AI Python Developer IV / Principal AI Engineer

Position Summary

The AI Developer IV is a principal-level expert responsible for defining and owning enterprise-wide AI technical architecture while remaining hands-on in writing production code. This role provides organizational leadership for AI initiatives, leads highly complex and high-impact AI transformations, and serves as a trusted technical advisor to executive leadership.

The successful candidate will establish AI governance frameworks, influence long-term technology strategy, mentor senior engineering talent, and guide the adoption of emerging AI technologies across the organization. This position plays a critical role in advancing an AI-first engineering culture and driving innovation through modern software development practices.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and lead the organization's enterprise AI architecture strategy.
• Design, build, and deploy scalable AI-powered applications and distributed systems.
• Provide technical leadership for large-scale AI transformation initiatives.
• Develop production-quality software and remain hands-on with coding and solution implementation.
• Partner with engineering, product management, research scientists, and business stakeholders to deliver strategic objectives.
• Establish AI governance, best practices, security standards, and ethical AI frameworks.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and recommend strategic investments.
• Mentor senior engineers and cultivate future technical leaders.
• Drive adoption of AI-assisted development tools and modern engineering practices.
• Guide teams through architectural decisions involving cloud platforms, AI services, and data ecosystems.
• Lead technical design reviews and influence enterprise-wide engineering standards.
• Support multiple project teams operating in quarterly delivery cycles.

Team Environment

• Cross-functional teams consisting of:
  • Software Engineers
  • Research Scientists
  • Product Managers
  • AI/ML Engineers
• Typical project teams range from 1 5 engineers
• Agile delivery model with quarterly planning and execution cycles
• Strong focus on AI-first software engineering practices
• Active use of AI-assisted development tooling

• Strong Python backend development experience (or comparable backend language, with ability to read Python)
• Modern JavaScript frontend experience (Vue preferred; React or Angular acceptable)
• Infrastructure as Code experience using Terraform
• GitLab and cloud deployment experience (AWS and/or Google Cloud Platform)
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools (Claude, Codex, or similar)

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field
• 15+ years of software engineering experience
• Extensive experience designing and implementing enterprise-scale AI solutions
• Expert-level Python development experience
• Proven experience building scalable distributed systems
• Strong understanding of AI/ML technologies and modern software architecture
• Experience designing cloud-native applications within AWS and/or Google Cloud Platform environments
• Strong expertise in infrastructure automation and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform)
• Experience leading large technical programs and influencing organizational strategy
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

Required Technical Skills

Backend Development

• Python (required)
• Strong backend engineering experience
• API and microservices design

Frontend Development

• Vue.js (preferred)
• React or Angular acceptable

Cloud & Infrastructure

• AWS and/or Google Cloud Platform (Google Cloud Platform)
• Terraform
• Cloud-native architecture
• Distributed systems

DevOps & Development Tools

• GitLab
• CI/CD pipelines
• Infrastructure automation

Artificial Intelligence

• Generative AI technologies
• AI application architecture
• AI-assisted development tools
• Experience with tools such as:
  • Claude
  • Codex
  • GitHub Copilot
  • Similar AI engineering platforms

Preferred Qualifications

• Recognized subject matter expert in AI/ML with enterprise-scale impact
• Experience establishing AI governance frameworks
• Experience leading AI transformation programs
• Strong background in data platforms and data ecosystems
• Advanced understanding of AI strategy and emerging technology trends
• Demonstrated success mentoring senior engineers and technical leaders