AI Principal Engineer

JOB TITLE: AI Principal Engineer REPORTS TO: Engineering & Product Leadership, Silverside.AI Role Type: Full-time hybrid; contract-to-hire with a 30-day mutual evaluation period Location: New York, NY (hybrid, regular in-office presence) Position Summary Silverside.AI is seeking an AI Principal Engineer to own architecture and technical direction for its New York engineering pod. This is a hands-on architecture and leadership role focused on designing, building, and scaling the applications and pipelines that power Silverside's AI-driven video and content production systems and agentic workflows. The ideal candidate is a strong senior technical individual contributor, roughly 4–7 years of professional experience, who has already begun mentoring others, designs systems with real architectural conviction, and communicates effectively in client and internal meetings. Prior VP or extensive people-management experience is not required; this is an opportunity for a high-potential senior engineer to step into formal technical leadership of a high-performing contractor pod while remaining deeply hands-on. The AP Principal Engineer will set technical direction for a team of senior full-stack developers, drive modular system design, and help shape the product roadmap for the Silverside Experience Engine. Essential Duties & Responsibilities Own architecture and technical direction for the Silverside New York engineering pod, providing clear system design, hands-on mentorship, code reviews, and day-to-day technical oversight so the team delivers high-quality work aligned with product and company goals. Architect and build scalable full-stack applications, with a strong emphasis on robust backend systems (Python / FastAPI and related modern frameworks), that power AI-driven video and content production pipelines and agentic workflows. Break complex AI production and agentic workflow challenges into clean, modular, maintainable systems for generation, processing, optimization, and delivery. Integrate AI/ML models, fine-tuned image and video models, generation APIs, and proprietary workflows into reliable production pipelines. Set and enforce development standards, testing practices, and deployment discipline across the pod. Collaborate closely with product, design, and engineering peers to ship full applications and continuously improve AI content systems and internal tooling. Optimize performance and scalability for high-volume video and media processing workloads. Troubleshoot and resolve issues in live production environments with urgency and clarity. Contribute directly to Silverside's growing AI content and agentic workflow ecosystem supporting major enterprise clients. Present technical architecture, system design decisions, and solution approaches with clarity and confidence in internal roadmap discussions and, when needed, in client or partner meetings. Partner with C-suite and product leadership on technical prioritization and the evolution of the core platform. Other Duties and Responsibilities Provide meaningful, though not primary, client-facing technical presence as needed to support sales, partner, or account conversations. Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. 4–7 years of professional full-stack development experience, with meaningful hands-on work building production systems involving AI, machine learning, creative media, video, or content generation pipelines. Strong backend proficiency in Python and modern frameworks (FastAPI, Flask, or Django), with experience designing and operating scalable APIs and services. Solid secondary frontend skills in contemporary frameworks (React, Svelte, or similar) sufficient to collaborate on and occasionally contribute to user-facing AI tools and interfaces. Demonstrated ability to design modular, maintainable systems and to discuss architecture with clarity and genuine passion. Hands-on experience integrating AI/ML models or generation APIs into production workflows, ideally in creative, media, or video contexts. Experience mentoring or coaching other engineers and raising the bar on code quality, testing, and engineering practices. Strong written and verbal communication skills, with comfort presenting technical ideas to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including in client or sales-adjacent settings. Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure), containerization (Docker), and modern deployment practices. Preferred (Nice-to-Have) Experience with video/media tooling such as FFmpeg, OpenCV, or cloud rendering services. Prior work in creative industries, AI-generated content, marketing technology, or enterprise digital production environments. Physical Demands n/a Salary & Benefits: For candidates in New York, the base salary range for this role at the time of posting is $200,000 to $225,000. For candidates in smaller, mid-Atlantic markets, the base salary range for this role at the time of posting is $170,000 to $220,000. The salary an employee or prospective employee is paid within this range will depend on factors such as but not limited to: internal compensation of current employees in similar roles, market considerations, budgetary considerations, level of responsibility, background, experience, and qualifications. Full-time employees enjoy a competitive benefits package for you and your dependents to ensure a healthy lifestyle. Our benefit offering includes: medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life & AD&D, 401(k) with company match, short-term and long-term disability, HSA, and FSA. Additional Information: Silverside AI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participant in the US Federal E-Verify program. At this time, we are not accepting resumes or candidates from third-party vendors.