Principal Engineer, AI Platform

Pinterest; United States; On-site; USD 243,000 - 500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Job summary

Pinterest is seeking a leader to set the technical vision for its AI Platform in the United States. You will drive cross-functional initiatives across generative AI, recommender systems, and automation of user experiences, while guiding architecture decisions and engineering standards.

Ideal candidates bring deep AI/ML infra expertise, ownership mindset, and a track record of influencing senior partners. This role emphasizes collaboration and high engineering discipline with equity eligibility.

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in AI/ML infrastructure and distributed systems: hands-on experience designing, building, and operating highly available, production-grade systems at large scale.
• Strong technical judgment and proficiency in at least one of C++, Java, or Rust.
• Proven track record leading cross-organizational initiatives and defining technical strategy.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field.

Responsibilities

• Set the technical vision and roadmap for the Pinterest AI Platform, aligned with priorities.
• Drive cross-functional strategic initiatives across generative AI, recommender systems, and AI-powered tools.
• Cultivate an inclusive culture and provide candid feedback to accelerate growth.

Skills

C++

Java

Rust

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Job description

About Pinterest

Millions of people around the world come to our platform to find creative ideas, dream about new possibilities and plan for memories that will last a lifetime. At Pinterest, we’re on a mission to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love, and that starts with the people behind the product.

About Pinterest

Millions of people around the world come to our platform to find creative ideas, dream about new possibilities and plan for memories that will last a lifetime. At Pinterest, we’re on a mission to bring everyone the inspiration to create a life they love, and that starts with the people behind the product. Discover a career where you ignite innovation for millions, transform passion into growth opportunities, celebrate each other’s unique experiences and embrace the flexibility to do your best work. Creating a career you love? It’s Possible. At Pinterest, AI isn't just a feature, it's a powerful partner that augments our creativity and amplifies our impact, and we’re looking for candidates who are excited to be a part of that. To get a complete picture of your experience and abilities, we’ll explore your foundational skills and how you collaborate with AI. Through our interview process, what matters most is that you can always explain your approach, showing us not just what you know, but how you think. You can read more about our AI interview philosophy and how we use AI in our recruiting process here. Millions of people across the world come to Pinterest to find new ideas every day. It’s where they get inspiration, dream about new possibilities and plan for what matters most. Our mission is to help those people find their inspiration and create a life they love. As a Pinterest employee, you’ll be challenged to take on work that upholds this mission and pushes Pinterest forward.

What You’ll Do

• Set the technical vision and roadmap for the Pinterest AI Platform, aligning with business priorities and long-term company strategy.
• Drive cross-functional strategic initiatives that advance our platform capabilities across:
  • Generative AI: multimodal data management, post-training, evaluation, and batch/online inference.
  • Recommender Systems: feature stores, training infra, and large-scale high performance inference.
  • AI-powered tools that automate the user experience across our platforms, connecting every stage of the AI/ML lifecycle to enhance productivity and accelerate development.
• Cultivate a collaborative and inclusive culture where every team member feels welcome and empowered, and provide candid, constructive feedback that accelerates individual and team growth.

What We’re Looking For

• Deep expertise in AI/ML infrastructure and distributed systems: Hands-on experience designing, building, and operating highly available, production-grade systems at large scale; strong technical judgment; and proficiency in at least one of C++, Java, or Rust.
• Proven track record of company-wide impact: Experience leading cross-organizational initiatives, navigating ambiguity, defining technical strategy, influencing architecture decisions, and aligning cross-functional partners and executives around a shared direction.
• Strong ownership and a high engineering bar: Sets and upholds high standards for engineering quality, integrity, and accountability, and takes end-to-end ownership of outcomes.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field.

Relocation Statement

• This position is not eligible for relocation assistance. Visit our PinFlex page to learn more about our working model.

In-Office Requirement Statement

• We recognize that the ideal environment for work is situational and may differ across departments. What this looks like day-to-day can vary based on the needs of each organization or role.
• This role will need to be in the office for in-person collaboration 1-2 times per quarter and therefore needs to be in a commutable distance from one of the following offices: Palo Alto, CA or San Francisco, CA.

At Pinterest we believe the workplace should be equitable, inclusive, and inspiring for every employee. In an effort to provide greater transparency, we are sharing the base salary range for this position. The position is also eligible for equity. Final salary is based on a number of factors including location, travel, relevant prior experience, or particular skills and expertise.

Information regarding the culture at Pinterest and benefits available for this position can be found here.

US based applicants only

$242,634—$499,541 USD

Our Commitment To Inclusion

Pinterest is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit. We want to have the best qualified people in every job. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, status as a protected veteran, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member) or any other consideration made unlawful by applicable federal, state or local laws. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you require a medical or religious accommodation during the job application process, please complete this form for support.