Principal AI Engineer

Svitla Systems Inc. is looking for a Principal AI Engineer for a full-time position (40 hours per week) in Europe.  Our client is a middle-market private equity firm that gathers information and reports to enhance environmental and social impacts on the customer’s business. 

We are seeking a visionary Principal AI Engineer to lead the development of the AI Platform. As a founding member of the AI Center of Excellence, you will lead by example to build a high-performance team. You will build sophisticated Agentic Systems and Adaptive RAG engines that conduct autonomous research to solve complex, real-world problems. You will be a key member of defining "how we do AI, setting the standards for engineering quality, security, and innovation.

Overlap: 7 pm CET.

Tech Stack 

• Languages: Python, TypeScript.

• AI Frameworks: LangChain/LangGraph, Pydantic AI, Databricks Mosaic AI.

• Models: Azure OpenAI, Open Source LLMs (Llama 3, Mistral, etc.).

• Infrastructure: Microsoft Foundry, Azure AI Search, Azure Container Apps, Delta Lake, Vector.

Requirements:

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, with a strong focus on building data-intensive, distributed systems.

• 8–10+ years of experience in ML engineering.

• Strong background across classic ML, GenAI, and Agentic systems.

• Significant hands-on experience deploying AI/ML solutions to production.

• While deep GenAI experience is preferred, a strong traditional ML Engineering background is a big plus.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, Physics, or related fields.

• Deep understanding of building production RAG systems. Knowledge of the nuances of chunking strategies, hybrid search (dense + sparse), re-ranking, and context management.

• Experience in building systems where LLMs use tools, maintain state, and execute multi-step plans. Familiarity with the challenges of loops, recursion, and hallucination mitigation.

• You are a software engineer first. You write clean, maintainable Python code and understand distributed systems, API design (FastAPI), and cloud architecture.

• You can balance the "bleeding edge" with "boring technology" to deliver pragmatic business value. You understand the trade-offs between cost, speed, and accuracy.

• Excellent communication skills in English (clear, concise, to the point).

• High ownership skills with the ability to take the initiative and drive outcomes independently.

• Founding member of the AI CoE, with significant influence over technology choices, frameworks, and engineering standards.

• A STEM degree from a reputable university.

Responsibilities:

• Design and build scalable, reusable AI services (e.g., the "Adaptive RAG Engine," "Text-to-SQL Service," and "Agentic Runtime") that product teams can easily integrate.

• Serve as the technical authority on Generative AI. Mentor senior engineers, conduct code reviews, and drive the adoption of engineering best practices (testing, CI/CD for AI, evaluation).

• Lead the development of multi-agent systems capable of complex reasoning, planning, tool use, and self-correction (using frameworks like LangGraph or Semantic Kernel).

• Load datasets and knowledge sources from external systems.

• Shape and transform data to optimize it for Hybrid or Semantic Search, providing the best possible knowledge context to LLMs.

• Move prototypes to production while focusing on latency, cost optimization, and reliability. Implement robust evaluation pipelines (LLM-as-a-Judge) to measure quality and prevent regression.

• Implement guardrails for PII protection, hallucination detection, and prompt injection defense.

• Partner with product teams to de-risk their AI roadmaps. Translate abstract business requirements into concrete architectural patterns.

We offer:

• US and EU projects based on advanced technologies.

• Competitive compensation based on skills and experience.

• Regular performance appraisals to support your growth.

• Flexibility in workspace, either remote or our welcoming office.

• Bonuses for article writing, public talks, and other activities.

• Generous time off, including vacation, national holidays, sick leaves, and family days.

• Personalized learning programs tailored to your interests and skill development.

• Free tech webinars and meetups organized by Svitla.

• Regular corporate online activities.

• Awesome team and a friendly, supportive community!