Principal Architect, Express AI Foundations (San Francisco)

The OpportunityAdobe Express enables all users, whether individuals or large organizations, to effortlessly produce impressive content. The AI Foundations team constructs a flexible, scalable AI framework that drives creativity at scale in design, imaging, motion, and personalization.We're looking for a Principal Architect to build and implement the AI framework for Adobe Express, merging strong ML skills with proficiency in distributed systems, data architecture, and large-scale service development.You'll define and invent the end-to-end foundation that brings Agentic AI, Create AI, Imaging AI, Motion AI, and Personalization AI to life — spanning model orchestration, inference systems, data pipelines, caching and storage layers, session analytics, and continuous evaluation frameworks.This role blends applied research and engineering leadership — ideal for someone who can connect modeling innovation with production-grade systems that deliver real-time, customer-facing intelligence at scale.What You’ll DoArchitect and evolve the complete AI stack for Adobe Express — covering Agentic AI, Construct AI, Imaging AI, Motion AI, and Personalization AI.Develop and operationalize end-to-end systems — integrating microservices, data pipelines, LLM orchestration layers, in-house and third-party models, databases, caches, session analytics, and evaluation systems into a cohesive architecture.Develop large-scale data and inference infrastructure to support model training, fine-tuning, evaluation, and deployment — employing Spark, Kafka, Flink, and other distributed frameworks.Develop high-performance runtime services for inference and orchestration with strong observability, fault tolerance, and latency guarantees.Apply strong caching and storage tactics to enhance efficiency and cost-effectiveness for various AI workloads.Lead development of experimentation and evaluation systems, encompassing session-level analytics, feedback loops, and quality metrics that drive continuous improvement.Work closely with applied research, product, and platform teams to implement LLMs and other AI models into customer-facing services.Drive architectural strategy for Express AI Foundations — connecting ML models, reasoning engines, and data streams into adaptive, intelligent systems.Mentor senior engineers and scientists, encouraging excellence across architecture, experimentation, and AI system composition.What You’ll Bring10+ years of experience in large-scale distributed systems AI infrastructure, or ML platform engineering with exposure and experience on in-product AI application engineeringProficiency in Python, Java, C++, or Go, with an emphasis on distributed systems, cloud-native deployment, and performance tuning, agentic AI application building.Hands-on experience with LLM orchestration frameworks, model routing, and multi-model inference.Deep understanding of ML and LLM fundamentals — training, fine-tuning, deployment, and evaluation workflows.Familiarity with Agentic AI patterns — reasoning loops, memory persistence, task decomposition, and multi-agent coordination.Skill to merge engineering precision with practical research understanding, connecting prototyping and production.Strong communication and collaboration skills, with experience influencing cross-functional technical direction.Proven expertise in building and scaling data pipelines, real-time streaming systems, and event-driven architectures (Kafka, Spark, Flink, etc.).Strong background in caching strategies, database development, and performance optimization for large-scale serving systemsPreferred QualificationsBachelor's or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, or a related technical field.Experience architecting AI assistants, build agents, or multimodal creative systems.Exposure to Generative AI (LLMs, diffusion, or multimodal architectures).Experience with MLOps pipelines, feature stores, and model registries.Track record of open-source contributions, publications, or conference presentations.Why AdobeAt Adobe, we’re crafting the future of creativity through intelligence. The AI Foundations team combines the agility of a startup with the scale and mission of Adobe — constructing the AI stack for Adobe Express, spanning Agentic, Design, Imaging, Motion, and Personalization AI. Join us to develop the infrastructure that brings adaptive, autonomous, and human-centered AI to millions of creators worldwide!About AdobeAdobe empowers everyone to create through innovative platforms and tools that unleash creativity, productivity and personalized customer experiences. Adobe’s industry-leading offerings including Adobe Acrobat Studio, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Creative Cloud, Adobe Experience Platform, Adobe Experience Manager, and GenStudio enable people and businesses to turn ideas into impact, powered by AI and driven by human ingenuity.Our 30,000+ employees worldwide are creating the future and raising the bar as we drive the next decade of growth. We’re on a mission to hire the very best and believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. At Adobe, we believe that great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. The next big idea could be yours. Let’s Adobe togetherAt Adobe, we believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. Learn more about Adobe life, including our values and culture, focus on people, purpose and community, Adobe for All, comprehensive benefits programs, the stories we tell, the customers we serve, and how you can help us advance our mission of empowering everyone to create.Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Learn more.Adobe aims to make our Careers website and recruiting process accessible to any and all users. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation to navigate our website or complete the application process, email View email address on apply.placed-app.com or call View phone number on apply.placed-app.com. AI Use Guidelines for Interviews:Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording tools during live interviews is not permitted unless explicitly invited by the interviewer or approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation. If these tools are used inappropriately or in a way that misrepresents your work, your application may not move forward in the process.At Adobe, we empower employees to innovate with AI — and we look for candidates eager to do the same. As part of the hiring experience, we provide clear guidance on where AI is encouraged during the process and where it’s restricted during live interviews. See how we think about AI in the hiring experience.Expected Pay Range:Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several  U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $206,400 -- $379,100 annually. Pay within this range varies by work location and may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process.

In California, the pay range for this position is $261,800 - $379,100
At Adobe, for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC = base + commission), and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans. Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP).In addition, certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.State-Specific Notices:California:Fair Chance OrdinancesAdobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.Colorado:Application Window NoticeIf this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting), the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time, in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location, no specific application window applies, and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.Massachusetts:Massachusetts Legal NoticeIt is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.SummaryLocation: San Jose; San FranciscoType: Full time