Senior Principal, Forward Deployed Engineer

Jobtailor; Connecticut; On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking an experienced AI Engineering Leader to define architecture, engineering standards, and reusable solution patterns that accelerate delivery across the AQUA portfolio, ensuring scalable, secure, and production-ready AI systems.

You will partner with business stakeholders to translate complex requirements into measurable value, guide engagements from discovery through delivery, mentor senior engineers, and establish governance, observability, and cost-optimization practices.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of software engineering, AI/ML engineering, or related experience.
• Deep expertise in AI engineering including LLMs, RAG architectures, agentic workflows, model evaluation, and production AI systems.
• Strong proficiency in Python and enterprise technologies such as SQL, Java, TypeScript, or Go.
• Experience building, deploying, and operating AI/ML solutions in AWS, Azure, or GCP environments.
• Proven success defining technical strategy and influencing outcomes across multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of responsible AI principles including privacy, security, governance, human oversight, and risk mitigation.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to engage technical, business, and executive audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to lead initiatives in highly matrixed, complex organizations.

Responsibilities

• Drive AI Strategy and Technical Excellence across the AQUA portfolio.
• Define the AI architecture, engineering standards, and reusable solution patterns to accelerate delivery.
• Lead the design and implementation of scalable, secure, reliable, production-ready AI solutions.
• Evaluate and apply the most effective technologies, including LLMs, RAG architectures, agentic systems, ML, and hybrid approaches.
• Establish best practices for evaluation, observability, governance, risk management, and cost optimization.
• Create reusable frameworks, documentation, and playbooks to improve delivery quality and speed.

Skills

AI Engineering

Large Language Models

Python Programming

AWS Deployment

Responsible AI Principles

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Job description

• Drive AI Strategy and Technical Excellence
• Define the AI architecture, engineering standards, and reusable solution patterns that accelerate delivery across the AQUA portfolio
• Lead the design and implementation of complex AI solutions, ensuring they are scalable, secure, reliable, and production-ready
• Evaluate and apply the most effective technologies, including LLMs, RAG architectures, agentic systems, machine learning, and hybrid approaches
• Establish best practices for evaluation, observability, governance, risk management, and cost optimization
• Create reusable frameworks, documentation, and playbooks that improve delivery quality and speed across engagements
• Partner with the Business to Deliver Outcomes
• Collaborate closely with business stakeholders to identify opportunities where AI can create measurable value
• Guide engagements from discovery and solution design through delivery and operational transition
• Translate complex business requirements into practical technical solutions with clear success criteria
• Provide executive-level updates on progress, risks, outcomes, and strategic recommendations
• Make informed decisions in ambiguous situations while balancing business priorities, technical feasibility, and long-term value
• Influence, Mentor, and Scale
• Serve as the trusted technical advisor for senior leadership and key stakeholders
• Lead architectural reviews, strategy discussions, and cross-functional alignment efforts
• Mentor Principal and senior engineers, raising technical standards and fostering a culture of excellence
• Identify repeatable solutions that can evolve into broader enterprise capabilities and platforms
• Strengthen collaboration across product, engineering, security, legal, compliance, and data science teams

Requirements

• 12+ years of software engineering, AI/ML engineering, or related experience
• Deep expertise in AI engineering, including large language models, RAG architectures, agentic workflows, model evaluation, and production AI systems
• Strong proficiency in Python and experience with enterprise technologies such as SQL, Java, TypeScript, or Go
• Experience building, deploying, and operating AI/ML solutions in AWS, Azure, or GCP environments
• Proven success defining technical strategy and influencing outcomes across multiple teams and stakeholders
• Strong understanding of responsible AI principles, including privacy, security, governance, human oversight, and risk mitigation
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to engage technical, business, and executive audiences
• Demonstrated ability to lead initiatives in highly matrixed, complex organizations

Core Competencies

Demonstrates deep expertise in AI engineering, including large language models and RAG architectures, while effectively translating complex business requirements into scalable and secure AI solutions. Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and mentor engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and collaboration.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• AI Engineering
• Large Language Models
• Python Programming
• AWS Deployment
• Responsible AI Principles

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• AI Architecture
• Machine Learning
• Model Evaluation
• Production AI Systems
• SQL
• Java
• TypeScript
• Go

Soft Skills

• Exceptional Communication
• Mentoring
• Influencing

Industry Keywords

• Governance
• Risk Management
• Cost Optimization
• Observability
• Human Oversight

Tools & Technologies

• AWS
• Azure
• GCP