Principal Software Engineer – AI Infrastructure

Apexon; Toronto; On-site; CAD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Apexon is seeking a senior backend architect to lead the design and implementation of production-scale AI-enabled platforms. You will shape cloud-native architectures, guide ML inference pipelines, and collaborate across engineering, product, and data science teams.

Ideal candidates thrive in startup-like environments with strong ownership, can navigate undefined requirements, and drive architectural direction to improve scalability and reliability.

Qualifications

• Experience building AI-enabled platforms.
• Experience delivering ML inference pipelines in production.
• Strong understanding of software architecture and cloud-native design.
• Ability to translate ambiguous requirements into technical plans.

Responsibilities

• Lead design discussions for scalable backend platforms.
• Develop and maintain AI-enabled infrastructure and services.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Product, and Data Science teams.
• Drive high-ownership initiatives in fast-paced environments.

Skills

AI platforms

Java

Spring Boot

REST APIs

AWS

Cloud-native

Databricks

ML inference

CI/CD

System design

Tools

CI/CD tooling

Databricks

Job description

• 10+ years of experience building and operating production-scale distributed systems.
• Proven experience designing and developing scalable backend platforms and services.
• Strong understanding of software architecture, system design, and cloud-native development.
• Experience translating ambiguous business requirements into technical solutions and execution plans.

Data & AI Platform Experience

• Experience building features for ML inference pipelines.
• Strong understanding of:
• Data processing frameworks
• Experience enabling machine learning workloads in production environments.

AI-Assisted Development

• Demonstrated proficiency with modern AI development tools, including:
• LLM-powered engineering workflows
• Agentic coding assistants
• Ability to effectively leverage AI tools to improve code quality, engineering productivity, and development speed.

Greenfield Product Development

• Proven track record of taking systems and platforms from 0 to 1.
• Comfortable working with undefined requirements and rapidly evolving priorities.
• Strong ownership mindset with the ability to drive initiatives independently.
• Ability to lead architectural discussions and influence technical direction.
• Experience communicating complex technical concepts across engineering and business stakeholders.
• Strong decision‑making skills around system design, scalability, reliability, and maintainability.

Technical Skills

• Java
• Spring Boot
• REST APIs
• AWS
• Compute, Storage, Networking
• IAM
• Cloud-native Architecture

AI / Data Platforms

• Databricks

Programming Languages

• Java
• Python

Development Tools

• AI-Assisted Development Tools
• Modern CI/CD Practices

Ideal Candidate Profile

You will be successful in this role if you:

• Have built AI-enabled platforms rather than simply consuming AI technologies.
• Have experience supporting ML inference and production AI systems.
• Use AI tools extensively to improve engineering efficiency and quality.
• Thrive in startup-like environments with high ownership and rapid execution.
• Enjoy solving complex technical challenges with limited direction.
• Collaborate effectively across Engineering, Product, and Data Science teams.
• Influence through technical excellence, architecture, and hands‑on execution.