Principal Full-Stack AI Engineer - Hybrid

Cognizant; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

Paid holidays + PTO

401(k) plan and contributions

Long-term/Short-term Disability

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant in New York, NY invites a Principal Full-Stack AI Engineer - Platform Architect to lead design and development of a next-generation enterprise AI platform, architect core services, set engineering standards, and deliver scalable AI-powered applications.

This hybrid role requires hands-on building production-grade platforms, cloud-native practices, and mentoring engineers, with opportunities to guide governance, observability, and lifecycle management across the stack.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience building and operating large-scale production software platforms.
• Strong Python plus another language (Go/Java/TypeScript) required.
• Hands-on with Kubernetes, containers, Terraform, CI/CD, and cloud-native architectures.
• Deep knowledge of Generative AI, LLMs, agent frameworks, RAG, and AI platform technologies.
• Experience implementing security, governance, observability, and enterprise-scale platform controls.
• Proven ability to lead complex technical initiatives and influence engineering strategy.

Responsibilities

• Design and build the core architecture, frameworks, and shared services that power enterprise AI platforms and agent ecosystems.
• Develop scalable AI capabilities including model orchestration, lifecycle management, governance, observability, and memory services.
• Create reusable tools, patterns, and automation that accelerate AI agent development and deployment.
• Establish best practices for cloud-native engineering, security, CI/CD, infrastructure as code, and platform reliability.
• Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership through architecture reviews and engineering excellence.

Skills

Python

Go

Java

TypeScript

Generative AI

Agent frameworks

RAG

Orchestration

Security & governance

Leadership & strategy

Tools

Kubernetes

Containers

Terraform

CI/CD

Cloud-native

GKE

Vertex AI

Job description

Principal Full-Stack AI Engineer - Platform Architect

Location: New York, NY (Hybrid)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Job ID: 00070578971

About the role

As a Principal Full-Stack AI Engineer - Platform Architect, you will lead the design and development of a next-generation enterprise AI platform. You will architect core platform services, establish engineering standards, and build scalable AI solutions that enable teams to rapidly develop, deploy, and govern AI-powered applications and agents.

In this role, you will:

• Design and build the core architecture, frameworks, and shared services that power enterprise AI platforms and agent ecosystems.


• Develop scalable AI capabilities including model orchestration, lifecycle management, governance, observability, and memory services.


• Create reusable tools, patterns, and automation that accelerate AI agent development and deployment.


• Establish best practices for cloud-native engineering, security, CI/CD, infrastructure as code, and platform reliability.


• Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership through architecture reviews and engineering excellence.

Work model

We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. This role requires working from a Cognizant or client office in New York, NY on designated days each week.

What you need to have to be considered

• Extensive experience building and operating large-scale, production-grade software platforms.


• Strong expertise in Python and at least one additional language such as Go, Java, or TypeScript.


• Hands-on experience with Kubernetes, containers, Terraform, CI/CD, and cloud-native architectures.


• Deep knowledge of Generative AI, LLMs, agent frameworks, RAG, orchestration, and AI platform technologies.


• Experience implementing security, governance, observability, and enterprise-scale platform controls.


• Proven ability to lead complex technical initiatives and influence engineering strategy.

These will help you stand out

• Experience with Google Cloud Platform, including GKE, Vertex AI, BigQuery, and IAM.


• Expertise in multi-agent systems, AI governance, and model lifecycle management.


• Familiarity with MLflow, OpenTelemetry, Delta Lake, Iceberg, Ray, DeepSpeed, or vLLM.


• Experience building enterprise AI platforms or developer enablement frameworks.


• Strong mentoring and technical leadership experience.

Salary and Other Compensation

Applicants will be accepted till 10/30/2026

Cognizant will only consider applicants for this position who are legally authorized to work in the United States without company sponsorship.

*Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future*

The annual salary for this position will be in the range of $140,000 - $160,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant's discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant's applicable plans.

Benefits

• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance


• Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off


• 401(k) plan and contributions


• Long-term/Short-term Disability


• Paid Parental Leave


• Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

Our strength is built on our ability to work together. Our diverse backgrounds offer different perspectives and new ways of thinking. It encourages lively discussions, creativity, productivity, and helps us build better solutions for our clients. We want someone who thrives in this setting and is inspired to craft meaningful solutions through true collaboration.

If you are content with ambiguity, excited by change, and excel through autonomy, we'd love to hear from you!