Principal Software Engineer/Principal AI Engineer

Elsevier; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 115,000 - 192,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous vacation entitlement

Comprehensive Pension Plan

Family leave and sabbatical options

Employee discounts

Recruitment introduction reward

Employee Assistance Program (global)

Job summary

Elsevier is seeking a Principal AI Engineer to lead an embedded Innovation Squad, turning AI prototypes into production-ready, reusable patterns and starter kits. You will shape agentic AI patterns, orchestration, memory, and retrieval while collaborating with stakeholders across host functions.

You will mentor engineers, drive architectural decisions, and ensure security, governance, and compliance as you deliver measurable outcomes at scale in a fast-paced enterprise environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in software engineering with hands-on AI design or integration.
• BS in Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent; advanced degree preferred.
• Experience with AI orchestration, LLM tooling and enterprise-scale patterns.
• Strong security, data governance and residency practices in cloud environments.
• Delivery experience in Agile, CI/CD, and modern SDLC.

Responsibilities

• Own technical execution from discovery to production for AI prototypes.
• Design and govern reusable agentic AI patterns (orchestration, memory, retrieval).
• Ensure delivery aligns with security and data-governance standards.
• Codify validated solutions into patterns and starter kits for reuse.
• Mentor and elevate engineers; collaborate with stakeholders.

Skills

AI system design

Production delivery

Architectural decisions

Python

Java

TypeScript/JavaScript

SQL

Education

BS in Engineering/CS

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

AI/ML services

Job description

Principal Software Engineer/Principal AI Engineer

Are you excited about building intelligent systems powered by innovative AI technologies?

Do you enjoy designing models that turn complex data into impactful solutions?

About the team:

Embedded Innovation Teams are cross-functional squads embedded within our segments to rapidly turn internal AI experimentation into validated, reusable solutions, building the capabilities we need to deliver customer value and growth. We work problem-first rather than tool-first, directly inside segment and function teams, improving the internal workflows that help our people deliver better outcomes for customers, faster.

About the role:

As a Principal AI Engineer, you will be the technical lead for an embedded Innovation Squad, owning technical execution from discovery through to production. You will assess and harden existing AI prototypes, deliver new ones, and establish the agentic AI patterns, orchestration, tool use, memory, and retrieval that other squads reuse. You are the senior source of expertise on AI architecture, integration, and delivery.

You will work directly with internal stakeholders and end users in the host function, finalizing requirements, making the architectural calls, and codifying validated solutions into reusable patterns, reference implementations and starter kits. You may also provide sizing, infrastructure, and budget recommendations, and you will mentor and elevate the engineers around you.

Key Responsibilities:

• Owning technical execution from discovery to production; build, assess, and harden prototypes and proofs of concept, and deliver new ones


• Designing and governing reusable agentic AI patterns (orchestration, tool use, memory, retrieval)


• Ensuring delivery meets architecture, security and data-governance standards; recommend infrastructure, hosting and data residency


• Codifying validated solutions into patterns, reference implementations, and starter kits so they can be picked up and scaled across other functions


• Providing design input, finalizing requirements, and working directly with internal stakeholders and end users in the host function


• Writing specifications, fixing complex bugs, and designing complex data models


• Acting as the primary technical contact for external resources and the squad's go-to on coding and AI


• Establishing baselines and reporting measurable outcomes for every initiative


• Maintaining visibility of in-flight AI pilots within the function to prevent duplication and surface candidates for reuse


• Ensuring alignment with enterprise non-negotiables: security, compliance and central technology infrastructure standards


• Continuously evaluating emerging technologies and mentoring and elevating team members

Requirements:

• Engineering experience: 10+ years in software engineering, with hands‑on AI system design, build, or integration, and a track record of taking AI prototypes to production in enterprise environments


• Education: BS in Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent; advanced degree preferred


• Agentic AI / LLMs: LLM orchestration, prompt engineering, context-window management and production guardrails; MCP, tool-augmented agents and RAG at enterprise scale


• Enterprise integration: Integrating AI into enterprise systems via APIs and data pipelines, with strong security, data governance and residency practices


• Cloud: AWS, Azure, or GCP, including managed AI/ML services


• Delivery: Agile, CI/CD, modern SDLC, and TDD


• Data and architecture: Modelling across relational, columnar and vector stores, grounded in sound architectural principles


• Ways of working: Thrives in ambiguity, framing the problem, extracting defined spec, and prioritizes shipping validated outcomes over perfect solutions, moving pilots to production at pace


• Languages: Python, Java, TypeScript/JavaScript, SQL, and relevant AI SDKs


• Leadership and delivery management: Plans and sequences work, manages scope, dependencies and priorities, removes blockers, and drives delivery to keep innovation moving


• Communication and influence: Presents concisely to senior management, host-function stakeholders, and cross-functional teams, and builds buy-in and drives technical decisions across


• Commercial awareness: Budget-aware; partners with internal and external resources, including managed services and staff augmentation


• Measurement: Establishes baselines and instruments solutions to track productivity, cost, and quality outcomes from pilot through scale

Work in a way that works for you

We promote a healthy work/life balance across the organization. We offer an appealing working prospect for our people. With numerous wellbeing initiatives, shared parental leave, study assistance and sabbaticals, we will help you meet your immediate responsibilities and your long-term goals.

Working flexible hours - flexing the times when you work in the day to help you fit everything in and work when you are the most productive.

Working for you

• Comprehensive Pension Plan


• Generous vacation entitlement and option for sabbatical leave


• Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, and Family Care Leave


• Personal Choice budget


• Internal communities and networks


• Various employee discounts


• Recruitment introduction reward


• Employee Assistance Program (global)

About the business- A global leader in information and analytics, we help researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. At Elsevier, your work contributes to the world's grand challenges and a more sustainable future.

U.S. National Base Pay Range: $115,400 - $192,300. Geographic differentials may apply in some locations to better reflect local market rates. This job is eligible for an annual incentive bonus.

Elsevier is an equal opportunity employer: qualified applicants are considered for and treated during employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship status, disability status, protected veteran status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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