Principal AI Architect

The Talent Co-op; Fremont (CA); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Une startup fintech en phase de démarrage recherche un Principal AI Architect pour diriger les efforts en développement AI. Ce rôle demande une expertise approfondie dans la création de modèles, l'architecture AI, et la collaboration avec une équipe d'ingénieurs pour construire des systèmes pour la prise de décision financière. Les candidats doivent avoir une expérience significative dans le développement de modèles fondation et une formation avancée en AI.

Benefits

Salaire compétitif et équité significative

Opportunité de conduire l'innovation AI

Environnement collaboratif et dynamique

Qualifications

• Expérience pratique en développement de modèles fondation.
• Connaissance des systèmes AI autonomes.
• Publications dans des conférences AI de premier plan appréciées.

Responsibilities

• Définir et construire l'architecture AI à partir de zéro.
• Travailler directement avec une petite équipe d'ingénieurs.
• Créer des systèmes intelligents pour la prise de décision financière.

Skills

Développement de modèles fondation

IA générative

Multi-modal models

Techniques de prompting

Collaboration inter-fonctionnelle

Education

PhD en AI ou ML

Diplôme d'une grande université

Tools

Python

TypeScript

AWS

Job description

Principal AI Architect Opportunity | San Francisco | Hybrid

Please double check you have the right level of experience and qualifications by reading the full overview of this opportunity below.

A stealth-mode, seed-stage fintech startup is hiring a Head of AI / Principal AI Architect to lead AI development efforts in the private wealth space. This company has a live product, paying customers, and six-figure annual revenue, all while operating with under $2 million in funding.

About the Role

The selected candidate will define and build the AI architecture from the ground up, working directly with a small team of engineers (approximately nine) to create intelligent systems for financial decision-making. This position requires deep, hands-on model development experience, with a focus on foundational and multi-modal models, agentic AI systems, and sophisticated prompting techniques. It is not a role limited to LLM API integration or traditional application-layer work.

Compensation and Structure

• Salary : $200,000 to $350,000, dependent on interview performance, experience, and location.
• Equity : Flexible, around 2 percent based on compensation package.
• Employment Type : Full-time or Contract.
• Location : San Francisco (in-office 3 days per week; hybrid model).
• Visa Sponsorship : H1-B transfers not supported.
• Workload Expectation : Startup hours (approximately 9am to 9pm, six days a week).

Candidate Requirements

• Hands-on experience developing foundation models; not limited to using prebuilt APIs.
• Experience at a top AI lab or foundation model organization such as OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepMind, Google Brain, or Meta FAIR.
• Advanced degree in AI or ML, preferably a PhD from a leading university (Stanford, MIT, Berkeley, CMU, etc.).
• Deep technical expertise in generative AI, LLMs, multi-modal models (text and voice), retrieval-augmented .generation (RAG), and autonomous agents.
• Familiarity with prompting methods such as Tree of Thoughts, Constitutional AI, and agent protocol frameworks.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally with product, design, and business stakeholders.

Exclusion Criteria

• Candidates with only short-term roles in their background.
• Candidates who have only used models but have not contributed to their development.
• Backgrounds primarily focused on non-LLM fields such as computer vision, robotics, or traditional ML.

Preferred Qualifications

• Publications in leading AI conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, CVPR, ACL).
• Prior experience leading research teams or complex AI initiatives.
• Experience building AI-driven products in startup or zero-to-one settings.
• Domain knowledge in financial technology is a strong plus.

Technical Environment

• Core stack includes React, Node, AWS, DynamoDB.
• Acceptable tools and frameworks : LLaMA, Claude, Python, TypeScript, chatbot development, RAG pipelines, agent frameworks.

Interview Process

• Interview with the CEO.
• System Design (45 minutes) : Design a conversational chatbot, focusing on architecture, evaluation, and hallucination mitigation.
• Coding Round : May include a take-home assignment, depending on the candidate.
• Behavioral Round with the broader business team.
• Offer.

Why Join

• Competitive salary and meaningful equity.
• Flexible remote work within a hybrid setup.
• A rare opportunity to drive AI innovation in a high-potential sector.
• Direct influence on core product and company trajectory.
• Collaborative and fast-moving environment focused on breakthrough ideas.

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Principal Architect • Fremont, California, US