AI Developer

Family Dollar; Chesapeake (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Family Dollar is seeking an AI Developer to lead the design and deployment of AI applications utilizing Google Cloud Platform and various AI frameworks. Candidates should possess over 8 years of experience in software development, with strong Python skills, and be familiar with AI concepts and practices. This full-time position emphasizes mentoring, collaboration, and innovative application of generative AI within the retail sector.

Located at 510 Volvo Parkway, Chesapeake, Virginia, this role is crucial for enhancing Family Dollar's technological capabilities.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of IT experience in complex projects, preferably in retail.
• Advanced knowledge of recent GenAI platforms and responsible AI practices.
• Experience with Python coding, clean documentation, and code reviews.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deploy AI applications on Google Cloud Platform.
• Establish MLOps pipelines for AI workloads.
• Mentor junior engineers within the AI and Automation team.

Skills

Python proficiency

Machine learning

Generative AI

AI application development

MLOps

Team motivation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Google Cloud Platform

Agent Development Kits

Job description

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future visa sponsorship.

The AI Developer is responsible for developing new AI applications and software including agentic AI applications, analytical solutions and pilot new ideas from incubation to deployment. This role is critical part of Family Dollar’s capability to build our own AI applications inhouse using top of line agent development kits, APIs, software libraries and interface with our vendors and partners to trial their products for fit within Family Dollar’s IT estate, including our cloud environments, digital applications, and our operational systems.

The ideal candidate is a senior engineer with 8+ years of professional software development experience, deep proficiency in Python, and hands‑on experience building and deploying production AI workloads on Google Cloud Platform and interconnecting multiple applications via robust secure best practices and scalable enterprise frameworks. They are adept with generative AI, large language models, and agentic AI frameworks, and bring a working knowledge of MLOps, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), and applied data science. They can take new ideas from incubation through pilot to production, run experiments on their own to validate feasibility, define success metrics, evaluation methodology, and exit criteria at each stage.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

• Design, build, and deploy production AI applications on Google Cloud Platform, applying machine learning and generative AI techniques to deliver solutions across merchandising, supply chain, store operations, finance, and customer experience.
• Develop agentic AI applications using modern agent development kits and frameworks (e.g., Google Agent Development Kit, Gemini Agent Platform, LangGraph), including multi‑agent workflows, tool integration, and human‑in‑the‑loop checkpoints.
• Build and operate retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) solutions that ground LLMs in Family Dollar's enterprise data, including ingestion, embeddings, vector and hybrid search, reranking, and evaluation.
• Establish and maintain MLOps pipelines for AI workloads, including CI/CD, model and prompt versioning, evaluation harnesses, monitoring, cost controls, and rollback procedures.
• Implement enterprise‑grade guardrails for AI applications, including prompt injection defense, PII handling, content safety, role‑based access controls, and audit logging — partnering closely with platform, security, infrastructure, and business stakeholders to ensure deployments meet Family Dollar's standards for identity, networking, data residency, and compliance.
• Evaluate vendor and partner AI products for fit within Family Dollar's IT estate; build proofs of concept, run technical bake‑offs, and produce clear recommendations.
• Execute experiments to vet emerging AI capabilities and determine their internal product‑market fit.
• Deploy and maintain production‑grade AI agents capable of reasoning, tool‑use, and multi‑step task execution.
• Manage the full lifecycle of your code, from initial prompt engineering and fine‑tuning to CI/CD and real‑time monitoring of agent performance.
• Mentor junior engineers and share knowledge across the AI and Automation team.
• Partner with IT support teams to co‑own AI application support, including on‑call coverage, while progressively transitioning ownership through SOPs, runbooks, and helpdesk documentation.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field (Master’s degree preferred).
• 8+ years of progressive IT experience in large, cross‑functional teams or projects, preferably in a retail environment.
• Write clean, well‑tested, well‑documented Python code; conduct code reviews; and contribute to internal libraries, templates, and engineering best practices.
• Ability in developing, presenting and communicating technical concepts to varying audiences.
• Possesses a sense of urgency as well as the ability to motivate a team towards achieving results in a dynamic environment.
• Experience in retail, supply chain, or large‑scale operational environments within retail systems (POS, ERP, CRM, inventory, supply chain, etc).
• Advanced knowledge of recent GenAI platform advancements from top providers as well as equivalent platforms hyperscalers.
• Experienced in responsible AI practices, model governance, and frameworks for evaluating LLM safety and accuracy.
• Contributions to open‑source AI projects or relevant publications.

Family Dollar is an equal opportunity employer and committed to recruiting, hiring, training, and promoting qualified people of all backgrounds, and make all employment decisions without regard to any protected status. We are committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.

Full time

510 Volvo Parkway, Chesapeake, Virginia 23320

IT Development

Family Dollar