Principal AI Engineer

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At Shutterfly, we make life’s experiences unforgettable. We believe there is extraordinary power in the self-expression. That’s why our family of brands helps customers create products and capture moments that reflect who they uniquely are.

We are seeking a Principal AI Engineer with deep expertise in computer vision and machine learning to lead the development of our next‑generation AI‑driven photo evaluation and personalized recommendation platform. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in building AI systems that analyze visual media, extract rich metadata, and leverage user behavior data to deliver hyper‑personalized product recommendations.

• Expertise in CNN‑based models (Mobile Net V3 , VGG, Inception) and transformer‑based vision models (e.g., ViT, CLIP, BLIP, DINOv2) for analysis, scoring, similarity vector analysis, and tagging photos with metadata such as facial expression, context category, aesthetic appeal, facial recognition, and object/scene detection.
• Develop scalable pipelines for processing large volumes of image data and generating structured, query‑able metadata.
• Integrate image intelligence with downstream applications such as search, ranking, and personalization.

• Build and deploy transformer‑based ML models that analyze historical user behavior and purchasing patterns to generate personalized product recommendations.
• Correlate behavior data with metadata from image scoring models to curate visual content for individual users.
• Lead experimentation frameworks (e.g., A/B testing) to optimize recommendation relevance and conversion.

• Define architectural direction for AI components and ensure their integration with core systems.
• Provide hands‑on technical leadership, mentorship, and code contributions across teams.
• Drive strategic decisions regarding data acquisition, model training, deployment, and monitoring.

• 10+ years of software engineering experience with at least 5+ years in AI/ML‑focused roles.
• Deep knowledge of computer vision techniques including CNNs, vision transformers, facial recognition, object detection, image classification, and image embedding.
• Strong experience with recommendation systems, collaborative filtering, deep learning for personalization, and transformer‑based models for recommendation engines.
• Proficiency in Python and relevant ML libraries (PyTorch, Tensor Flow, OpenCV).
• Experience deploying ML models at scale using Docker, AWS, GCP, or similar.
• Proven ability to lead cross‑functional technical initiatives from ideation to delivery.
• Strong grasp of ML lifecycle best practices (data management, model evaluation, explainability, observability).
• MS in Computer Science or related field.

Supporting a diverse and inclusive workforce is important to Shutterfly not only because it directly reflects our value of Embracing our Differences, but also because it’s the right thing to do for our business and for our people. We welcome all applicants and evaluate them based on their qualifications, without regard to age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality, sex, or other characteristic covered by law.

Learn more about our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on our Career Site.

This position will accept applications on an ongoing basis until filled.

California: $156,000‑$221,000
Connecticut and New York: $156,000‑$202,250
Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and Washington: $156,000‑$187,250
Nevada: $146,750‑$202,250
Maryland and New Jersey: $168,500‑$202,250
Hawaii: $146,750‑$176,000

This position may be eligible for a bonus incentive, health benefits, a 401(k) program, and other employee perks. More details about our company benefits can be found at

This opportunity can be remote, but candidates must reside in a state in which Shutterfly is registered to do business. This includes all US states except District of Columbia, North Dakota, Mississippi, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wyoming.

• Mid‑Senior level

• Full‑time

• Engineering and Information Technology
• Photography