AI & Platform Engineering Manager

We are looking for a team member who will work as an "AI & Platform Engineering Manager" within Zorlu Holding AI Transformation Program (YaZ).

The role will be based at ITU ARI Teknokent (ARI 2), where our AI Factory engineering team operates in a collaborative, innovation-driven environment.

As part of our AI Factory vision, we are building AI-native products and platforms from the ground up. We operate with a start-up mindset inside the organization, transforming bold ideas into scalable AI solutions through rapid experimentation and engineering excellence.

In this role, you will own the technical vision, architecture and delivery model of our AI Factory platform. You will lead the engineering organization responsible for building a secure, scalable and production-grade AI platform across hybrid cloud and on-premise environments while enabling teams to deliver AI products efficiently and reliably.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science or related disciplines; Master's degree is a plus
• Minimum 10 years of experience in software, platform, infrastructure, data or AI engineering
• Minimum 5 years of engineering leadership and people management experience
• Proven experience designing and operating large-scale distributed systems and cloud-native platforms
• Strong expertise in hybrid cloud and on-premise infrastructure, including Kubernetes, containerization, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform or equivalent) and CI/CD practices
• Hands-on experience managing GPU infrastructure, compute platforms and production AI workloads
• Strong knowledge of observability, reliability engineering, incident management and operational excellence practices
• Demonstrated experience architecting and operating production AI systems, including model serving, RAG architectures, vector databases, agent orchestration frameworks and MLOps platforms
• Strong understanding of FinOps principles, infrastructure optimization and AI workload cost management.
• Experience evaluating foundation models, AI tooling and build-versus-buy decisions
• Proven success in building, mentoring and retaining high-performing engineering teams
• Strong systems thinking with the ability to balance long-term strategy and day-to-day execution
• Passion for adopting AI-native engineering practices and leveraging Generative AI in software development workflows
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
• Collaborative, strategic, hands-on and execution-oriented leadership approach

Job Description

• Define and execute the technical vision, architecture and long-term roadmap for the AI Factory platform
• Design and evolve a scalable AI platform spanning compute, data, model serving, agentic systems and platform observability
• Build and operate a hybrid platform that seamlessly runs across public cloud and on-premise GPU infrastructure
• Establish engineering standards, platform architecture and reusable capabilities that accelerate AI product delivery
• Lead infrastructure engineering initiatives covering CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, Kubernetes, container orchestration and environment management
• Ensure platform reliability through SLOs, monitoring, incident management, observability and operational excellence practices
• Establish scalable deployment patterns, self-service tooling and standardized engineering workflows that enable rapid product development
• Drive platform cost optimization and FinOps practices across cloud and on-premise infrastructure
• Own the architecture of production AI systems including model serving, RAG pipelines, vector databases, agent orchestration and model lifecycle management
• Establish governance mechanisms covering AI evaluation, guardrails, monitoring, security and responsible AI practices
• Lead engineering teams by fostering an AI-native culture focused on innovation, collaboration and continuous improvement
• Partner closely with Product, Data, Business stakeholders and the AI Transformation Program (YaZ) to shape enterprise AI strategy
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies, foundation models and platform capabilities to continuously evolve the AI Factory ecosystem
• Build, coach and develop a high-performing engineering organization capable of delivering reliable and scalable AI platforms

✨ Why you’ll love working with us:

🌐 Hybrid & Flexible Work Model: Enjoy the flexibility of balancing office and remote work with Pluxee meal support for your work-from-home days — plus flexible working hours to support your work-life balance.

⚕️ Private Health Insurance: Your health matters! Take advantage of exclusive private health insurance benefits through our collaboration with Türkiye Sigorta.

🎉 Celebrate YOU: Enjoy a day off on your birthday to celebrate your way. We're also here to support you during life's special moments with marriage support for newlyweds and newborn baby benefits.

📚 Supporting Your Education: Through corporate partnerships, we offer discounted master’s and doctorate programs.

🚀 Learning & Development: Gain access to Zorlu Academy’s extensive learning library, explore new opportunities through our annual training catalog, and benefit from exclusive development programs through Neo Skola and LinkedIn Learning.

🎭 Cultural Experiences Await You: Discover the transformative power of art at Zorlu PSM — from world-renowned productions to standout local performances. Employees also have the chance to win tickets to these unforgettable events.

💪 Your Wellness, Our Priority: Work out at our on-site gym and get expert support from psychologists, dieticians, and sports coaches through the Wellbees app, as part of our holistic Wellbeing Program.

🌍 Stronger Together: We are committed to diversity, inclusion, and sustainability, creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong. We align with global environmental and social sustainability goals to help shape a better future.

🔥 Make a Difference: Join our corporate volunteering program, Kıvılcımlar Hareketi, and take part in meaningful projects that positively impact society.

🎁 Exclusive Perks: Enjoy special discounts across Zorlu Group brands including Vestel, TAÇ, Linens, Eataly, ZES, Jules Verne, and more.

🌟 Ready to shape the future?

Apply now and take the next step in your career at Zorlu Holding – where innovation meets opportunity.

"Zorlu Holding için kişisel verilerinizi korumak önemlidir. Bu nedenle, hangi kişisel verilerinizi işlediğimizi, hangi amaçla işlediğimizi, aktarma ve saklama biçimimizi kapsayan resmi internet sitemizde kamuoyu ile paylaşılmış olduğumuz Zorlu Holding Anonim Şirketi Kişisel Verilerin Korunması ve İşlenmesi Politikası’nı incelemelisiniz. İşe alım sürecinde çalışan adaylarımızı, kişisel verilerin korunması kapsamında detaylı bilgilendirmek isteriz. Resmi web sitemizde yayınladığımız https://www.zorlu.com.tr/tr/kisisel-verilerin-korunmasi Çalışan Adayı Aydınlatma Metni ile bu süreçte sizlerden topladığımız kişisel verilere ilişkin detaylı bilgilere ulaşabilirsiniz."