Lead AI Engineer

Principal Engineer (Agentic Systems)

Location: Hybrid with 3 days per week onsite in St. Louis

Type: Direct/Full-Time/Perm

Compensation: $170K-$180K + 15% annual incentive plan

We are partnering with a global data and analytics powerhouse to hire a visionary leader who will redefine how software is built. This isn't just a role for a coder; it's a role for a pioneer ready to build a greenfield, autonomous "operating system" for engineering teams. You will own the strategy for integrating advanced AI assistants into every phase of the delivery cycle, transforming a massive enterprise into an elite, agent-led organization.

Here's what you'll be doing:

• Architecting the Agent Ecosystem: Design the overarching framework for intelligent coding assistants, focusing on automated action execution, high-fidelity context retrieval, and complex prompt engineering.
• Integrating the Toolchain: Build and maintain an advanced toolset using the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to connect AI agents with mission-critical platforms like ServiceNow, DataDog, and cloud infrastructure.
• Defining AI Personas: Establish a centralized, version-controlled repository of custom instructions and standards that shape the behavior, tone, and accuracy of your engineering agents.
• Securing the Autonomous Core: Implement rigorous security guardrails, code-driven RBAC, and "human-in-the-loop" protocols to ensure all agentic actions remain safe and compliant.
• Optimizing with Data: Deploy a comprehensive observability stack to track agent effectiveness, setting and monitoring KPIs to continuously refine the system's reliability and performance.

Here's what our ideal candidate has:

• Cloud-Native Seniority: 7+ years of deep technical OPP (Object Oriented Programing) experience in languages such as Java/Spring Boot, Python, or Node, and public cloud environments (specifically GCP or AWS), with a focus on Kubernetes and distributed microservices.
• Agentic System Mastery: At least 3–5 years of hands-on experience architecting platforms that integrate with Large Language Models (LLMs), with specific expertise in RAG and function-calling paradigms.
• GitHub Ecosystem Expertise: Advanced proficiency in GitHub Copilot, Actions, and APIs, coupled with a history of automating complex software delivery pipelines.
• Security & Systems Thinking: A strong background in identity management (IAM) and secure software development, viewing the entire SDLC as an interconnected, programmable system.
• Leadership Presence: Proven ability to mentor high-performing technical teams and simplify intricate architectural concepts for both executive stakeholders and engineering peers.

Keywords Agentic Engineering, GenAI, LLM Orchestration, Model Context Protocol (MCP), GitHub Copilot, Generative AI, RAG, GCP, Vertex AI, BigQuery, Pub/Sub, Kubernetes, GKE, EKS, AWS, Bedrock, SageMaker, Java Spring Boot, Python, Golang, Infrastructure as Code, Terraform, Prompt Engineering, Prompt Ops, DevSecOps, Observability, AI SDKs.

U.S. Citizens, Green Card Holders, and those authorized to work in the U.S. for any employer will be considered.