Principal Engineer, AI/ML

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Toronto / $170000 - $240000 annum

INFO

Salary
SALARY:

$170000 - $240000

Location

LOCATION

Toronto

Job Type
JOB TYPE

Permanent

Principal Engineer, AI/ML

Location: Hybrid - Canada or U.S. (Toronto, Ann Arbor, Frisco, Eagan)

About the Opportunity

We're partnering with the innovation lab of a global enterprise organization at the forefront of applying AI, machine learning, and data science to real-world professional workflows.

This group operates like a startup within a large-scale platform, building cutting-edge products that leverage LLMs, generative AI, and agentic systems to transform how users interact with complex information.

  • AI-powered research and summarization
  • Intelligent content and knowledge systems
  • End-to-end automation of high-value professional workflows

This is a rare opportunity to work on AI-native products at scale, with meaningful real-world impact.

Role Overview

As a Principal Engineer, AI, you will lead the design and delivery of next-generation AI systems, driving technical strategy and building scalable, production-grade GenAI applications.

You'll operate at the intersection of:

  • Architecture
  • Hands-on engineering
  • Cross-functional leadership

What You'll Do

  • Define and drive technical strategy for large-scale AI initiatives
  • Architect and build LLM-powered applications and agentic systems
  • Lead development of AI-native features for content and knowledge platforms
  • Design scalable systems leveraging RAG, prompt engineering, and fine-tuning
  • Integrate GenAI into user-facing applications and workflows
  • Mentor and guide senior engineers and technical leaders globally
  • Partner with product and business teams to translate requirements into technical solutions
  • Own delivery of complex, high-impact engineering initiatives

Core Tech Areas

  • AI/ML: LLMs, Generative AI, RAG, Agentic Systems
  • Languages: Python, Java, TypeScript (varies by team)
  • Cloud: AWS, Azure, or GCP
  • Frameworks: LangChain, LLM tooling, modern AI dev frameworks
  • Practices: DevOps, CI/CD, scalable distributed systems

What They're Looking For

  • 10+ years of hands-on software engineering experience
  • Proven experience building scalable AI / ML / GenAI systems in production
  • Strong understanding of:
  • LLMs and generative AI
  • RAG architectures
  • Prompt engineering and fine-tuning
  • Agent-based / agentic systems
  • Experience working in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, or GCP)
  • Background in enterprise SaaS or large-scale platforms
  • Ability to operate in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
  • Strong communication skills and ability to influence across teams
  • Experience mentoring engineers and driving engineering best practices

Nice to Have

  • Experience building AI systems for content, knowledge, or domain-specific workflows (e.g., legal, compliance, research)
  • Familiarity with AI governance, evaluation, and responsible AI practices
  • Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Why This Role

  • Work on cutting-edge GenAI systems with real-world impact
  • Combine startup velocity with enterprise scale and resources
  • High visibility role with influence across product and engineering strategy
  • Opportunity to shape AI-native platforms from the ground up

Ideal Candidate

  • Deeply technical AI/ML engineer with architectural mindset
  • Comfortable owning systems from design → build → scale
  • Passionate about LLMs, agentic systems, and applied AI
  • Thrives in environments requiring ownership, autonomy, and leadership

CONTACT

Tim Greenwald

Senior Recruitment Consultant

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