AI/ML Engineer

Netrolynx AI; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanguard seeks a Principal AI Engineer to lead the technical architecture for enterprise‑scale AI and ML platforms, translating cutting‑edge research into production‑grade systems. You will oversee design, deployment, and operational excellence across AI infrastructure and productization efforts.

In this role, you will mentor engineers, shape deployment strategies for LLMs and responsible AI, and drive scalable, observable systems that deliver measurable business value across client solutions.

Qualifications

• Ten or more years of experience in software engineering, ML/AI engineering, or related technical disciplines.
• Deep expertise in designing, deploying, and supporting large-scale AI and ML systems in production.
• Proven success leading complex technical initiatives from concept to deployment and ongoing operations.
• Strong knowledge of software architecture, reliability engineering, observability, ML Ops, DevOps, and cloud technologies.

Responsibilities

• Define and lead the technical architecture for enterprise-scale AI and ML platforms.
• Design scalable, resilient AI systems for mission-critical workloads.
• Establish architectural standards and best practices for AI deployment and operations.
• Drive decisions on model serving, inference optimization, and AI infrastructure.
• Partner with researchers to translate prototypes into production-ready solutions.
• Lead operationalization of AI capabilities across large-scale domains.
• Promote MLOps, LLMOps, and AI platform engineering best practices.
• Mentor engineers and guide architectural reviews and design.

Skills

Senior AI lead

AI architecture

ML Ops

Cloud technologies

Mentoring engineers

Tools

Cloud platforms

MLOps tools

Observability tools

Job description

About The Company

Vanguard is a globally recognized leader in the financial services industry, renowned for its unwavering commitment to client‑centric solutions and innovative investment strategies. With a legacy built on trust, integrity, and excellence, Vanguard strives to empower individuals and institutions to achieve their financial goals. The company’s mission is centered on providing long‑term financial well‑being for its clients through a combination of cutting‑edge technology, responsible investing, and a culture of continuous improvement. Vanguard’s global presence and diverse team of professionals enable it to deliver tailored solutions that meet the evolving needs of its clients across various markets and sectors.

Vanguard is a globally recognized leader in the financial services industry, renowned for its unwavering commitment to client‑centric solutions and innovative investment strategies. With a legacy built on trust, integrity, and excellence, Vanguard strives to empower individuals and institutions to achieve their financial goals. The company’s mission is centered on providing long‑term financial well‑being for its clients through a combination of cutting‑edge technology, responsible investing, and a culture of continuous improvement. Vanguard’s global presence and diverse team of professionals enable it to deliver tailored solutions that meet the evolving needs of its clients across various markets and sectors.

About The Role

As a Principal AI Engineer at Vanguard, you will serve as a senior technical leader at the forefront of artificial intelligence innovation. Your primary responsibility will be to transform state‑of‑the‑art AI research into scalable, production‑ready solutions that generate measurable value for our clients. You will oversee the architecture, engineering, operationalization, and ongoing reliability of advanced AI systems, ensuring they meet rigorous standards for performance, security, resilience, and responsible AI practices. This role places you at the critical intersection of AI research, engineering, product development, and operations, requiring close collaboration with world‑class researchers, product managers, and engineering teams.

You will lead efforts to scale AI solutions across enterprise environments, mentor engineering teams, and shape the organization’s AI deployment and operational strategies. Your work will encompass some of the most advanced AI areas, including Large Language Models (LLMs), trustworthy AI, agentic systems, and emerging AI technologies. The role offers a unique opportunity to influence the future of AI deployment at Vanguard, ensuring that innovative research translates into sustainable business value and impactful client solutions.

Qualifications

• Ten or more years of experience in software engineering, machine learning engineering, AI engineering, or related technical disciplines.


• Deep expertise in designing, deploying, and supporting large‑scale AI and ML systems within production environments.


• Proven success leading complex technical initiatives from concept to deployment and ongoing operations.


• Strong knowledge of software architecture, reliability engineering, observability, ML Ops, DevOps, and cloud technologies.


• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and lead teams through highly complex technical and operational challenges.

Responsibilities

AI Architecture & Technical Leadership

• Define and lead the technical architecture for enterprise‑scale AI and ML platforms.


• Design scalable, resilient, and reusable AI systems capable of supporting mission‑critical workloads.


• Establish architectural standards, engineering patterns, and best practices for AI deployment and operations.


• Drive technical decisions related to model serving, inference optimization, agent architectures, orchestration frameworks, observability, and AI infrastructure.

Productize AI Research

• Partner with AI researchers to transform cutting‑edge prototypes into production‑grade solutions.


• Lead efforts to operationalize advanced AI capabilities across areas such as Large Language Models, trustworthy and responsible AI, and agentic AI systems.


• Establish repeatable pathways that accelerate the transition from research to production, ensuring scientific rigor and enterprise standards are maintained.


• Bridge the gap between research breakthroughs and sustainable business value.

Engineering Excellence & Scalability

• Address the organization’s most complex AI engineering and scalability challenges.


• Design systems that operate reliably at enterprise scale, balancing performance, latency, governance, security, and cost.


• Promote the adoption of MLOps, LLMOps, and AI platform engineering best practices.


• Enhance robustness, maintainability, observability, and operational readiness of AI products.


• Identify and eliminate architectural bottlenecks impacting scale, reliability, or user experience.


• Raise technical standards through coaching, architecture reviews, and design guidance.

Production Reliability & Operational Leadership

• Own the operational excellence, reliability, and performance of AI products.


• Lead technical response efforts for complex production incidents, model failures, and system outages.


• Serve as the escalation point for challenging production issues.


• Establish best practices for system monitoring, observability, incident management, and capacity planning.


• Mentor engineers in troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and operational decision‑making.


• Develop operational processes to ensure AI solutions remain secure, scalable, and reliable.


• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to proactively identify operational risks and improve service reliability.

Mentorship & Thought Leadership

• Mentor AI and ML engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and operational ownership.


• Lead by example in scalable AI deployment, operational practices, and responsible AI standards.


• Represent the team as a thought leader, contributing to industry discussions and internal knowledge sharing.

Benefits

This role offers a unique opportunity to operate at the cutting edge of applied artificial intelligence, bridging world‑class research with real‑world impact. You will work directly with leading AI researchers on breakthrough technologies and next‑generation capabilities, owning a critical position that transforms research into client value. The position provides the chance to tackle some of the industry’s most complex AI engineering, scalability, and operational challenges, ultimately delivering meaningful business outcomes for clients. You will develop deep expertise in operating advanced AI systems at scale, collaborating across research, product