Lead/Staff Software Engineer - AI I

Lead/Staff Software Engineer, AI

Are you ready to architect cutting-edge AI systems that empower legal professionals to work smarter and faster? Join Thomson Reuters Practical Law-a trusted partner to legal practitioners worldwide-and help shape the future of AI-driven legal solutions.

As a Staff Software Engineer - AI on the Practical Law team, you'll be at the forefront of innovation, designing and deploying sophisticated AI systems that transform how legal professionals access and apply critical knowledge. You'll work with a collaborative, forward-thinking team that values technical excellence, ethical AI practices, and delivering real impact to customers who rely on our products every day. This role offers the opportunity to explore emerging technologies, solve complex technical challenges, and contribute to products that set the standard in the legal technology industry.

About the Role

In this opportunity as a Lead/Staff Software Engineer - AI, you will:

• Architect and implement complex AI systems, including multi-component pipelines, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems, and custom AI agents that power next-generation legal solutions
• Ensure system quality and compliance by implementing comprehensive testing frameworks, monitoring tools, and ethical AI practices that maintain the highest standards of reliability and trustworthiness
• Proactively identify issues and risks, make data-driven recommendations, and take corrective action to optimize system performance and mitigate potential challenges
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Product, UX, and Science to align AI features with product goals and translate functional requirements into robust technical specifications
• Conduct proof-of-concepts (POCs) to evaluate emerging technologies and explore the feasibility of AI solutions for innovative use cases
• Analyze existing systems and recommend improvements to enhance operational efficiency, scalability, and overall system architecture

About You

You're a fit for the role of Lead/Staff Software Engineer - AI if you have the following required qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in software engineering; at least 3 years focused on AI/ML
• Proficiency in Python and experience with AI/ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow)
• Strong understanding of AI/ML systems including experience with RAG architectures, AI agents, or multi-component AI pipelines
• Proven ability to collaborate across disciplines, working effectively with product managers, designers, and data scientists to deliver integrated solutions
• 2-4 years of hands-on Python experience building production-quality applications, writing clean and testable code, and working with common libraries and frameworks
• 2-4 years of JavaScript/TypeScript experience building production applications in React and Angular, including state management and modern front-end development practices
• 2-4 years of AWS experience designing, deploying, and operating scalable cloud services using core AWS offerings such as Lambda, S3, EC2, and related tool
• Strong understanding of machine learning principles, evaluation, and system design
• Knowledge of MLOps and the end-to-end lifecycle of AI-powered software applications
• Experience integrating AI models into production systems using APIs and data pipelines
• Experience with AI-driven systems, agent-based architectures, or AI APIs from providers like OpenAI and Anthropic.
• Knowledge of vector databases, embeddings, or search-based AI.
• Domain knowledge in legal, tax, or accounting
• A portfolio of projects demonstrating creativity and skill building solutions with LLMs

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What's in it For You?

• Hybrid Work Model: We've adopted a flexible hybrid working environment (2-3 days a week in the office depending on the role) for our office-based roles while delivering a seamless experience that is digitally and physically connected.
• Flexibility & Work-Life Balance: Flex My Way is a set of supportive workplace policies designed to help manage personal and professional responsibilities, whether caring for family, giving back to the community, or finding time to refresh and reset. This builds upon our flexible work arrangements, including work from anywhere for up to 8 weeks per year, empowering employees to achieve a better work-life balance.
• Career Development and Growth: By fostering a culture of continuous learning and skill development, we prepare our talent to tackle tomorrow's challenges and deliver real-world solutions. Our Grow My Way programming and skills-first approach ensures you have the tools and knowledge to grow, lead, and thrive in an AI-enabled future.
• Industry Competitive Benefits: We offer comprehensive benefit plans to include flexible vacation, two company-wide Mental Health Days off, access to the Headspace app, retirement savings, tuition reimbursement, employee incentive programs, and resources for mental, physical, and financial wellbeing.
• Culture: Globally recognized, award-winning reputation for inclusion and belonging, flexibility, work-life balance, and more. We live by our values: Obsess over our Customers, Compete to Win, Challenge (Y)our Thinking, Act Fast / Learn Fast, and Stronger Together.
• Social Impact: Make an impact in your community with our Social Impact Institute. We offer employees two paid volunteer days off annually and opportunities to get involved with pro-bono consulting projects and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives.
• Making a Real-World Impact: We are one of the few companies globally that helps its customers pursue justice, truth, and transparency. Together, with the professionals and institutions we serve, we help uphold the rule of law, turn the wheels of commerce, catch bad actors, report the facts, and provide trusted, unbiased information to people all over the world.

In the United States, Thomson Reuters offers a comprehensive benefits package to our employees. Our benefit package includes market competitive health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance programs, as well as a competitive 401k plan with company match. In addition, Thomson Reuters offers market leading work life benefits with competitive vacation, sick and safe paid time off, paid holidays (including two company mental health days off), parental leave, sabbatical leave. These benefits meet or exceeds the requirements of paid time off in accordance with any applicable state or municipal laws. Finally, Thomson Reuters offers the following additional benefits: optional hospital, accident and sickness insurance paid 100% by the employee; optional life and AD&D insurance paid 100% by the employee; Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts; fitness reimbursement; access to Employee Assistance Program; Group Legal Identity Theft Protection benefit paid 100% by employee; access to 529 Plan; commuter benefits; Adoption & Surrogacy Assistance; Tuition Reimbursement; and access to Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

Thomson Reuters complies with local laws that require upfront disclosure of the expected pay range for a position. The base compensation range varies across locations.For any eligible US locations, unless otherwise noted, the base compensation range for this role is $147,000 - $273,000.This role may also be eligible for an Annual Bonus based on a combination of enterprise and individual performance.Base pay is positioned within the range based on several factors including an individual's knowledge, skills and experience with consideration given to internal equity. Base pay is one part of a comprehensive Total Reward program which also includes flexible and supportive benefits and other wellbeing programs.

About Us

Thomson Reuters informs the way forward by bringing together the trusted content and technology that people and organizations need to make the right decisions. We serve professionals across legal, tax, accounting, compliance, government, and media. Our products combine highly specialized software and insights to empower professionals with the data, intelligence, and solutions needed to make informed decisions, and to help institutions in their pursuit of justice, truth, and transparency. Reuters, part of Thomson Reuters, is a world leading provider of trusted journalism and news.

We are powered by the talents of 26,000 employees across more than 70 countries, where everyone has a chance to contribute and grow professionally in flexible work environments. At a time when objectivity, accuracy, fairness, and transparency are under attack, we consider it our duty to pursue them. Sound exciting? Join us and help shape the industries that move society forward.

As a global business, we rely on the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of all employees to deliver on our business goals. To ensure we can do that, we seek talented, qualified employees in all our operations around the world regardless of race, color, sex/gender, including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, citizen status, veteran status, or any other protected classification under applicable law. Thomson Reuters is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer providing a drug-free workplace.

Thomson Reuters makes reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities, including veterans with disabilities, and for sincerely held religious beliefs in accordance with applicable law. If you reside in the United States and require an accommodation in the recruiting process, you may contact our Human Resources Department at Disability accommodations in the recruiting process may include things like a sign language interpreter, making interview rooms accessible, providing assistive technology, or other relevant accommodations. Please note this email is not intended for general recruitment questions and we will promptly respond to inquiries regarding accommodations. More information on requesting an accommodation here.

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More information about Thomson Reuters can be found on thomsonreuters.com.