Principal Ai Ml Engineer

Position Overview

Client: Akkodis | End Client: WEX
Job Title: Principal AI/ML Engineer
This role calls for an experienced leader with 15-20 years of large-scale software design and development expertise to drive the AI/ML engineering strategy. You will be responsible for designing, building, and overseeing an innovative AI/ML technology platform.

Location: Portland, ME; Boston, MA; Chicago, IL; San Francisco, CA (Locals only 20-40 miles)
Work Type: Hybrid (1-3 days onsite per week)
Job Type: Contract (12-18 months+)
Note: Citizen Only

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and drive the development of technology and platforms for the company's AI/ML engineering needs, ensuring functional richness, reliability, performance, and flexibility.
• Design the architecture and lead the implementation of the AI/ML infrastructure, platform, and services.
• Challenge the status quo by developing innovative technical solutions that effectively address risk-related requirements.
• Guide and mentor your team to integrate data and AI technologies for high productivity and superior solution quality.
• Collaborate closely with senior engineers, information security teams, and cross-functional product groups to ensure secure, reliable, and high-performing integrations.
• Engage with external partners and vendors to evaluate and adopt complementary technologies and services.
• Develop, prioritize, and execute roadmaps and project plans while reporting on development status, quality, and system performance.
• Set clear, measurable quality goals, driving continuous improvement and ensuring accountability through defined OKRs.
• Provide strategic technical leadership and advise Senior Leadership on complex initiatives and business-critical situations.

Required Qualifications

• 15-20 years of software design and development experience at a large scale.
• Proven expertise in building machine learning models (supervised, unsupervised, with Reinforcement Learning as a plus).
• Strong proficiency in Java and Python with experience in utilizing LLM models.
• Familiarity with distributed computing frameworks (e.g., Ray, Spark) and container orchestration tools (e.g., Kubernetes, Terraform).
• Experience with cloud architecture services such as AWS, Azure, S3, EMR, and Lambda functions.
• Solid hands-on experience with CI/CD automation, agile software development, and full software development lifecycle (including production monitoring).
• Excellent analytical, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field; a higher degree is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in Reinforcement Learning is a plus.
• Prior experience in payment organizations.
• Demonstrated leadership and mentorship of diverse engineering teams.
• Familiarity with modern data platforms and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Additional certifications or advanced degrees in relevant fields.

Benefits & Perks

• Compensation: $95/hour on 1099
• Work Type: Hybrid (1-3 days onsite per week)
• Contract Duration: 12-18 months+