Principal AI-Native Software Engineer - Fullstack Python

This position requires office presence of a minimum of 5 days per week and is only located in the location(s) posted. No relocation is offered.We are seeking an AI-Native Software Engineer (Principal Software Engineer) who combines software engineering expertise, AI agent development, and strong business partnership skills. This is not a traditional developer role—you will work directly with business stakeholders to rapidly transform ideas into production-ready solutions using AI-augmented development practices.The ideal candidate has deeply integrated AI tools into their daily engineering workflow and can demonstrate how AI has fundamentally improved the speed, quality, and impact of their work.What You'll DoPartner directly with business leaders and stakeholders to define requirements and deliver solutions in real time.Design, build, and deploy AI-powered applications leveraging LLMs, agentic workflows, and RAG architectures.Develop and orchestrate intelligent agents using frameworks such as LangGraph and MCP.Build scalable backend services and APIs using Python frameworks such as FastAPI, Flask, or Django.Design prompt and context engineering strategies, including retrieval, memory management, personalization, and vector search.Integrate AI systems with enterprise applications, data sources, vector databases, and third-party services.Implement testing, monitoring, security, and CI/CD practices to ensure reliable, scalable solutions.Continuously evaluate and adopt emerging AI tools to accelerate development and improve engineering outcomes.What You'll NeedBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.8+ years of software engineering experience.Proven experience building AI-enabled applications and agent-based systems in production.Strong expertise in Python development, API design, and backend architecture.Hands-on experience with LLMs, prompt engineering, context engineering, and RAG.Experience with LangGraph, MCP, or similar agent orchestration frameworks.Experience with SQL/NoSQL databases, cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), containers (Docker), and CI/CD pipelines.Ability to translate complex business challenges into technical solutions and communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences.What You'll BringAn AI-first mindset with deep adoption of AI-assisted development tools such as GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude, or similar platforms.Demonstrated success partnering directly with business leaders to shape and deliver outcomes.Experience deploying and scaling AI solutions, including multi-agent systems and advanced retrieval architectures.Strong analytical, problem-solving, and systems-thinking skills.Preferred experience in:Vector databases and semantic searchKnowledge retrieval and NLP systemsLLM evaluation, tuning, or servingDistributed systems and scalable AI architecturesFront-end technologies (Angular or similar)Open-source AI or agent development contributions Our Principal Software Engineering jobs earn between $174,100.00 - $279,800.00 USD Annual. Not to mention all the other amazing rewards that working at AT&T offers. Individual starting salary within this range may depend on geography, experience, expertise, and education/training. Joining our team comes with amazing perks and benefits:Medical/Dental/Vision coverage401(k) planTuition reimbursement programPaid Time Off and Holidays (based on date of hire, at least 23 days of vacation each year and 9 company-designated holidays)Paid Parental LeavePaid Caregiver LeaveAdditional sick leave beyond what state and local law require may be available but is unprotectedAdoption ReimbursementDisability Benefits (short term and long term)Life and Accidental Death InsuranceSupplemental benefit programs: critical illness/accident hospital indemnity/group legalEmployee Assistance Programs (EAP)Extensive employee wellness programsEmployee discounts up to 50% off on eligible AT&T mobility plans and accessories, AT&T internet (and fiber where available) and AT&T phoneWeekly Hours:40Time Type:RegularLocation:Palo Alto, California, USA:TX:Dallas / One AT&T Plaza (208 S Akard - Whitacre Tower) - Adm:208 S Akard StSalary Range: $174,100.00 - $279,800.00It is the policy of AT&T to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, AT&T will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. AT&T is a fair chance employer and does not initiate a background check until an offer is made.