Principal Backend Engineer, Forward Deployed
Leads design, architecture, and deployment of AI-driven solutions for client workflows, owning projects end-to-end while mentoring engineers. Requires 12+ years experience with Python, ML frameworks, cloud infrastructure, and client-facing skills.
About the job
What You’ll Do
- Partner with delivery and executive stakeholders to scope, design, and lead implementation of AI-driven solutions
- Identify transformational opportunities in messy, ambiguous workflows and turn them into repeatable systems
- Lead architecture design and trade-off discussions across performance, scalability, cost, and reliability
- Own projects from first discovery call through full deployment — including client-facing delivery, internal coordination, and post-launch iteration
- Build shared infrastructure, reusable components, and internal playbooks to level-up the team
- Coach and mentor mid-level engineers and help shape the culture of forward-deployed AI engineering at Invisible
What We Need
- 12+ years of software engineering experience, including significant time spent building data, ML, or backend systems
- Python & ML/LLM Frameworks: Deep proficiency in Python with hands-on experience using Hugging Face, LangChain, OpenAI, Pinecone, and related ecosystems
- Deployment & Infrastructure: Skilled in full-stack and API-based deployment patterns, including Docker, FastAPI, Kubernetes, and cloud environments (GCP, AWS)
- Platform Orchestration: Experienced with workflow orchestration libraries, pub/sub systems (Kafka), and schema governance
- Data Management: Expertise in data governance and operations, including Unity Catalog and policy management, cluster/job orchestration, data contracts and quality enforcement, Delta/ETL pipelines, and replay processes
- Strong product and system design instincts — you understand business needs and how to translate them into technical architecture
- Experience building usable systems from messy data and ambiguous requirements
- Excellent communication and client-facing skills; you’ve led conversations with technical and non-technical stakeholders alike
- Proven experience owning projects from scoping through deployment in ambiguous, high-stakes environments
- Be willing to be on-call for our customers when situations arise
- Ability to travel roughly 25–50% of the time, sometimes short-notice trips—primarily across North America with occasional international roll-outs—to work directly on-site with clients
- Strong engineering background demonstrated by a Bachelor’s degree in Data Science, Computer Science and related fields OR equivalent professional experience
What’s In It For You
Invisible is committed to fair and competitive pay, ensuring that compensation reflects both market conditions and the value each team member brings. Our salary structure accounts for regional differences in cost of living while maintaining internal equity.
For this position, the annual salary ranges by location are:
- Tier 1: $248,000 - $370,000
- Tier 2: $225,000 - $336,000
*Offers will also include bonus + equity + benefits
Skills
Python, Hugging Face, LangChain, OpenAI, Pinecone, Docker, FastAPI, Kubernetes, GCP, AWS, Kafka, Unity Catalog, Delta, ETL
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