Principal AI Applications Engineer

Principal AI Applications Engineer | Deltek, Inc

Principal AI Applications Engineer

US (Remote), US-Herndon-VA

10558

As the recognized global standard for project-based businesses, Deltek delivers software and information solutions to help organizations achieve their purpose. Our market leadership stems from the work of our diverse employees who are united by a passion for learning, growing and making a difference. At Deltek, we take immense pride in creating a balanced, values-driven environment, where every employee feels included and empowered to do their best work.

Our employees put our core values into action daily, creating a one-of-a-kind culture that has been recognized globally. Thanks to our incredible team, Deltek has been named one of America's Best Midsize Employers by Forbes, a Best Place to Work by Glassdoor, a Top Workplace by The Washington Post and a Best Place to Work in Asia by World HRD Congress.

The Deltek Engineering and Technology team builds best-in-class solutions to delight customers and meet their business needs. We are laser-focused on software design, development, innovation and quality. Our team of experts has the talent, skills and values to deliver products and services that are easy to use, reliable, sustainable and competitive. If you're looking for a safe environment where ideas are welcome, growth is supported and questions are encouraged – consider joining us as we explore the limitless opportunities of the software industry.

About the Role We're building an enterprise ERP system from scratch where AI isn't a feature—it's the foundation. Join Deltek's Engineering and Technology team to create the first truly AI-native SMB ERP. Users will chat with their system instead of clicking through forms. Intelligent agents will handle routine tasks autonomously. And you'll use AI to write better code faster. This is a greenfield project.

No legacy constraints. No technical debt. Just the opportunity to reimagine what enterprise software can be when designed for AI from day one. As a principal engineer, you'll solve the hardest technical problems, create reference implementations that set the standard, and mentor engineers in a development paradigm that's still emerging. You'll prove that AI-native enterprise software isn't just possible—it's superior.

Key Responsibilities

• Implement the most technically challenging features of the AI-powered ERP platform, serving as the go-to expert for complex integration and performance challenges
• Develop reference implementations and coding patterns that other engineers follow when building AI-enhanced features
• Implement sophisticated prompt engineering and LLM integration solutions, ensuring security, performance, and cost-effectiveness
• Build production-ready ML integration code utilizing infrastructure provided by the dedicated AI/ML infrastructure team
• Provide deep technical expertise on critical implementation challenges affecting multiple teams, offering solutions based on extensive hands-on experience
• Collaborate with architects to validate technical approaches through proof-of-concepts and prototypes
• Champion code quality, comprehensive testing, security best practices, and operational excellence
• Identify and resolve complex technical debt that impacts multiple teams
• Serve as technical advisor to architects and engineering leadership on implementation feasibility and development best practices
• Mentor and develop senior engineers, elevating implementation capabilities across the engineering organization
• Drive innovation through hands-on proof-of-concepts exploring novel approaches to ERP challenges

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, Data Science, or related field
• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience with extensive hands-on AI/ML systems implementation
• Demonstrated history of technical leadership through exceptional implementation quality on large-scale, business-critical systems
• Proven track record of solving complex implementation challenges that enabled significant business outcomes
• Experience providing technical guidance and mentoring senior engineers
• Deep expertise in implementing enterprise software and AI/ML integrations with production deployments at scale

Technical Skills

• Programming
  
  Languages:
  
  Master-level expertise in Java, Python, and ability to work effectively in multiple languages
• Implementation Expertise:
  Deep expertise in implementing distributed systems, microservices, event-driven patterns, and domain-driven design
• Database:
  Expert-level implementation skills with PostgreSQL including performance optimization, complex query development, and multi-tenant data patterns
• AI/ML Integration:
  Comprehensive expertise in implementing LLM systems, prompt engineering at scale, RAG architectures, and model integration
• Development Best Practices:
  Experience establishing coding standards, testing patterns, and development workflows that improve team productivity
• Cloud &…