Java AI Architect

Role Overview:
As a Senior Principal Software Engineer, you will be a key technical leader responsible for shaping the design and development of scalable, reliable, and innovative AI/GenAI solutions. You will lead high priority projects, set technical direction for teams, and ensure alignment with organizational goals. This
role demands a high degree of technical expertise, strategic thinking, and the ability to collaborate effectively across diverse teams while mentoring and elevating others to meet a very high technical bar.

Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Technical Leadership:

• Define and drive the technical vision and roadmap for AI/GenAI systems, aligning with company objectives and future growth.

• Provide architectural leadership for complex, large-scale AI systems, ensuring scalability, performance, and maintainability.
• Act as a thought leader in AI technologies, influencing cross-functional technical decisions and long-term strategies.

Advanced AI Product Development:
• Lead the development of state-of-the-art generative AI solutions, leveraging advanced techniques such as transformer models, diffusion models, and multi-modal architectures.
• Drive innovation by exploring and integrating emerging AI technologies and best practices.

Mentorship & Team Growth:
• Mentor senior and junior engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and technical excellence.
• Elevate the team's capabilities through coaching, training, and providing guidance on best practices and complex problem-solving.

End-to-End Ownership:
• Take full ownership of high-impact projects, from ideation and design to implementation, deployment, and monitoring in production.
• Ensure the successful delivery of projects with a focus on quality, timelines, and alignment with organizational goals.

Collaboration & Influence:
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product managers, data scientists, and engineering leadership, to deliver cohesive and impactful solutions.
• Act as a trusted advisor to stakeholders, clearly articulating technical decisions and their business impact.

Operational Excellence:
• Champion best practices for software development, CI/CD, and DevOps, ensuring robust and reliable systems.
• Monitor and improve the health of deployed services, conducting root cause analyses and driving preventive measures for long-term reliability.

Innovation & Continuous Improvement:
• Advocate for and lead the adoption of new tools, frameworks, and methodologies to enhance team productivity and product capabilities.
• Stay at the forefront of AI/GenAI research, driving thought leadership and contributing to the AI community through publications or speaking engagements.

Minimum Qualifications:
• Educational Background: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field; Ph.D. is preferred but not required.
• Experience: 10+ years of professional software development experience, including 5+ years in AI/ML or GenAI. Proven track record of designing and deploying scalable, production-grade AI solutions.
• Deep expertise in Java and frameworks
• Advanced knowledge of AI/ML algorithms, generative models, and LLMs.
• Proficiency with cloud platforms (e.g., GCP, AWS, Azure) and modern DevOps practices. Strong understanding of distributed systems, microservices architecture, and database systems (SQL/NoSQL).
• Leadership Skills: Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives, influence cross functional teams, and mentor engineers at all levels.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proven ability to navigate ambiguity and deliver impactful solutions.
• Collaboration: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and inspire both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications:
• AI/ML Expertise: Experience with multi-modal models, reinforcement learning, and responsible AI principles.
• Cloud & Infrastructure: Advanced knowledge of GCP technologies such as VertexAI, BigQuery,GKE, and DataFlow.
• Thought Leadership: Contributions to the AI/ML community through publications, open-source projects, or speaking engagements.
• Agile Experience: Familiarity with agile methodologies and working in a DevOps model.

UKG is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, including the recruitment process.

Disability Accommodation:

For individuals with disabilities that need additional assistance at any point in the application and interview process, please email UKGCareers@ukg.com.