Principal AI Engineer (m/f/d)

Harman International Industries; Garching an der Alz; Hybrid; EUR 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work environment

Employee discounts on Harman/Samsung

HARMAN University learning programs

Job summary

HARMAN Automotive invites a Principal AI Engineer to join the AI Lab, shaping production-grade ML solutions for engineering workflows and operation efficiency. You'll design, deploy and optimize AI systems across enterprise platforms with cross-functional teams.

You'll mentor juniors, drive experimentation, governance and best practices in ML/AI, including LLMs, Gen AI, and cloud-based deployments on AWS/Azure, while staying ahead of industry advances.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in computer science or a related field.
• 7+ years hands-on experience designing, building, and deploying production-grade ML/AI solutions.
• Proven experience delivering Generative AI solutions at scale.
• Deep understanding of Large Language Model architectures, prompting strategies, and inference optimization.
• 4+ years of experience on public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure).
• Proficiency in Python and software engineering practices (OOP, TDD).
• Strong ML system design, data pipelines, model lifecycle, and MLOps practices.
• Ability to lead technical discussions across data scientists, engineers, product managers, and operations.

Responsibilities

• Define problems with business teams and translate into technical AI/ML concepts.
• Lead development and deployment of AI/ML solutions across enterprise systems.
• Drive experimentation, validation, and optimization for robust, scalable models.
• Implement governance in model development and deployment, ensuring reproducibility.
• Mentor junior members and foster innovation and collaboration.
• Stay updated on AI/ML advances and apply them to engineering challenges.

Skills

Mastery in CS/ML

Generative AI

LLM architectures

AWS/Azure cloud

Python programming

MLOps & pipelines

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Master's degree in Computer Science or related

Tools

AWS

Azure

Job description

A Career at HARMAN

HARMAN's engineers and designers are creative, purposeful and agile. As part of this team, you'll combine your technical expertise with innovative ideas to help drive cutting-edge solutions in the car, enterprise and connected ecosystem. Every day, you will push the boundaries of creative design, and HARMAN is committed to providing you with the opportunities, innovative technologies and resources to build a successful career.

As a technology leader that is rapidly on the move, HARMAN is filled with people who are focused on making life better. Innovation, inclusivity and teamwork are a part of our DNA. When you add that to the challenges we take on and solve together, you'll discover that at HARMAN you can grow, make a difference and be proud of the work you do everyday.

Introduction: A Career at HARMAN Automotive

We're a global, multi-disciplinary team that's putting the innovative power of technology to work and transforming tomorrow. At HARMAN Automotive, we give you the keys to fast-track your career.

• Engineer audio systems and integrated technology platforms that augment the driving experience
• Combine ingenuity, in-depth research, and a spirit of collaboration with design and engineering excellence
• Advance in-vehicle infotainment, safety, efficiency, and enjoyment

What You'll Be Part Of

We are seeking a Principal AI Engineer with a strong background in building and deploying AI-driven solutions to join the Harman Automotive AI Lab. In this role, you will steer the design, development, and operationalization of machine learning systems aimed at enhancing engineering workflows and operational efficiency across Harman Automotive. As part of the AI Lab, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify high-impact business problems, architect scalable AI solutions, and integrate them into enterprise systems to drive measurable improvements in productivity, cost, and performance.

How You'll Make An Impact

• Collaborate with business, engineering, operations, and IT teams to define problem statements, gather requirements, and translate business needs into technical solution concepts.
• Actively contribute to the technical development and deployment of intelligent systems AI/ML projects in collaboration with cross-functional teams, ensuring alignment with business KPIs.
• Lead experimentation, validation, and continuous optimization to ensure solutions are robust, scalable, and deliver clear, measurable improvements to engineering and operational efficiency.
• Drive continuous improvement by integrating feedback loops and performance tuning into deployed AI systems.
• Champion best practices in machine learning development, including reproducibility, version control, model governance, and ethical AI principles.
• Stay up to date with the latest advancements in AI/ML and apply them to solve complex, real-world challenges in engineering and operations.
• Mentor and guide junior team members, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence.

What Makes You A Strong Fit

• Master's degree in Computer Science or a related technical field.
• 7+ years of hands-on experience designing, building, and deploying production-grade ML and AI solutions, including end-to-end system integration.
• Proven experience delivering Generative AI solutions at scale, including deployment, and evaluation in real-world settings.
• Deep understanding of Large Language Model (LLM) architectures, prompting strategies, and inference optimization.
• 4+ years of experience implementing AI/ML workloads on public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure), with strong knowledge of key services for compute, storage, orchestration, and model deployment.
• Proficiency in Python with strong software engineering skills, including object-oriented programming, test-driven development (TDD), and clean code principles.
• Solid grasp of ML system design, including data pipelines, model lifecycle management, performance monitoring, and MLOps best practices.
• Ability to work across disciplines and lead technical conversations with data scientists, engineers, product managers, and operations teams.

Things To Know

• Willingness to travel up to 10%, domestic and international travel

What We Offer

• A technically ambitious role at the intersection of AI agents, software-defined vehicles, personalization, and human-vehicle interaction.
• A global, multi-disciplinary environment across AI, cloud, embedded systems, UX, product, and automotive engineering.
• A hybrid work environment that balances flexibility with in-person collaboration, with most office-based roles onsite three days a week.
• Access to employee discounts on HARMAN and Samsung products (including JBL, Harman / Kardon, AKG, and others)
• Learning and development opportunities through our award-winning HARMAN University programs

HARMAN is proud to be an Equal Opportunity / Affi... All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.