Principal AI/ML Engineer (Remote in Boston; Chicago; Seattle; SF Bay Area; Portland, ME)
Full-Time | Remote or Hybrid Options | $230K–$295K Base + Bonus + RSU + Comprehensive Benefits
We’re a leading staffing partner working with a global payments and technology company seeking an experienced Principal AI/ML Engineer to lead the development of AI/ML infrastructure at scale. This is a high-impact leadership role ideal for someone who thrives in fast-moving, data-driven environments and is passionate about building production-grade AI/ML platforms.
🚩 Location Requirement:
This role is remote, but candidates must reside in one of our designated virtual hub locations: Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; Portland, ME; Seattle, WA; or the San Francisco Bay Area, CA. While there is no requirement to be in an office regularly, proximity to one of these hubs is necessary for occasional in-person collaboration.
Architect and lead the development of scalable AI/ML platforms and services used across the organization.
Drive technical strategy and innovation in AI/ML infrastructure, data pipelines, and real-time systems.
Own end-to-end system performance, reliability, security, and observability.
Guide your team and peers in using machine learning, reinforcement learning, and LLM technologies to solve complex business problems.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams—including data science, product, security, and SRE—to deliver highly reliable solutions.
Champion engineering excellence: CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform/Kubernetes), DORA metrics, and code quality.
Serve as a mentor and thought leader, fostering a culture of innovation, ownership, and continuous improvement.
15+ years of software engineering experience, with deep expertise in scalable backend systems, AI/ML frameworks, and cloud platforms.
Hands-on experience with distributed systems and tools like Spark, Ray, Kubernetes, Terraform, and AWS services (S3, EMR, Lambda, etc.).
Strong skills in Java or Python, with the willingness to code when needed.
Demonstrated experience deploying ML models in production (supervised/unsupervised, RL, or LLMs).
Track record of architecting and operationalizing AI/ML platforms and data pipelines in cloud environments.
Ability to mentor engineers, set technical direction, and build high-performing teams.
Strong communication and leadership presence—able to influence at all levels of the organization.
Experience with SageMaker, Azure, and big data tools like Hadoop, HBase, Hive, or Spark.
Understanding of payments, fintech, or risk modeling systems.
Base Salary: $230,000–$295,000 annually (commensurate with experience)
Bonus & RSU package
Comprehensive Benefits Package:
Medical, dental, vision, HSA/FSA
401(k) with company match
Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays
Life and disability insurance
Tuition reimbursement
Employee wellness and assistance programs
Note: This is a direct-hire opportunity through our agency. You’ll work directly with the client company in a full-time capacity.