Principal Engineer

Principal Engineer - Ai & Platform ArchitectureKORE1, a nationwide provider of staffing and recruiting solutions, has an immediate opening for a Principal Engineer - AI & Platform Architecture that is fully remote.Why This Role ExistsWe operate a large-scale, multi-tenant SaaS platform supporting thousands of enterprise customers across the United States. Our backend infrastructure - built on event-driven, serverless AWS architecture - powers critical operational workflows, real-time transaction processing, integrations, and customer lifecycle management at scale. Now, the organization is evolving toward intelligent automation and agentic AI systems: autonomous, tool-using services capable of reasoning over platform state, interacting with production systems, executing workflows, and learning from outcomes within established guardrails. This Principal Engineer will lead the design and implementation of these AI-driven systems while also shaping the broader architectural direction of the platform. This is a highly hands-on technical leadership role focused on production engineering, system design, AI orchestration, platform scalability, and operational reliability. This individual will establish the engineering patterns, architectural standards, and operational safeguards that enable AI-enabled automation to function safely and effectively in high-scale production environments.Scope & ScaleLarge-scale multi-tenant SaaS environment supporting thousands of enterprise customersHigh-volume transaction and integration workloads across distributed systemsComplex API ecosystems spanning REST, SOAP, event-driven, and vendor-integrated servicesLarge-scale data pipelines and cross-domain integrations supporting real-time operationsWhat You Will OwnAI Systems & Intelligent AutomationDesign, build, and operate AI-enabled workflow orchestration systems and intelligent automation services.Develop agent infrastructure, tool interfaces, evaluation frameworks, observability standards, and operational guardrails.Establish engineering standards for integrating AI systems safely into production environments.Drive architectural decisions around model orchestration, workflow automation, scalability, reliability, and cost optimization.Platform Architecture & System DesignLead architecture and migration initiatives across distributed services and platform modernization efforts.Design scalable patterns for feature rollouts, traffic management, deployment safety, and service decomposition.Own cross-functional architectural concerns including observability, security, identity management, and data architecture.Ensure platform reliability, maintainability, and operational resilience across evolving systems.Technical LeadershipMentor senior engineers and raise engineering standards across multiple development teams.Lead technical design reviews, architecture documentation, and engineering decision-making processes.Partner cross-functionally with Product, Engineering, Infrastructure, and Leadership teams to align technical strategy with business priorities.Help evaluate build-vs-buy decisions across AI, infrastructure, and platform tooling initiatives.Technical EnvironmentCloud & InfrastructureAWS serverless and distributed systems architecture including Lambda, EventBridge, DynamoDB, ECS/Fargate, Aurora/RDS, API Gateway, S3, and CloudWatchInfrastructure-as-code and CI/CD environments supporting enterprise-scale deploymentsDevelopment StackPython, Java (Spring Boot), and TypeScript/React ecosystemsExperience navigating both modern services and legacy application environmentsAI & Workflow OrchestrationAI workflow orchestration frameworks and large language model integrationsProduction AI infrastructure, observability, evaluation tooling, and operational safeguardsData & Integration SystemsEvent-driven systems and complex integration architecturesDistributed data platforms, data pipelines, and large-scale transactional systemsMulti-protocol integrations across APIs, messaging systems, and external vendor platformsFirst 12 MonthsMonths 1-3Learn the platform architecture, distributed systems landscape, and engineering workflowsEvaluate existing systems and publish architectural recommendations for modernization initiativesEstablish engineering review and technical governance practicesMonths 4-6Deliver initial AI-enabled automation capabilities into production workflowsDefine scalable engineering patterns for intelligent automation and agentic systemsEstablish foundational observability, evaluation, and operational standardsMonths 7-9Lead key modernization and migration initiatives from design through production deploymentImplement scalable observability and operational monitoring frameworksDrive platform reliability and deployment safety improvementsMonths 10-12Deliver additional production-scale architectural improvements and AI-enabled workflowsDefine long-term technical roadmap and scalability strategyElevate engineering quality and architectural consistency across teamsRequirementsRequired Qualifications8+ years of software engineering experience, including significant experience in Staff, Principal, or Architect-level rolesDeep hands-on experience designing cloud-native distributed systems within AWS environmentsStrong background in serverless architecture, event-driven systems, and scalable backend servicesExperience leading platform modernization or monolith-to-services migration initiativesAbility to operate both strategically and hands-on within highly technical environmentsStrong software design, architecture documentation, and cross-functional communication skillsExperience mentoring engineers and driving technical alignment across teamsStrong understanding of observability, operational reliability, and scalable system designPreferred QualificationsExperience in large-scale SaaS, marketplace, fintech, automotive, or transaction-heavy platformsExperience with AI-enabled workflows, intelligent automation systems, or LLM orchestration frameworksFamiliarity with large-scale data pipelines, ETL systems, or data platform architectureExperience with identity/authentication platforms and enterprise security architectureExposure to browser automation or complex integration workflowsBenefits & Culture We are a fast-paced and collaborative technology organization focused on building scalable platforms that simplify operational complexity and improve customer outcomes. We offer:Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverageEmployer-sponsored disability and life insurance401(k) with company matchGenerous paid time off and company holidaysHigh-impact technical ownership and architectural influenceOpportunity to shape next-generation AI-enabled platform capabilities at scale