Principal AI-Native Systems Architect

Gradial; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Seattle office with gym

Medical, dental & vision insurance

401k retirement plan

Paid time off

Paid sick leave

Equity awards

Job summary

Gradial seeks a Principal Software Engineer to drive the architecture and technical vision for AI-native systems that transform how creative teams build and update websites. You will lead cross-functional groups to set the blueprint for a fast-evolving product in a high-agency, low-ego environment.

You’ll own the technical backbone, mentor engineers, and push the boundaries of how LLMs power real-world workflows, with a focus on performance and long-term extensibility in Seattle.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience with leadership of complex technical initiatives.
• Deep expertise in distributed systems, algorithms, and scalable software design.
• Experience architecting and shipping systems in fast-moving, high-ambiguity environments.

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the technical architecture for AI-native systems and multi-step workflows.
• Lead design, implementation, and scaling of LLM agents for real-time inference and memory management.
• Set engineering standards and influence system design for performance, reliability and extensibility.
• Design learning systems that evolve with customer feedback and brand preferences.
• Mentor senior engineers and foster a culture of technical excellence and ownership.
• Collaborate with product and design to ensure interfaces adapt to user intent.
• Champion testing, observability, deployment, and operational excellence.

Skills

Distributed systems

Algorithms

Leadership

LLM integration

Generative AI

High-ambiguity environments

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Education

CS/Math/Physics/Systems Eng

Tools

LLM frameworks

AI agent architectures

Job description

Gradial seeks a Principal Software Engineer to drive the architecture and technical vision for AI-native systems that transform how creative teams build and update websites. You will lead cross-functional groups to set the blueprint for a fast-evolving product in a high-agency, low-ego environment.

You’ll own the technical backbone, mentor engineers, and push the boundaries of how LLMs power real-world workflows, with a focus on performance and long-term extensibility in Seattle.