Principal AI Engineer

Placements24; Mossel Bay; Hybrid; ZAR 1,500,000 - 2,600,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity package

Fully remote work

Health coverage

Development budget

Conference attendance support

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a visionary Principal AI Engineer to join a fully remote, high-performing engineering team. You will architect and build scalable AI systems that drive business value, tackle complex technical problems, and set the technical direction for AI initiatives.

You will mentor engineers, lead production-grade AI/ML design, and collaborate with stakeholders to translate business needs into robust solutions.

Qualifications

• Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, AI, ML, or related field.
• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience with at least 5 years in AI/ML.
• Expertise in Python and deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow or PyTorch.
• Strong cloud experience and MLOps practices.
• Proven ability to lead complex technical projects and mentor teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and architecture of production-grade AI/ML systems.
• Develop and implement advanced ML models for diverse applications.
• Mentor junior and senior engineers, promoting technical excellence.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business needs into technical solutions.
• Ensure scalability, reliability, and performance of AI systems through testing and monitoring.

Skills

Python

Leadership

Mentoring

Education

Master's or PhD in Computer Science, AI, ML or related field

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

AWS

Azure

GCP

MLOps

Job description

About the Role

Our client is looking for a visionary Principal AI Engineer to join their fully remote, high-performing engineering team. As a key technical leader, you will architect and build scalable, robust AI systems that drive significant business value. This role involves tackling the most challenging technical problems, mentoring other engineers, and setting the technical direction for AI initiatives. You will have the autonomy to innovate and implement best practices, contributing to groundbreaking AI solutions from anywhere in the world. This is an exceptional opportunity for a seasoned engineer passionate about leading and shaping the future of AI development in a distributed, agile setting.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and architecture of complex, production-grade AI/ML systems and platforms.
• Develop and implement advanced machine learning models and algorithms for diverse applications.
• Mentor and guide junior and senior engineers, fostering technical excellence and best practices.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to understand business needs and translate them into technical solutions.
• Ensure the scalability, reliability, and performance of AI systems through rigorous testing and monitoring.

Requirements

• Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science, AI, Machine Learning, or a related field.
• 10+ years of professional experience in software engineering, with at least 5 years focused on AI/ML.
• Expertise in Python and deep learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Strong experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and MLOps practices.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical projects and mentor engineering teams.

Benefits

• Exceptional salary and equity package.
• Fully remote work arrangement with global flexibility.
• Premium health, dental, and vision coverage.
• Generous professional development budget and conference attendance support.
• Opportunity to work on high-impact projects with cutting-edge technology.