Principal AI Engineer - SFO, CA - Hybrid

Title: Principal AI Engineer

Location: San Francisco, CA

Hybrid

Duration: Long-term

Description:

We are seeking a senior level AI/ML engineering contractor to temporarily step into a technical leadership and team lead role supporting personalization models and the company's AI platform.

The ideal candidate can balance technical expertise, strategic decision making, and day to day team guidance to ensure continuity during the leave period.

Required Skills & Experience:

• Senior level experience building and operating machine learning systems in production.
• Strong understanding of ranking models, recommendation systems, model evaluation, and experiment design.
• Hands on expertise with modern AI/ML engineering tools (e.g., Python, Spark or similar, cloud based ML pipelines, cloud model serving frameworks, and API design).
• Ability to lead engineering discussions, guide team members, and provide clear direction.
• Strong organizational skills: able to manage complex projects and maintain structure during a temporary leadership period.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate technical details into clear action for partners and stakeholders.