Principal AI Engineer

Company Description

NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies. We create world-class content, which we distribute across our portfolio of film, television, and streaming, and bring to life through our global theme park destinations, consumer products, and experiences. We own and operate leading entertainment and news brands, including NBC, NBC News, NBC Sports, Telemundo, NBC Local Stations, Bravo, and Peacock, our premium ad-supported streaming service. We produce and distribute premier filmed entertainment and programming through our powerhouse film and television studios, including Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Animation, and Focus Features, and the four global television studios under the Universal Studio Group banner, and operate industry-leading theme parks and experiences around the world through Universal Destinations & Experiences, including Universal Orlando Resort, home to Universal Epic Universe, and Universal Studios Hollywood. NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. Visit for more information.

Our impact is rooted in improving the communities where our employees, customers, and audiences live and work. We have a rich tradition of giving back and ensuring our employees have the opportunity to serve their communities. We champion an inclusive culture and strive to attract and develop a talented workforce to create and deliver a wide range of content reflecting our world.

Job Description

We are seeking a Principal AI Engineer with experience bridging research and production of novel AI agents. In this role, you will provide technical leadership in architecting and implementing systems combining symbolic and numerical/data-driven techniques, communicate across functional teams, and ensure architectural choices are well-documented throughout planning and implementation.


Key Responsibilities

• Applied Research: Conduct and apply cutting-edge research in AI and natural language processing to solve real-world problems.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with project leadership across functional domains to understand high-level product vision and translate customer requirements into technical milestones.
• Product Prioritization: Exhibit strong judgement in when to deploy off-the-shelf commercial solutions, customize open-source solutions, or initiate greenfield applied science research projects based on product needs.
• Technical Leadership: Lead by example, amplify team capabilities through intentional coaching & mentorship, foster high-trust/high-performance collaborative attitudes and practices, and establish technical best practices.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

• Graduate degree in Data Science, Computer Science, or a related field (or equivalent deep technical experience).
• Proven experience as an AI Engineer or Applied Research Engineer in a fast-paced environment.
• Prior experience in industries with complex multi-disciplinary teams such as robotics, smart grids, precision agriculture, game development, or aerospace is highly valued.
• Generalist Tooling: Fluency with Git, and the Unix shell, with a strong ability to work across multiple programming languages as needed (ideally including one or more of Python, C++, C#).
• Architectural Knowledge: Deep understanding of how to integrate AI agents into production software (e.g., API design, message brokers, and containerization, compute and memory budgeting).
• AI Experience: Proven experience building and debugging stochastic AI systems including symbolic AI, procedural generative model, logic programming, and natural language processing.
• Math Foundations: A strong mathematical background covering logic, linear algebra, probability, and statistics.
• ML Literacy: While you may not be training models daily, you must have enough ML-adjacent experience to understand model constraints, data requirements, and the "state of the art."

Desired Characteristics

• Preferred prior experience with modern C++ to interface with data ingestion and product pipelines.
• Communication: Effective collaboration and the ability to work closely with a founding team.
• Execution: High attention to detail and the ability to meet key R&D milestones in an early-stage startup environment.
• Conscientiousness: High attention to detail regarding system stability and interoperability.

This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and a variety of other discounts and perks. Learn more about the benefits offered by NBCUniversal by visiting the Benefits page of the Careers website. Salary range: $220,000 - 265,000

We are accepting applications for this position on an ongoing basis.

Additional Information

As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with an NBCUniversal employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. NBCUniversal's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.


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For LA County and City Residents Only: NBCUniversal will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories, or arrest or conviction records, in a manner consistent with relevant legal requirements, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative For Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, where applicable.