AI Engineer

Zions Bancorporation’s Enterprise Technology and Operations (ETO) team is transforming what it means to work for a financial institution. With a commitment to technology and innovation, we have been providing our community, clients and colleagues the best experience possible for over 150 years. Help us transform our workforce of the future, today.

We are seeking a dynamic and visionary AI Engineer to join our newly established Innovation Lab. In this pivotal role, you will combine core software engineering excellence with advanced AI development to drive the creation of cutting‑edge solutions. You will collaborate with cross‑functional partners to deliver top tier AI prototypes and production‑ready applications, ensuring they are built on solid engineering principles.

You will be responsible for comprehensive requirements analysis, stakeholder collaboration, and the design, debugging, testing, and deployment of effective, scalable software solutions. Your expertise will help us review, analyze, and improve business processes by leveraging both standard application development and advanced machine learning techniques. This is an exciting opportunity to make a significant impact within the financial sector, contributing to product design, user experience, and ongoing system enhancements.

• Develop innovative AI/ML software solutions, specifically focusing on Generative AI, LLMs, and RAG (Retrieval‑Augmented Generation) architectures, while adhering to enterprise software standards.
• Design, build, and maintain robust, scalable RESTful APIs and microservices to expose AI capabilities to internal and external applications using Python (FastAPI/Flask) and/or Java (Spring Boot).
• Guide testing, configuration management, and source code/change management processes, ensuring strict adherence to Git workflows and version control best practices.
• Support and maintain AI pipelines and infrastructure to ensure optimal system performance, scalability, and reliability.
• Design, debug, test, and deploy software using Python and/or Java fundamentals, writing clean, maintainable, and efficient code.
• Lead and participate in code reviews, ensuring code quality, security, and testability across the team.
• Review, analyze, and evaluate business processes, recommending improvements and changes using both standard software automation and AI.
• Participate in unit testing, integration testing, feasibility assessments, and systems documentation.
• Execute and manage change and release processes (CI/CD), including model versioning and deployment, documenting solutions with clear, well‑commented code.
• Build proof of concept (PoC) examples and graphical simulation software.
• Participate in product design reviews, offering creative and practical ideas and solutions.
• Collaborate with customer service, product managers, developers, and IT to enhance user experience and achieve product goals.
• Other duties as assigned.

• 8+ years of experience in software development, database technologies, version control systems, Dev Ops tools, cloud computing platforms, and microservices architecture. A combination of education and relevant experience may meet qualifications.
• Cloud Expertise:
  In‑depth knowledge of modern cloud architectures (GCP preferred, AWS/Azure acceptable) and infrastructure‑as‑code.
• Subject‑matter expert knowledge of modern programming languages—specifically Python and/or Java—and application development using various technologies, languages, databases, integrations, frameworks, and systems.
• Expert knowledge of software development life cycles (SDLC), Agile/Scrum methodologies, SQL and database systems, Java/Python programming and application servers (e.g., Web Sphere, Tomcat), data modeling concepts, and integrated application development methodology.
• Proven experience with Generative AI (prompt engineering, fine‑tuning, RAG) combined with traditional software engineering skills (API design, CI/CD pipelines, Git).
• Exceptional debugging, problem‑solving, and testing skills (unit, integration, and end‑to‑end testing).
• Exceptional analysis, judgment, and project management skills.
• Excellent interpersonal communication,…