Principal AI Engineer

About the Position

We're looking for a Principal AI Engineer to help build the future of Next Net AI. This is a senior, hands‑on engineering position with no people management responsibilities.

40% Building production‑ready features across frontend, backend, AI services, and cloud infrastructure.

20% Diagnosing complex production issues, identifying root causes, and improving platform reliability.

15% Designing scalable architecture for new AI products and platform enhancements.

15% Evaluating new AI models, engineering approaches, and emerging technologies.

10% Collaborating with engineering leadership on high‑impact technical challenges.

• Build and deploy production‑grade AI software.
• Own complex engineering initiatives from design through deployment.
• Work comfortably across frontend, backend, infrastructure, cloud, and AI systems.
• Design scalable backend services and APIs.
• Improve platform performance, reliability, and observability.
• Debug issues across distributed systems and identify root causes rather than surface symptoms.
• Reduce technical debt and improve long‑term maintainability.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and recommend practical adoption.
• Document technical decisions that help the team move faster.
• Partner directly with the CTO on architecture, platform evolution, and strategic technical initiatives.

• Frontend: React, Next.js, Type Script, Tailwind CSS
• Backend: Python, Django, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Redis
• AI: OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, RAG, vector databases, embeddings, AI orchestration
• Cloud & Infrastructure: AWS, ECS/Fargate, S3, Lambda, Terraform, Docker, Cloudflare, CI/CD

• 10+ years building production software.
• Built production AI applications used by real customers.
• Comfortable moving between frontend, backend, cloud infrastructure, and AI systems.
• Strong Python experience.
• Hands‑on AWS experience.
• Enjoy debugging difficult technical problems.
• Prefer shipping software over discussing it.
• Take ownership without needing a lot of direction.
• Care deeply about writing maintainable, scalable systems.

• Experience with distributed systems.
• Experience with Terraform or Infrastructure as Code.
• Experience with LLMs, RAG, vector databases, or agentic workflows.
• Experience scaling SaaS products.
• Experience in SEO, digital marketing, or Mar Tech.

• Competitive salary ($180,000–$200,000 DOE)
• Hybrid work schedule:
  Monday, Wednesday, Friday in‑office; remote Tuesday and Thursday
• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
• 401(k) with 3% company match
• Paid Vacation, Sick Time, Paid Holidays & Parental Leave
• $50/month Wellness Stipend
• Free Downtown Parking
• Free Breakfast Mondays & Lunch Fridays
• Dog‑Friendly Office
• Casual Dress
• Team Celebrations & Company Events

This is a full‑time W‑2 position. We are open to remote candidates located in U.S. states where Next Net is registered to employ team members.

Hybrid employees follow our standard in‑office schedule of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with remote work on Tuesday and Thursday. Fully remote employees are not expected to report to our St. Petersburg office on a regular basis.

We can only consider candidates residing in the following states and authorized to work in the United States:
Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.