Senior Python Developer / AI & Cloud Platform Engineer

Senior Python Developer / AI & Cloud Platform Engineer

Location: Hybrid (US) Chicago.IL
Experience: 8 12+ Years
Employment Type: Contract / Contract-to-Hire / Full-Time

Job Summary

We are seeking a Senior Python Developer / AI & Cloud Platform Engineer to design, build, and scale cloud-native, data-driven, and AI-enabled enterprise applications. This role requires deep backend engineering expertise in Python, modern frontend exposure, strong cloud and DevOps skills, and hands-on experience with data pipelines, ML/AI systems, and event-driven architectures.

You will work across microservices, data platforms, AI/ML pipelines, CRM and contact center systems, and real-time applications, delivering highly available, secure, and scalable solutions.

Key Responsibilities Backend & API Development

• Design and develop scalable backend services using Python, Django, FastAPI, and Flask.

• Build and maintain REST, GraphQL, and WebSocket APIs with robust validation, authentication, and error handling.

• Implement asynchronous processing using asyncio, Celery, Kafka, RabbitMQ, SQS, and EventBridge.

• Optimize performance, schema design, and query tuning across PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, DynamoDB, Oracle, and SQL Server.

Cloud & Distributed Systems

• Architect and deploy microservices on AWS and Azure, including Lambda, EC2, S3, RDS, Aurora, API Gateway, EMR, Glue, Elastic Beanstalk, Azure Functions, App Service, and Data Factory.

• Design event-driven and serverless architectures with auto-scaling, fault tolerance, and disaster recovery.

• Implement Infrastructure as Code using Terraform, CloudFormation, and Ansible.

Data Engineering & ML/AI

• Build and manage data pipelines using PySpark, Databricks, Airflow, DBT, NiFi, Pandas, NumPy.

• Train, evaluate, and deploy ML models using Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and SageMaker.

• Develop AI-powered solutions including LLM integrations (Gemini, GPT, Llama), RAG pipelines, OCR, NLP, and computer vision.

• Implement real-time and batch analytics using BigQuery, EMR, Spark, Kafka, and Cloud Storage.

DevOps, Observability & Security

• Build CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, SonarQube.

• Containerize and orchestrate applications with Docker and Kubernetes.

• Implement monitoring and logging using CloudWatch, X-Ray, OpenTelemetry, ELK Stack, Grafana.

• Enforce security standards: OAuth 2.0, JWT, SSL/TLS, SSO, OWASP, IAM, secrets management, encryption, and compliance controls.

Frontend & UI Integration

• Develop and integrate modern UIs using React, Angular, Vue.js, Redux/Context API, and Material UI.

• Build responsive dashboards and PWAs with offline support.

• Integrate frontends with backend APIs and event streams.

Collaboration & Leadership

• Work in Agile/Scrum teams, participate in sprint ceremonies, and collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders.

• Provide technical leadership, architecture guidance, and code reviews.

• Produce RFCs, system documentation, runbooks, and deployment standards.

Required Skills

Programming: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript
Frameworks: Django, FastAPI, Flask, React, Angular, Vue
Databases: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, DynamoDB, SQL Server
Cloud: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform (BigQuery, Cloud Functions, Pub/Sub)
Data/ML: PySpark, Databricks, Pandas, NumPy, Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch
Messaging: Kafka, RabbitMQ, Celery, SQS
DevOps: Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, Terraform, Ansible, CI/CD
Security: OAuth2, JWT, SSL/TLS, IAM, OWASP
Monitoring: CloudWatch, ELK, Grafana, OpenTelemetry

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with AI/Agentic systems, LLM orchestration, anomaly detection, and self-healing platforms.

• Experience with contact center, CRM, telephony (IVR, VoIP, chatbots) platforms.

• Strong data modeling (Star/Snowflake schemas) and governance experience.

• Prior work in high-scale, regulated enterprise environments.

What's in it for you?

• Work on AI-driven, cloud-native, real-time enterprise platforms

• Exposure to GenAI, ML, data engineering, and distributed systems

• Career growth into Architect, Tech Lead, or AI Platform Engineer roles

• High-impact projects in fintech, telecom, insurance, and SaaS domains

If you'd like, I can: