Principal Applied AI Engineer

Appian; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Appian, headquartered in McLean, VA, seeks a Principal Applied AI Engineer to lead production LLM systems and drive enterprise-grade AI orchestration. You will shape architecture, mentor engineers, and collaborate across teams to deliver scalable AI-powered automation for large enterprises.

You will leverage cutting-edge tools to design, implement, and optimize AI systems, focusing on reliability, performance, and code quality in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or related field required (equivalent experience not accepted).
• 10+ years of software development experience; BS (or 8+ years with MS).
• Production LLM systems design and operation experience.
• Expertise across code generation, agents, retrieval, structured generation, tool use, model routing, evaluation, and observability.
• Experience using AI coding assistants; ability to evaluate and coach on AI-generated code in production.
• Strong distributed-systems, API, security, and reliability foundations.
• Cross-team influence and senior IC capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain high-performance production LLM systems.
• Lead platform modernization to keep core codebase and AI systems cutting-edge and performant.
• Use AI coding tools to generate, review, and evaluate AI-assisted code.
• Drive architecture and delivery across complex, AI-powered layers from scoping through implementation.
• Build prototypes to de-risk novel AI approaches and set coding standards.
• Optimize performance, latency, scalability and reliability of core software.
• Lead code reviews and build automation to prevent recurrence of problems.
• Mentor engineers at multiple levels and accelerate technical growth.
• Publish high-quality technical documentation across Engineering.

Skills

Production LLM systems

AI systems expertise

AI‑augmented development

Cross‑team influence

Production mastery

Communication & alignment

Architectural leadership

Education

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Principal Applied AI Engineer

Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you’ll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together.

Principal Applied AI Engineer

Lead the engineering of software that matters — driving AI automation for the world's largest enterprises. This role is based at our headquarters in McLean, Virginia. Appian was built on a culture of in‑person collaboration, which we believe is a key driver of our mission to be the best. Employees hired for this position are expected to be in the office 5 days a week to foster that culture and ensure we continue to thrive through shared ideas and teamwork. We believe being in the office provides more opportunities to come together and celebrate working with the exceptional people across Appian.

ABOUT THE TEAM

Appian Engineering spans the full depth of our platform: from the foundational layers that power enterprise scale, to the AI capabilities redefining what automation can do. We operate in a highly collaborative, fast‑paced environment focused on technical precision, continuous learning, and high code quality. By joining our team, you will solve real‑world problems that directly shape how Appian delivers our AI‑Powered Process Automation platform to enterprises around the world.

THE OPPORTUNITY

As a Principal Applied AI Engineer, you will serve as the technical linchpin for applied AI on the team, bringing deep hands‑on expertise in designing and operating production LLM systems and a track record of influencing engineering direction beyond your immediate scope. Equipped with cutting‑edge AI tooling, you will drive the design and delivery of high‑complexity AI systems — spanning code generation, agents, retrieval, structured generation, tool use, model routing, evaluation, and observability — set the technical bar for the team, and lead other engineers towards solutions of real complexity to ensure flawless Enterprise‑Grade Orchestration.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Develop Clean Software: Architect, build, and optimize high‑performance production LLM systems while maintaining a strong personal technical presence on the team.
• Lead Platform Modernization: Spearhead strategic technological changes and champion code refactoring efforts to keep the core Appian codebase — and the AI systems built on it — cutting‑edge, modern, and performant.
• Engineer with AI: Use AI coding tools fluently as a force multiplier: generating, reviewing, and critically evaluating AI‑assisted code to ship faster without compromising quality or correctness.
• Lead Architecture & Delivery: Drive technical story breakdowns, acceptance criteria, and architectural design across complex, multi‑tier and AI‑powered application layers — from feature scoping through implementation.
• Build prototypes to de‑risk novel AI approaches and establish the standards others build on.
• Optimize Performance & Scale: Manage product availability, latency, scalability, and efficiency by engineering deep reliability into our core software systems and performing advanced system tuning.
• Drive Engineering Excellence: Radiate development best practices across the department, perform meticulous code reviews on design and implementation, and build automation frameworks to prevent problem recurrence.
• Lead & Grow Engineers: Actively coach and mentor engineers at multiple levels, identify and close skill gaps on the team, and take ownership of accelerating the technical growth of those around you.
• Influence Technical Documentation: Share your expert domain knowledge regularly across the department, building a reputation as a vital resource and publishing high‑quality content to Engineering’s permanent documentation site.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: Minimum of a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science or a related technical/analytical discipline. (Equivalent experience is not accepted in lieu of a degree).
• Experience: 10+ years of relevant software development experience with a BS (or 8+ years of experience paired with a Master of Science in Computer Science or related field).
• Production LLM Systems: Deep hands‑on experience designing and operating production LLM systems.
• AI Systems Expertise: Demonstrated expertise across code generation, agents, retrieval, structured generation, tool use, model routing, evaluation, and observability.
• AI‑Augmented Development: Demonstrated experience using AI coding assistants and a strong ability to evaluate, coach others on, and selectively apply AI‑generated code in a production engineering context.
• Domain Expertise: Strong distributed‑systems, API, security, and reliability foundations, with the ability to contribute meaningfully at a senior individual contributor level within that space.
• Cross‑Team Influence: Demonstrated ability to drive technical decisions and shape engineering practices beyond a single team or project scope.
• Production Mastery: Proven experience developing, optimizing, and maintaining a high‑volume, mission‑critical production service environment.
• Communication & Alignment: Exceptional ability to communicate highly technical architectures verbally, visually, and in writing to diverse engineering audiences.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Compilers & Program Analysis: Experience with compilers, program analysis, formal or executable specifications, or legacy modernization is strongly preferred.
• We value experience with enterprise platforms such as Salesforce or ServiceNow, as these skills translate well into our Enterprise‑Grade Orchestration environment.

Base Salary Range

Base Salary Range $200,000—$350,000 USD

Tools and Resources

Training and Development: During onboarding, we focus on equipping new hires with the skills and knowledge for success through department‑specific training. Continuous learning is a central focus at Appian, with dedicated mentorship and the First‑Friend program being widely utilized resources for new hires.

Growth Opportunities

Appian provides a diverse array of growth and development opportunities, including our leadership program tailored for new and aspiring managers, a comprehensive library of specialized department training through Appian University, skills based training, and tuition reimbursement for those aiming to advance their education. This commitment ensures that employees have access to a holistic range of development opportunities.

Community

We’ll immerse you into our community rooted in respect starting on day one. Appian fosters inclusivity through our 8 employee‑led affinity groups. These groups help employees build stronger internal and external networks by planning social, educational, and outreach activities to connect Appianites and larger initiatives throughout the company.

Benefits Appian offers

Benefits Appian offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing, and financial future. Benefits may include health coverage, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with free mental health support, life and disability insurance, an Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), a retirement/pension plan, wellness dollars, tuition reimbursement, family‑forming benefits and more. Benefits vary by country—please ask your Talent Acquisition contact for details specific to the location you are applying to.

About Appian

Appian provides AI automation for mission‑critical work. We automate complex processes in large enterprises and governments. Our platform is known for its unique reliability and scale. We’ve been automating processes for more than 25 years and understand enterprise operations like no one else. For more information, visit appian.com. [Nasdaq: APPN] Follow Appian: LinkedIn, Youtube, Instagram, Facebook

Appian is an equal opportunity employer that strives to attract and retain the best talent. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Appian provides reasonable accommodations to applicants in accordance with all applicable laws.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at [e-mail]. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

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