We’re looking for a highly hands-on Principal Program Manager (Builder-Operator) to drive AI impact within Rides Central Operations.

This is not a traditional program management role. You’ll personally design, build, and deploy AI tools, agents, dashboards, and decision systems, while also driving prioritisation, rollout, adoption, and governance across Rides.

 
 
  With over 200 million users in 50+ countries, Bolt is one of the fastest-growing tech companies in Europe and Africa. And it's all thanks to our people.

  We believe in creating an inclusive environment where everyone is welcome, regardless of race, colour, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or ability.

  Our ultimate goal is to make cities for people, not cars. And we need your help on this mission!
 

 
 

This is an individual contributor (IC) role with high ownership and no direct reports. It’s built for someone eager to build, own, and deliver real change in a complex operational environment.

 

• Personally build and deploy AI tools, agents, dashboards, and decision-support systems for Rides Operations, taking solutions from prototype to production-ready use.
• Identify high-friction operational problems across markets and turn them into scalable AI solutions that improve cost, efficiency, reliability, and growth.
• Work independently with internal data, APIs, LLMs, and automation frameworks, shipping usable tools with minimal reliance on Engineering, Data, or Product support.
• Drive solutions end to end: problem definition, prioritisation, build, pilot, rollout, adoption, and iteration.
• Create clear decision materials for leadership, highlighting trade-offs, risks, ROI, and operational impact.
• Define guardrails and governance for responsible AI use, ensuring solutions are explainable, compliant, and aligned with long-term platform standards.

• You have demonstrated hands-on experience personally building and deploying applied AI solutions, such as AI agents, workflow automations, dashboards, or decision-support tools.
• You are comfortable using Python, SQL, APIs, LLMs, and automation/workflow tools to build MVPs and production-lean solutions yourself.
• You understand how to move from prototype to production, including reliability, monitoring, rollout, and iteration in real operational environments.
• You can independently turn ambiguous business problems into structured execution plans and deliver measurable outcomes end to end.
• You are effective with senior stakeholders and can align technical implementation with business priorities and operational goals.
• You have experience working in scaled organisations where AI solutions are already live and embedded into core processes.

 
 
  Experience is great, but what we really look for is drive, intelligence, and integrity. So even if you don’t tick every box, please consider applying!
 

 
 

• Play a direct role in shaping the future of mobility.
• Impact millions of customers and partners in 600+ cities across 50+ countries.
• Work in fast-moving autonomous teams with some of the smartest people in the world.
• Accelerate your professional growth with unique career opportunities.
• Get a rewarding salary and stock option package that lets you focus on doing your best work.
• Enjoy the flexibility of working in a hybrid mode with a minimum of 3 days in the office each week to foster strong connections and teamwork.
• Take care of your physical and mental health with our wellness perks.

 *Some perks may differ depending on your location and role.

What is this role about?

As the Lead Machine Learning Engineer at Bondora, you will be the backbone of our Data Science delivery. Your mission is to build the robust infrastructure that powers automated model pipelines, ensures deployment reliability, and governs the full ML lifecycle from experimentation to production.

This is a strategic and hands on engineering role. You will collaborate closely with Data Science, Data Engineering, and Development teams to remove friction, improve scalability, and bring stable, high quality ML solutions into everyday decision making.

You will guide the evolution of our ML engineering stack, lead high impact initiatives, and mentor engineers while shaping a culture of technical excellence 🌿

Your main responsibilities 🎯

• Guide the technical direction of Bondora’s ML engineering stack by selecting, evaluating, and implementing technologies, tools, and processes that improve scalability and reliability.
• Lead complex, high risk, or cross departmental projects that directly influence Data Science delivery, risk model performance, and production stability.
• Act as the bridge between Data Science, Data Engineering, and Development to identify and solve systemic technical challenges.
• Design and build advanced, production grade ML infrastructure and set the engineering standard for the team.
• Ensure all ML solutions are secure, observable, resilient, and scalable, following governance, compliance, and operational best practices.
• Mentor ML Engineers through code reviews, design sessions, and hands on technical leadership.
• Identify weaknesses or inefficiencies in model or data infrastructure and drive company wide improvements.
• Represent the ML Engineering team in technical discussions and communicate architectural decisions clearly to stakeholders.

What would ensure success in this role?💪

• Strong Python engineering background and experience with MLflow, Unity Catalog, Databricks, or equivalent platforms used for model lifecycle management.
• Proven experience designing ML infrastructure, including CI/CD, containerization with Docker or Kubernetes, and orchestration with Airflow or Prefect.
• Deep understanding of monitoring and observability frameworks such as Prometheus, Grafana, or Datadog, and a track record of improving pipeline reliability.
• Expertise in model governance, versioning, auditability, and operationalization from research to production.
• Solid knowledge of cloud infrastructure on AWS, GCP, or Azure, including cost effectiveness and security best practices.
• Experience leading cross functional initiatives and mentoring engineers.
• Ability to balance innovation and stability through structured experimentation, pilot phases, and safe adoption of new technologies.

What can you expect at Bondora? 

• Contribute to Bondora’s ambitious goal of reaching 1BN in revenue. Your skills and efforts will directly impact our growth trajectory and shape the future of our company.
• Our employees deserve the best. We recognize our people with a competitive salary and a generous benefits package (5 weeks of vacation, private healthcare compensation, hobby grant, mental healthcare support, share options and much more!)
• We provide an environment that encourages your personal and professional growth. As we constantly evolve and innovate, you’ll have endless opportunities (and budget) to expand your skills and skyrocket your career.

The next steps

If you have the guts, ideas, and a team vision, apply now! 

Our hiring process: 

1️⃣ Meet Kerli H., our recruiter, for an initial conversation about your background and ambitions.
2️⃣ Complete our personality and logic assessments via Alva Labs.
3️⃣ Meet Rafael, our Head of Data Science.
4️⃣ Complete case study.
5️⃣ Chat with Juris, our Chief Credit Officer.
6️⃣ If everything aligns, welcome to Bondora 🎉