Principal Software Engineer

Overview

Principal Software Engineer is a senior technical leader responsible for driving the design, architecture, and delivery of large-scale AI‑powered systems across retail platforms. This role leads complex AI initiatives from concept to production, influences engineering direction, and ensures systems are scalable, reliable, and aligned with business outcomes.

• Lead design and development of complex AI/ML systems at scale
• Translate ambiguous business problems into robust system architectures
• Select models and frameworks based on performance, explainability, and operational constraints
• Define reusable AI platforms, frameworks, and service patterns
• Define reference architectures for AI and platform systems
• Lead design for distributed systems, real‑time inference, and agentic workflows
• Ensure systems meet scalability, reliability, and cost efficiency
• Identify and drive high‑impact AI use cases such as store intelligence, associate copilots, inventory optimization
• Build agentic AI workflows, autonomous systems, intelligent decision engines
• Define and standardize model lifecycle management, monitoring, observability, evaluation frameworks
• Establish best practices for AI governance, responsible AI, system reliability
• Partner with product and business teams to shape technical direction, influence solution design, ensure alignment with outcomes
• Provide technical leadership on trade‑offs, feasibility, scalability decisions
• Ensure systems are production‑ready, observable, maintainable
• Lead resolution of critical production issues and performance challenges
• Improve system resilience and uptime
• Mentor engineers and technical leads, drive engineering standards and best practices, influence architecture and design across teams

• 15+ years of experience in software engineering and 2 years in AI/ML
• Deep expertise in distributed systems, cloud‑native architecture, AI/ML systems
• Hands‑on experience with generative AI/LMs, agentic AI systems, data pipelines

• Experience leading large‑scale AI initiatives
• Strong background in real‑time systems, high‑scale platforms, AI observability

• Communication
• Customer focus
• Driving for results
• Positive approach

In addition to a rewarding career, Sprouts offers a comprehensive program to help support you and your family. These programs include:

• Competitive pay
• Sick time plan that you can use to support you or your immediate family’s health
• Vacation accrual plan
• Opportunities for career growth
• 15% discount for you and one other family member in your household on all purchases made at Sprouts
• Flexible schedules
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• 401(K) retirement savings plan with a generous company match
• Company‑paid life insurance
• Contests and appreciation events throughout the year full of prizes, food and fun!

• Bonus based on company and/or individual performance
• Affordable benefit coverage, including medical, dental, and vision
• Health Savings Account with company match
• Pre‑tax Flexible Spending Accounts for healthcare and dependent care
• Company‑paid short‑term disability coverage
• Paid parental leave for both mothers and fathers
• Paid holidays

Sprouts will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the Fair Chance in Hiring Ordinance. California Residents:
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The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by people assigned to this work. This is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and requirements. Sprouts’ management reserves the right to amend and change duties, responsibilities, and requirements to meet business and organizational needs as necessary.