Principal Generative AI Engineer, SVP

Citi; Irving (TX); On-site; USD 156,000 - 234,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision coverage

401(k)

Life, disability insurance

Wellness programs

Paid time off

Job summary

Citi is seeking a Principal Generative AI Engineer to lead design, development, and deployment of intelligent operations and automation platforms within the AI Automation Forward Deployed Engineering team. You will set the technical direction for generative AI, including LLM orchestration, RAG pipelines, and governance to meet security and regulatory standards.

You will work with OpenShift, Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud AI services, delivering scalable AI infrastructure while aligning with

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in application development or engineering, with AI/ML in production.
• Deep expertise in LLM architectures and AI orchestration frameworks.
• Hands-on experience deploying open-source LLMs and cloud AI platforms.

Responsibilities

• Architect and deliver end-to-end generative AI solutions for intelligent operations.
• Lead the engineering of LLM pipelines and RAG implementations.
• Build AI governance frameworks with guardrails and auditing controls.
• Deploy scalable, cloud-native AI infrastructure with CI/CD pipelines.
• Ensure AI models meet strict risk, auditability, and data security standards.

Skills

LLM architectures

Python

LangChain

AI orchestration

CI/CD

Kubernetes

OpenShift

Security/compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Master's degree preferred

Tools

Llama

Mistral

Gemma

Vertex AI

Pinecone

Milvus

Chroma

Docker

Job description

Position Overview

Citi is looking for a Principal Generative AI Engineer to lead the design, development, and deployment of intelligent operations and automation platforms within the AI Automation Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) team, part of Consumer Operations Technology division. In this senior role, you will set the technical direction for generative AI solutions from LLM orchestration and RAG pipelines to AI governance frameworks, ensuring our AI capabilities meet the highest standards of security, compliance, and reliability in financial services. This is a high-impact opportunity to shape how Citi applies cutting-edge AI at scale, working alongside senior technology leaders across a global organization.

Responsibilities

• Architect and deliver end-to-end generative AI solutions for intelligent operations, including advanced chatbots, agentic workflow automation, and AI-assisted decision platforms that improve operational efficiency at scale.
• Lead the engineering of LLM pipelines by fine-tuning, prompt-engineering, and deploying open-source models such as Llama, Mistral, and Gemma alongside proprietary models via Google Vertex AI.
• Build and maintain Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines using vector databases such as Pinecone, Milvus, and Chroma to enhance model accuracy and contextual relevance.
• Design and implement AI governance frameworks, including guardrails (NeMo Guardrails, Llama Guard), deterministic controls, semantic routing, and hallucination detection systems to ensure safe and compliant production AI.
• Deploy scalable, cloud-native AI infrastructure using Python, Docker, Kubernetes, and OpenShift, supported by robust CI/CD pipelines for continuous delivery.
• Apply deep knowledge of financial services technology to ensure all AI models meet strict risk management, auditability, and data security standards aligned with regulatory requirements.
• Partner with senior technology leaders and cross-functional teams to translate complex business challenges into production-ready AI solutions, setting credible technical direction throughout delivery.

Required qualifications & skills

• 10 or more years of experience in application development or engineering, with a significant focus on AI and machine learning solutions in production environments.
• Deep expertise in LLM architectures, embedding models, and AI orchestration frameworks such as Google ADK and LangChain, applied to real-world operational use cases.
• Hands-on experience deploying open-source LLMs (Llama, Mistral, Gemma) and working with enterprise AI platforms including Google Vertex AI or equivalent cloud AI suites.
• Expert-level Python skills, including proficiency with AI/ML libraries such as PyTorch, Hugging Face, Pandas, and NumPy, and API development frameworks including FastAPI and Flask.
• Demonstrated ability to implement deterministic controls, bias detection, and hallucination mitigation in production AI systems operating under strict compliance requirements.
• Strong experience with containerisation technologies (OpenShift, Docker, Kubernetes) and cloud-native application delivery, including CI/CD pipeline management.
• Background in financial services technology, with working knowledge of financial products, compliance requirements, and data security standards in a regulated environment.

Beneficial skills & qualifications

• Experience leading global technology teams or AI engineering programmes from concept through to production deployment.
• Familiarity with AI safety standards, emerging guardrail technologies, and the evolving regulatory landscape for AI in financial services.
• A Bachelor’s degree/University degree or equivalent experience. Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related technical discipline, preferred.
• Exposure to managing cross-functional stakeholder relationships and communicating complex technical decisions to senior non-technical audiences.

What we offer

At Citi, you will work at the forefront of AI innovation within one of the world's leading financial institutions, contributing to technology programs that operate at genuine global scale. Our Consumer Operations Technology team offers a performance-driven environment where senior engineers have real ownership, the space to lead, and direct influence over how AI reshapes financial services operations.

• A hybrid working model with 3 days in the office and 2 days working remotely, supporting effective work-life balance.
• Strategic ownership and technical leadership on high-visibility AI programmes that directly impact Citi's global consumer operations.
• Access to continuous learning and development resources, including exposure to state-of-the-art AI platforms, tools, and methodologies.
• Collaboration with senior technology leaders across a global organisation, with the opportunity to shape technical standards and influence delivery at scale.
• Competitive compensation and a comprehensive financial wellbeing package commensurate with a senior-level engineering role.
• Wellbeing support and family-friendly benefits designed to help you perform at your best, both professionally and personally.

Job Family Group

Technology

Job Family

Applications Development

Time Type

Full time

Primary Location

Irving Texas United States

Primary Location Full Time Salary Range

$156,160.00 - $234,240.00

Benefits

• medical, dental & vision coverage
• 401(k)
• life, accident, and disability insurance
• wellness programs
• Citi offers paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays.

For additional information regarding Citi employee benefits, please visit citibenefits.com.

Anticipated Posting Close Date

Sep 05, 2026

Automated Processing and AI

We use automated processing, including artificial intelligence, for our legitimate business interests (or our reasonable and appropriate business purposes) to identify and align the candidate's skills and abilities with a specific job opening. Additionally, if you so choose, or consent, we can match your skills and abilities to other suitable roles at Citi.

Importantly, all our hiring processes and decisions, including determining your suitability for a role, are conducted, checked, and decided by individuals. Our automated processing and AI do not involve relying on automatic or autonomous decision-making. Please refer to any Jurisdictional Considerations, with specific provisions for your country (where relevant) for further details.

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