Principal Architect

Role Description

Join Amgen’s Mission of Serving Patients. In this vital role, you will play a pivotal role in building and scaling our machine learning models from development to production.

• Your expertise in both machine learning and operations will be essential in creating efficient and reliable ML pipelines.
• A background in data engineering, including experience with data pipelines and distributed data processing, is a strong plus.
• Lead the end-to-end design, development, and delivery of machine learning and Generative AI (GenAI) solutions, leveraging Databricks, Apache Spark, SQL, and Python.
• Act as an Architect for large-scale Data Engineering and ML/GenAI initiatives, driving architecture decisions across lakehouse platforms (Databricks), distributed compute (Spark), and cloud ecosystems (AWS/GCP/Azure).
• Design and implement advanced data pipelines and AI systems, including batch and streaming data processing (Spark), data modeling (SQL), and ML workflows (Python).
• Build and optimize robust data foundations for AI by developing high-quality, scalable ETL/ELT pipelines in Databricks.
• Define and institutionalize evaluation, validation, and governance frameworks for ML/GenAI systems.
• Partner directly with business stakeholders and product leaders to translate objectives into data-driven AI/ML solutions.
• Establish and enforce best practices in MLOps, LLMOps, DataOps, and DevOps.
• Architect and oversee scalable cloud-based data and AI platforms.
• Drive experimentation strategy, including A/B testing, prompt optimization, and data-driven iteration.
• Provide mentorship to L4 and L5 engineers in data engineering and AI/ML development.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration across data engineering, data science, platform engineering, and business teams.
• Stay at the forefront of advancements in data engineering and Generative AI/agentic systems.

Qualifications

• Doctorate degree and 2 years of experience OR
• Master’s degree and 4 years of experience OR
• Bachelor’s degree and 6 years of experience OR
• Associate’s degree and 10 years of experience OR
• High school diploma / GED and 12 years of experience

Requirements

• Deep expertise in machine learning, deep learning, and Generative AI (LLMs, transformers, embeddings, fine-tuning techniques).
• Proven track record of leading and delivering production-grade ML/GenAI systems end-to-end.
• Expertise in MLOps/LLMOps ecosystems (MLflow, Kubeflow, Airflow, CI/CD, Docker, Kubernetes).
• Strong system design, architecture, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated proficiency in leveraging cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) for data engineering solutions.
• Proven ability to mentor and guide junior and mid-level engineers (L4/L5).

Benefits

• A comprehensive employee benefits package, including a Retirement and Savings Plan with generous company contributions.
• Group medical, dental and vision coverage, life and disability insurance, and flexible spending accounts.
• A discretionary annual bonus program, or for field sales representatives, a sales-based incentive plan.
• Stock-based long-term incentives.
• Award-winning time-off plans.
• Flexible work models where possible.

Company Description

Amgen is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people around the world, fostering an inclusive environment of diverse, ethical, committed and highly accomplished people.