Hybrid General Manager - Professional Services: AI Business Unit na Shakudo

Shakudo is the operating system for data and AI, providing enterprises with production-ready AI and data infrastructure that combines the flexibility of custom-built stacks with the reliability of managed platforms. Founded in 2021 by Yevgeniy Vahlis, Stella Wu, and Christine Yuen, our Toronto-based company has raised $11.1M in funding and serves enterprise customers across aerospace, automotive, financial services, healthcare, and technology sectors.

We're executing a strategic pivot from small-account software licensing to enterprise-scale platform deployments, targeting $10M+ ARR within 24 months. Our platform integrates 200+ best-in-class data and AI tools, enabling organizations to transition from notebook to production with zero DevOps overhead.

As our **Professional Services - AI General Manager**, you'll lead one of five distinct revenue-generating business units at Shakudo. This role is part of our NVIDIA-inspired organizational structure, where each GM operates with full P&L responsibility and autonomous decision-making authority.

The Professional Services - AI business unit focuses on **prompt engineering, LLM optimization, model fine-tuning, customization, and data science consulting**. This represents a high-value service offering targeting customers needing specialized AI expertise to maximize their investment in AI technologies built on the Shakudo platform.

- Own complete P&L responsibility for the Professional Services - AI business unit

- Drive revenue growth from standalone AI consulting and implementation services

- Manage service delivery margins, pricing strategy, and profitability metrics

- Report directly to CEO with full autonomy over business unit decisions

- Define and scale service offerings in AI/ML consulting and implementation

- Develop standardized methodologies for prompt engineering and LLM optimization

- Create service packages for model fine-tuning and AI solution customization

- Build repeatable frameworks for data science consulting engagements

- Lead technical strategy for AI service delivery across customer engagements

- Stay current with latest developments in LLMs, prompt engineering, and AI optimization

- Establish best practices for model deployment, monitoring, and maintenance

- Ensure service quality and customer success across all AI implementations

- Build and lead a team of AI specialists, data scientists, and ML engineers

- Recruit senior-level AI talent capable of handling enterprise-scale implementations

- Establish service delivery processes, quality standards, and customer success metrics

- Foster collaboration with other business units while maintaining unit independence

- Engage directly with enterprise customers requiring specialized AI expertise

- Lead complex AI implementation projects and strategic consulting engagements

- Develop long-term relationships with customers' AI and data science leadership

- Ensure service delivery exceeds customer expectations and drives expansion

- Position Shakudo's AI services competitively against specialized AI consulting firms

- Develop thought leadership content and speaking opportunities in AI space

- Build strategic partnerships with AI/ML vendors and complementary service providers

- Drive demand generation activities specific to AI services market

We strongly prioritize candidates who are **ex-founders** with either:

- Raised $1M+ in venture funding, OR

- Generated $500K+ in revenue for their company

Ex-founders align perfectly with our GM strategy because they're naturally autonomous problem-solvers accustomed to full P&L responsibility, experienced building from zero with limited resources, and understand the urgency required in venture-scale growth.

- 7+ years of experience in AI/ML consulting, implementation, or professional services

- Proven track record of building and scaling technical services business units

- Deep expertise in LLMs, prompt engineering, and model fine-tuning

- Strong understanding of enterprise AI implementations and production deployments

- Experience managing technical teams and complex customer engagements

- Advanced knowledge of large language models (GPT-4, Claude, Llama, etc.)

- Hands-on experience with prompt engineering, model optimization, and fine-tuning

- Proficiency with ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, Hugging Face, etc.)

- Understanding of vector databases, RAG systems, and AI agent architectures

- Experience with enterprise AI infrastructure and MLOps practices

- Demonstrated ability to operate independently with full P&L responsibility

- Experience pricing and delivering complex technical services

- Strong communication skills for enterprise customer executives and technical teams

- Proven ability to build and manage high-performing technical teams

- Track record of scaling professional services organizations

- PhD or MS in Computer Science, AI/ML, or related technical field

- Previous experience at AI-focused consulting firms or technology companies

- Background in enterprise software or data infrastructure companies

- Experience with multi-million dollar professional services contracts

- Published research or thought leadership in AI/ML space

- International consulting experience and global team management

- Financial services, healthcare, or other highly regulated industries

- Experience with AI governance, ethics, and compliance requirements

- Understanding of data privacy and security in AI implementations

- Background in digital transformation or enterprise technology adoption

- Complete market analysis and competitive positioning for AI services

- Define service portfolio, pricing models, and delivery methodologies

- Begin recruiting initial team of senior AI specialists

- Establish partnerships with key AI technology vendors

- Launch AI services business unit with first customer engagements

- Build team of 3-5 senior AI consultants and data scientists

- Generate initial revenue and establish service delivery metrics

- Create scalable processes for AI project delivery and customer success

- Achieve $1M+ ARR from AI professional services offerings

- Scale to multiple concurrent enterprise AI implementations

- Build reputation as premier AI consulting partner for Shakudo customers

- Establish Professional Services - AI as profitable, growing business unit

-**Prompt Engineering & Optimization:** Advanced prompt design, testing, and optimization for enterprise use cases

-**LLM Fine-tuning & Customization:** Custom model training for specific industry domains and business requirements

-**AI Agent Development:** Design and implementation of multi-agent systems and intelligent workflows

-**Data Science Consulting:** End-to-end data science project delivery and AI strategy development

-**RAG System Implementation:** Custom retrieval-augmented generation systems with domain-specific knowledge bases

-**Model Performance Optimization:** Latency reduction, cost optimization, and accuracy improvements

-**AI Governance & Compliance:** Implementing AI governance frameworks for regulated industries

-**MLOps & Production Deployment:** Enterprise-scale AI deployment, monitoring, and maintenance

-**Flat, mission-driven structure** with minimal hierarchical layers

-**Autonomous leadership** with full accountability and decision-making authority

-**Technical excellence** as a core driver of business success

-**Worldwide recruitment** to attract the best AI talent regardless of geography

-**Immigration support** through Canada's Express Entry program for strategic hires

-**Remote-friendly** culture with comprehensive relocation assistance

- Cutting-edge AI research and implementation

- Continuous learning and adaptation to rapidly evolving AI landscape

- Customer-centric approach to service delivery and solution development

-**Base Salary:** $150,000 - $200,000 CAD

-**Equity:** Meaningful equity package aligned with venture-scale growth

-**Performance Bonus:** Tied to Professional Services - AI revenue and profitability

-**Immigration Support:** Comprehensive visa and relocation assistance for international candidates

-**Professional Development:** Conference attendance, AI research access, and continuous learning budget

-**Health & Wellness:** Comprehensive health coverage and wellness programs

This role represents a unique opportunity to build and lead an AI consulting business unit within a high-growth data and AI platform company. You'll have the autonomy to shape the AI services market while leveraging Shakudo's platform and customer base.

Ready to lead the Professional Services - AI business unit and drive meaningful revenue impact through specialized AI expertise? We want to hear from exceptional AI leaders.

**Apply now** or reach out directly to discuss how your AI expertise and business leadership experience align with this strategic opportunity.

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*Shakudo is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds and encourage international talent to apply for our comprehensive immigration support program.*