Python Software Engineer (AI & Data Platforms)

is seeking highly skilled Python Software Engineers to support complex data workloads and AI driven systems . This role is ideal for engineers who are deeply hands on with Python and PySpark , comfortable working in production environments , and experienced contributing to or actively engaging with open source communities .

This position will focus on building production grade APIs, scalable data pipelines, and developer tooling , while collaborating across engineering, product, and data teams.

Top Requirement: Candidates must be very strong in Python and PySpark . This is non negotiable and should be the primary focus during technical screening.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop production grade Python services and APIs supporting AI and data platforms
• Build and optimize PySpark workloads to support large scale data processing
• Contribute to AI systems and complex data pipelines in production environments
• Develop developer tooling to streamline the software delivery lifecycle
• Implement observability, monitoring, and performance optimization strategies
• Practice infrastructure as code and deployment automation
• Collaborate with engineering, product, and data teams on architecture and system design
• Participate in and contribute to technical discussions and design reviews

Required Skills & Experience

• Strong Python expertise (primary language)
• Strong PySpark experience working with large datasets
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience , primarily in Python
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering , or related field
• Experience contributing to open source projects
  • Code contributions, PRs, or
  • Meaningful participation via issues, discussions, or proposals in major libraries (data science, ML, or LLM ecosystems)
• Strong experience with Git and platforms such as GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket
• Experience developing APIs using FastAPI
• Experience with ML / data libraries such as Scikit Learn, TensorFlow , or similar
• Experience working with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
• Experience with containers, orchestration systems, and serverless technologies
• Strong communication skills and ability to articulate technical decisions clearly

Nice to Have

• Experience with LangChain and/or LangFlow
• Background supporting LLM based or AI driven applications
• Experience building data intensive platforms in production
• Exposure to distributed systems and large scale data architectures

What United Airlines Is Looking For

• Engineers who can write clean, production ready Python code
• Strong understanding of distributed data processing using PySpark
• Candidates who actively engage with open source communities
• Engineers who understand how code moves from development to production
• Ability to operate independently while contributing within a collaborative, cross functional environment

Interview & Screening Notes (Internal Use)

• Must ask deep technical questions on Python and PySpark
• Validate hands on experience , not just conceptual knowledge
• Ask candidates to walk through GitHub contributions or open source engagement
• Focus on real production scenarios , performance considerations, and data scale

If you want, I can:

• Create a short LinkedIn / recruiter outreach version
• Draft a Python + PySpark technical screening guide
• Build a GitHub contribution checklist for candidate validation
• Tailor this JD for AI heavy vs data heavy focus