Principal AI Architect

Principal AI Architect

Mainspring Energy is evolving beyond using AI for simple productivity gains. We are seeking a Principal AI Architect to lead our transition into an organization where AI agents are fully embedded in our engineering development cycles. This is a strategic leadership role focused on architecting the future of how we build linear generator technology.

At the principal level, you will not just support existing processes; you will define the AI strategy for engineering development workflows, ensuring that AI-driven automation has clear structure, rigorous guardrails, and measurable Return on Investment (ROI).

What You'll Do

AI Strategy for Engineering Workflows

• Architect Embedded Agent Cycles: Transition Mainspring from "AI-assisted" tasks to a model where autonomous and semi-autonomous AI agents are natively integrated into the engineering lifecycle—from code generation and hardware simulation to automated testing and documentation

• Workflow Optimization: Identify and re-engineer high-impact engineering bottlenecks, deploying AI agents that act as functional members of the development team

• ROI & Performance Measurement: Establish a data-driven framework to measure the impact of AI on engineering velocity, error reduction, and resource optimization. You will be responsible for defining and reporting on clear ROI metrics for all AI initiatives

Governance, Guardrails, and Security

• Standardized Guardrails: Design and implement automated guardrails within the CI/CD pipeline to ensure AI-generated output meets Mainspring's rigorous safety, security, and quality standards

• Responsible Agent Execution: Establish governance frameworks for agentic behavior, including "human-in-the-loop" checkpoints, audit logs, and access controls to prevent drift or unauthorized actions in production environments

• Model Evaluation: Build rigorous benchmarking systems to evaluate model reliability and cost-effectiveness, ensuring a lean and high-performing AI stack

Technical Leadership & Infrastructure

• Agentic Infrastructure: Design the end-to-end infrastructure required to support multi-agent systems, including orchestration layers, long-term memory (Vector DBs), and tool-use capabilities (RAG)

• Build vs. Buy Strategy: Act as the technical authority on whether to leverage third-party AI platforms or develop proprietary agentic tools tailored to our specific hardware-software engineering needs

What You Bring

• 12+ years of experience: in software engineering or ML infrastructure, with a proven track record of moving AI beyond "chatbots" and into functional, automated workflows

• Deep Expertise in Agentic Frameworks: Proven track record in building autonomous systems using the Gemini and Anthropic SDKs (specifically via Vertex AI). Expert-level proficiency in architecting agentic design patterns—including MCP (Model Context Protocol), multi-agent orchestration, and complex state management—within high-scale production environments

• Strategic ROI Focus: Ability to bridge the gap between technical execution and business value, with experience presenting ROI cases to executive leadership

• Security & Compliance Mindset: Expertise in building "safe-by-design" systems, specifically regarding data privacy and preventing model hallucinations in mission-critical engineering tasks

What Principal Level Means at Mainspring

At principal level, you are the architect of the strategy, not just the executor. You are expected to define the technical roadmap that transforms our engineering culture, acting as a multiplier who elevates the entire organization's capability through AI.

$227,500 - $280,000 a year This position is open to both onsite and remote candidates. The salary will be adjusted to reflect local market conditions based on employee location as well as the experience of the employee. Along with the base salary, Mainspring offers pre-IPO stock options + benefits.

Does your experience not meet all of our posted requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to positions unless they meet every listed requirement. At Mainspring, we are committed to building a diverse, inclusive, flexible, and collaborative environment, so if you want to help us transition the world to clean and affordable electricity, and don't meet all posted requirements for a particular role, we'd still love to hear from you. Mainspring can sometimes be flexible enough to shift responsibilities for the right person, or otherwise identify open or upcoming roles that may better fit your professional background.

Mainspring Energy, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

This compensation and benefits information is based on Mainspring Energy's estimate as of the date of publication and may be modified in the future. We generally do not negotiate on salary once we have made an offer. The level of pay within the range will depend on a variety of job-related factors that may include location, relevant prior experience and/or education, or particular skills and expertise. New hires joining the company tend to be paid within the starting base pay range noted above, with opportunities to increase pay over time based on development of additional skills, competencies, and company-specific knowledge.