Senior AI Solutions Engineer, Data Science, Penguin Random House (Open to Remote)

Penguin Random House; New York, Northern (NY, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit bonus

Full benefits package

Remote-friendly work

Job summary

Penguin Random House is seeking a Senior AI Solutions Engineer to build and operate LLM-powered applications and MCP-based integrations across our data and tools. You will own end-to-end delivery in a fast-paced publishing environment, working on agentic workflows, retrieval systems, and model interfaces in AWS/Databricks.

Remote-friendly role based in the US with opportunities to collaborate across teams; requires 3+ years of production ML software experience, strong Python engineering, and a

Qualifications

• 3+ years building and shipping production-quality software.
• Hands-on work with ML/AI systems and related tooling.
• Experience standing up MCP servers or similar integrations.
• Experience with cloud ML platforms (AWS, Databricks) and model APIs.
• Advanced degree in CS/ML or related field.
• Experience applying AI/ML to commercial problems like forecasting or optimization.
• Background in media, publishing, or content domains is a plus.
• Fluency with retrieval-augmented generation, embeddings, prompts, and evaluation.
• Strong Python engineering, testing, CI, and collaboration.
• Self-motivated with good communication and ability to level up teammates.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and operate LLM-powered applications and MCP integrations.
• Own end-to-end services: architecture, implementation, deployment, evaluation, monitoring.
• Evaluate new AI tooling, run pilots, and lead adoption of effective solutions.
• Raise engineering capability with demos, pair programming, and internal tools.

Skills

Python engineering

Strong communication

Self-motivated

Teaching teammates

Education

MS/PhD in CS/ML

Tools

MCP servers

AWS

Databricks

OpenAI Bedrock/Anthropic

Vector databases

Job description

Senior AI Solutions Engineer, Data Science, Penguin Random House (Open to Remote)

Penguin Random House LLC

New York, 1745 Broadway, United States

remote

USD 180,000 - 220,000 (Yearly)

Company Description

Penguin Random House is the leading adult and children's publishing house in North America, the United Kingdom and many other regions around the world. In publishing the best books in every genre and subject for all ages, we are committed to quality, excellence in execution, and innovation throughout the entire publishing process: editorial, design, marketing, publicity, sales, production, and distribution. Our vibrant and diverse international community of nearly 300 publishing brands and imprints include Ballantine Bantam Dell, Berkley, Clarkson Potter, Crown, DK, Doubleday, Dutton, Grosset & Dunlap, Little Golden Books, Knopf, Modern Library, Pantheon, Penguin Books, Penguin Press, Penguin Random House Audio, Penguin Young Readers, Portfolio, Puffin, Putnam, Random House, Random House Children's Books, Riverhead, Ten Speed Press, Viking, and Vintage, among others. More information can be found at http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/.

Penguin Random House values the array of talents and perspectives that a diverse workforce brings. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status.

Job Description

Penguin Random House publishes more of the books people love than anyone else in the world and the Data Science team helps those books find their readers: recommendation systems that surface the right book for the right person, forecasting models that guide print runs and marketing spend, and AI-powered tools that support our publishing teams.

We're hiring a Senior AI Solutions Engineer to build the systems behind this next wave of AI work for improving operations: agentic applications, LLM-powered services, and the interfaces (e.g. MCP servers) that connect AI models and assistants to our internal data and tools. You'll work at the intersection of a world-class publishing business and the modern AI stack, and you'll own what you build all the way to production.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Design, build, and operate LLM-powered applications and services (e.g. agentic workflows, retrieval/RAG systems, classification pipelines) over our catalog, sales, and operational data


• Stand up and maintain MCP servers and tool integrations that connect AI models and assistants to our internal data and systems safely and reliably


• Own services end-to-end: architecture, implementation, deployment, evaluation, and monitoring in our AWS/Databricks environment


• Evaluate emerging AI tooling and patterns (agent frameworks, MCP, evaluation harnesses, new model capabilities), run structured pilots, and lead adoption of what works


• Raise the team's AI engineering capability: run working sessions and internal demos, pair program with scientists, and build internal tools to help accelerate AI usage across the team.

Qualifications

• 3+ years building and shipping production-quality software, including hands-on work with machine learning or AI systems that include the following preferred qualifications:
  
  
  
  • Experience standing up MCP servers or comparable tool-integration layers for AI assistants
  
  
  • Experience with cloud ML platforms (AWS, Databricks), model APIs (Bedrock, Anthropic, OpenAI), and vector databases
  
  
  • Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in computer science, machine learning, or a related quantitative field
  
  
  • Experience applying AI/ML to commercial problems such as demand forecasting, pricing, sales and marketing optimization, recommendation, or search
  
  
  • Background in media, publishing, or other content-rich domains
  
  
  
  


• Demonstrated fluency with the current LLM stack: retrieval-augmented generation, embeddings, prompt engineering, agentic patterns, and rigorous evaluation of generative systems


• Strong Python engineering skills with experience in version control, testing, and CI


• Self-motivated, with strong communication skills and a demonstrated ability to teach and level up teammates.

Additional Information

The salary range for this position is $180,000 to $220,000. All positions are currently eligible for annual profit award or bonus, subject to Company results.

Penguin Random House job postings include a good faith compensation range for each open position. The salary range listed is specific to each particular open position and takes into account various factors including the specifics of the individual role, and candidate's relevant experience and qualifications.

Full-time employees are eligible for our comprehensive benefits program. Our range of benefits include, but are not limited to, Medical/Prescription drug insurance, Dental, Vision, Health Care/Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account, Health Savings Account, Pre-Tax and Roth 401(k), Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance, Life/AD&D Insurance, Commuter Benefits, Student Loan Repayment Program, Educational Assistance & generous paid time off.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Disclosure requirements pertaining to the collection of your personal data:

Responsible for processing the information provided in your application is the company specified in the job advertisement, with its registered office as indicated. The company processes your data for the purpose of establishing an employment relationship on the basis of Art. 6 (1) b GDPR / Section 26 (1) sentence 1 BDSG.

The retention period for your data is determined by the statutory time limits applicable in the respective country, beginning upon completion of the recruitment process. You can find these here .

You can contact the company’s Data Protection Officer at the above-mentioned postal address.

Further information on data protection and your rights can be found here .

Wevalue the array of talents and perspectives that a diverse workforce brings. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or pregnancy.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.