Principal Machine Learning Engineer (GenAI / AI Architecture)

What This Person Will Actually Do

This is a Principal level IC role with minimal hands on coding.

Core responsibilities:

• Set technical direction for LLM, RAG, and GenAI adoption across multiple teams
• Evaluate and recommend AI architectures, tools, and frameworks
• Help decompose business and product requirements into clear technology decisions
• Advise teams on best practices for AI agents, ensuring quality and avoiding "AI slop"
• Support teams as they build (guidance and review), but not execute the build themselves
• Act as a trusted advisor to engineering and product leadership during fast moving technical change

Technical Environment & Expectations

• Cloud: AWS (current standard), but candidate must not be locked into one cloud or toolset
• Languages:
  • Python is the most relevant
  • Exposure to Java / .NET ecosystems is important (for legacy alignment)
• AI / GenAI:
  • LLMs
  • RAG
  • AI agents
  • Multi model strategies
• Candidate should be able to discuss multiple GenAI tools, their tradeoffs, pros/cons, and use cases - not overly attached to one vendor or framework.

Must Have Skills (Recruiter Screening Criteria)

• Senior / Principal level experience
• Strong GenAI / LLM systems knowledge
• Hands on background earlier in career, now operating at architect / advisor level
• Experience guiding teams through technology decisions (not just building solo)
• Strong cloud based AI architecture understanding
• Python development background