise in Python, PySpark, SQL, and experience with Bash/shell scripting for automation.
• Solid knowledge of data engineering patterns (Delta Lake/Lakehouse, ETL/ELT) with a focus on data quality and governance.
• Proven experience designing end-to-end ML pipelines, including feature engineering, training, evaluation, and deployment.
• Deep understanding of ML and deep learning frameworks (Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Hands-on expertise in LLM & GenAI, including prompt engineering, RAG architectures, fine-tuning (LoRA), model evaluation, and guardrails.
• Familiarity with AI coding agents (e.g., GitHub Copilot), orchestration frameworks (LangChain, Semantic Kernel), and vector databases.
• Advanced knowledge of Databricks, Azure core services (ADLS, ADF, Event Hub, Key Vault) and Azure Machine Learning Studio/Service.
• Experience with MLOps/LLMOps (MLflow, CI/CD, monitoring, drift detection, rollback strategies, feature stores).
• Skilled in containerization (Docker, Kubernetes/AKS) and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform).
• Strong foundation in data visualization and analytics (Matplotlib/Seaborn, Power BI).
• Understanding of security, compliance, and Responsible AI practices (GDPR, explainability, auditability).

Soft skills

• Technical leadership: ability to mentor and grow high-performing, multidisciplinary teams.
• Strategic thinking: translate business objectives into actionable AI/ML roadmaps with measurable KPIs.
• Stakeholder alignment: influence cross-functional teams, balancing priorities and managing trade-offs.
• Clear communication & storytelling: explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
• Change management: evangelize AI adoption and implement new tools and processes effectively.
• Decision-making under uncertainty: rapid prototyping and data-driven iteration.
• Ethics & risk awareness: strong advocate for responsible and explainable AI.
• Vendor management: evaluate and integrate external AI solutions cost-effectively.
• Resilience and adaptability: thrive in a fast-paced, evolving AI landscape.
• Scale-up mindset: balance execution speed with long-term technical strategy and process building.

How you do it – Expectations for fulfilling your role:  

At KingMakers, culture isn’t just a set of words on a wall, it’s how we show up, how we work, and how we grow. That’s why we created Our CROWNS: six bold, clear and actionable values that guide how we make decisions, collaborate, and raise the bar for ourselves and each other.

👑 Customer First
We build with and for our customers. Whether internal or external, we care deeply about what drives them and always strive to deliver real, meaningful value.

📈 Raise the Bar
We take initiative, take ownership, and never settle. We’re not here to show off, we’re here to make an impact, raise standards, and push for better every time.

💬 Operate with Candor
We build trust through openness and honesty. We speak clearly, listen actively, and make space for others to be part of the conversation. Truth with kindness, always.

🤝 We Build Together
We collaborate across teams, support one another, and leave egos aside. We succeed as a team, lifting each other up and sharing the load.

⚡ No Hesitation, Never Reckless
We move boldly and responsibly. We take smart risks, speak up, and try new things, with the courage to own the outcome and the clarity to avoid chaos.

🚀 Speed & Iteration
We act fast, learn fast, and improve fast. We cut through the noise, take action, and adapt quickly. Progress beats perfection.

Benefits

At KingMakers, your work doesn’t just power platforms, it shapes a movement. Here's what you can expect:

• Global Impact: Build systems that redefine how millions engage with sports and entertainment.
• International Collaboration: Work with top talent from across the world in a dynamic and inclusive culture.
• Personal Growth: Take on exciting challenges that help you level up as an engineer and leader.
• Innovation First: Join a team that celebrates creativity, diversity of thought, and continuous learning.