Principal Machine Learning Engineer

SMART TECH SKILLS LLC; Reading (Berks County); A distancia; USD 180.000 - 260.000; Jornada completa

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

Remote to start

Hybrid in Raleigh, NC

Descripción de la vacante

SMART TECH SKILLS LLC is seeking a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to architect, develop, and advise on end-to-end AI solutions using LLMs, RAG, and agentic systems. This is a senior IC role focused on technical strategy and architectural guidance rather than people management.

This remote position starts remotely, then transitions to a hybrid setup in Raleigh, NC. Relocation is required; candidates able to relocate at the start of the contract are preferred, though relocation may occur upon

Formación

• Deep expertise in LLMs, RAG, and agentic systems.
• Experience with Model Context Protocol (MCP) and vector databases.
• Strong experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Strong Python development skills and AI architecture experience.
• Experience with MLOps and software engineering best practices.
• Strong data engineering skills.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing a new agentic RAG-based system.

Responsabilidades

• Architect, develop, and advise on end-to-end AI solutions using LLMs, RAG, agentic systems, and cloud-scale infrastructure.
• Study and train algorithms to uncover patterns for predictive models and apps.
• Develop proofs of concept and initial implementations for new AI capabilities.
• Evaluate and test-drive new frameworks and tools to inform technical direction.
• Provide technical strategy and stay current with AI industry standards.
• Ensure production readiness and align AI design with business goals.

Conocimientos

LLMs

RAG

agentic systems

MCP

cloud platforms

Python development

MLOps

data engineering

GoLang

Descripción del empleo

Benefits:

Competitive salary

Location Remote to start, then becomes hybrid in Raleigh, NC (relocation required; candidates able to relocate at the start of the contract are preferred, though relocation may occur upon conversion to full-time).

Role Overview

We are seeking a Principal Machine Learning Engineer to architect, develop, and advise on end-to-end AI solutions leveraging large language models (LLMs), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and agentic systems. This is a senior individual contributor role for someone who wants to remain highly technical rather than move into people management, while providing technical strategy and architectural guidance to a growing data science team. The ideal candidate has played a lead role in designing and establishing a new agentic RAG-based system, with demonstrated ownership of meaningful architectural and technical decisions — not simply a contributor within a larger team.

Key Responsibilities

AI Architecture & Solution Design

Architect, develop, and advise on end-to-end AI solutions leveraging LLMs, RAG, agentic systems, and cloud-scale infrastructure.

Construct, study, and train algorithms that learn from complex, high-dimensionality data to uncover patterns for predictive models and applications.

Apply techniques such as random forests, deep learning, generative modeling, and neural network memory to improve NLP and machine perception algorithms.

Proof of Concept & Technology Evaluation

Develop proofs of concept and initial implementations for new AI capabilities.

Evaluate and test-drive new frameworks and tools to inform technical direction.

Technical Strategy & Leadership

Work closely with architects to guide teams on AI system design and best practices.

Provide technical strategy and stay current with industry standards in AI and machine learning.

Understand the full environment and systems end to end, ensuring production readiness.

Align AI system design with business and technical goals.

Required Qualifications

Deep expertise in LLMs, RAG, and agentic systems.

Experience with Model Context Protocol (MCP) and vector databases.

Strong experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP).

Strong Python development skills and AI architecture experience.

Experience with MLOps and software engineering best practices.

Strong data engineering skills.

Demonstrated experience designing, architecting, and implementing a new agentic RAG-based system, with evidence of meaningful architectural and technical decision-making (not solely as a contributor within a larger team).

Engineering experience beyond core data science, including microservices architecture and cloud computing.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with GoLang.

Experience working with unstructured data and document-heavy domains.

Experience supporting or mentoring less senior data scientists/engineers as a technical lead.

Core Skills & Attributes

Strong technical depth with a preference for remaining hands‑on rather than pursuing people management.

Proven ability to make and own architectural and technical decisions on complex AI systems.

Strong collaboration skills, particularly working closely with architects and cross‑functional teams.

Comfortable evaluating and adopting emerging tools and frameworks.

Excellent communication skills for translating technical strategy across teams.

Strong end‑to‑end systems thinking across AI architecture and production environments.

This is a remote position.