Principal AI Applications Engineer

Deltek; India; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 5,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Deltek's Engineering and Technology team is building an AI-native SMB ERP from the ground up, where AI is foundational. As a principal engineer, you tackle the hardest challenges, shape reference implementations, and mentor engineers in emerging deployment paradigms.

You will drive sophisticated LLM integration, prompt engineering, secure and cost-efficient solutions, and collaboration with architects to validate approaches through prototypes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Data Science, or related field
• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience with AI/ML systems
• Proven leadership and mentoring senior engineers
• Deep expertise in enterprise software and AI/ML integrations with production deployments at scale
• Experience guiding architectural decisions and technical debt reduction
• Strong communication and collaboration across teams

Responsibilities

• Implement the most technically challenging features of the AI-powered ERP platform
• Develop reference implementations and coding patterns for AI-enhanced features
• Implement prompt engineering and LLM integration solutions
• Build production-ready ML integration code with AI/ML infra team
• Provide deep technical guidance to multiple teams and stakeholders

Skills

Java & Python

Distributed systems

Microservices

LLM integration

Prompt engineering

Security & reliability

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Engineering

Tools

PostgreSQL

Cloud platforms

LLM tooling

Git & CI/CD

Job description

About The Role

We're building an enterprise ERP system from scratch where AI isn't a feature—it's the foundation.

Join Deltek's Engineering and Technology team to create the first truly AI-native SMB ERP. Users will chat with their system instead of clicking through forms. Intelligent agents will handle routine tasks autonomously. And you'll use AI to write better code faster.

This is a greenfield project. No legacy constraints. No technical debt. Just the opportunity to reimagine what enterprise software can be when designed for AI from day one.

As a principal engineer, you'll solve the hardest technical problems, create reference implementations that set the standard, and mentor engineers in a development paradigm that's still emerging. You'll prove that AI-native enterprise software isn't just possible—it's superior.

Key Responsibilities

• Implement the most technically challenging features of the AI-powered ERP platform, serving as the go-to expert for complex integration and performance challenges
• Develop reference implementations and coding patterns that other engineers follow when building AI-enhanced features
• Implement sophisticated prompt engineering and LLM integration solutions, ensuring security, performance, and cost-effectiveness
• Build production-ready ML integration code utilizing infrastructure provided by the dedicated AI/ML infrastructure team
• Provide deep technical expertise on critical implementation challenges affecting multiple teams, offering solutions based on extensive hands‑on experience
• Collaborate with architects to validate technical approaches through proof-of-concepts and prototypes
• Champion code quality, comprehensive testing, security best practices, and operational excellence
• Identify and resolve complex technical debt that impacts multiple teams
• Serve as technical advisor to architects and engineering leadership on implementation feasibility and development best practices
• Mentor and develop senior engineers, elevating implementation capabilities across the engineering organization
• Drive innovation through hands‑on proof‑of‑concepts exploring novel approaches to ERP challenges

As the recognized global standard for project-based businesses, Deltek delivers software and information solutions to help organizations achieve their purpose. Our market leadership stems from the work of our diverse employees who are united by a passion for learning, growing and making a difference. At Deltek, we take immense pride in creating a balanced, values-driven environment, where every employee feels included and empowered to do their best work. Our employees put our core values into action daily, creating a one‑of‑a‑kind culture that has been recognized globally. Thanks to our incredible team, Deltek has been named one of America's Best Midsize Employers by Forbes, a Best Place to Work by Glassdoor, a Top Workplace by The Washington Post and a Best Place to Work in Asia by World HRD Congress. www.deltek.com [#video#https://player.vimeo.com/video/1215886050?h=918890365f{#550,300#}#/video#]

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Data Science, or related field
• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience with extensive hands‑on AI/ML systems implementation
• Demonstrated history of technical leadership through exceptional implementation quality on large-scale, business-critical systems
• Proven track record of solving complex implementation challenges that enabled significant business outcomes
• Experience providing technical guidance and mentoring senior engineers
• Deep expertise in implementing enterprise software and AI/ML integrations with production deployments at scale

Technical Skills

• Programming Languages: Master-level expertise in Java, Python, and ability to work effectively in multiple languages
• Implementation Expertise: Deep expertise in implementing distributed systems, microservices, event-driven patterns, and domain-driven design
• Database: Expert-level implementation skills with PostgreSQL including performance optimization, complex query development, and multi‑tenant data patterns
• AI/ML Integration: Comprehensive expertise in implementing LLM systems, prompt engineering at scale, RAG architectures, and model integration
• Development Best Practices: Experience establishing coding standards, testing patterns, and development workflows that improve team productivity
• Cloud & Infrastructure: Expert knowledge of implementing cloud solutions and working with managed services across AWS/Azure/OCI
• API & Integration: Deep expertise in implementing robust APIs, integration patterns, and extensible features
• Observability & Reliability: Expert in leveraging comprehensive monitoring, logging, and error handling
• Security: Strong understanding of implementing security controls, authentication/authorization, and data protection
• Leadership & Communication: Exceptional ability to communicate complex technical concepts and influence development approaches through collaboration
• Pragmatic Thinking: Ability to balance code quality with delivery timelines, provide practical technical guidance, and align development work with business goals

AI-First Mindset

This role requires embracing an AI-first approach where GenAI and agentic AI tools are essential collaborators, not optional supplements. We expect team members who naturally think in AI‑enhanced workflows and proactively integrate intelligent automation to solve ERP development challenges more efficiently.

The ideal candidate has strong interest in prompt engineering techniques and conversational AI systems, with understanding of how to craft effective prompts for business contexts. You should be curious about natural language processing and how AI enhances user experiences, along with basic awareness of AI ethics and prompt safety considerations.

We're looking for someone who approaches ERP feature development by first asking: "How can AI help me build this functionality faster and better?" This includes being comfortable with rapid AI tool evolution, eager to experiment with new AI capabilities for prompt engineering and ERP optimization, and committed to sharing AI‑enhanced approaches with the team.

We value those who apply prompt engineering to solve real‑world ERP business problems and see AI as a productivity multiplier for strategic development decisions, rather than a replacement for human expertise.

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