Principal Generative AI Engineering Lead - Senior Vice President

About the role

The USCC Architecture and AI Engineering group is seeking a seasoned and visionary principal Generative AI/AI Lead to guide our team and architect the next generation of intelligent systems. This is a pivotal role in driving our AI project execution, from conceptualization through to production. We are looking for an expert with a proven track record in designing and delivering robust, scalable, and well-governed AI solutions. The ideal candidate will be a technical leader who can mentor a talented team of engineers, collaborate effectively with business stakeholders, and steer our technical direction in the rapidly evolving landscape of Generative and Agentic AI.

Responsibilities

• Architect & Design: Lead the design and architecture of complex, end-to-end AI systems, ensuring they are scalable, resilient, maintainable, and secure.
• Strategize & Collaborate: Partner directly with business leaders and product managers to identify high-impact AI opportunities, define project roadmaps, and translate strategic business needs into a coherent technical vision.
• Lead & Mentor: Manage, mentor, and develop a team of AI engineers, fostering a culture of innovation, technical excellence, and rapid, continuous learning. Provide technical guidance and oversight on all projects.
• Govern & Standardize: Establish, implement, and enforce AI governance frameworks and MLOps best practices to ensure ethical, responsible, and compliant AI implementations across the organization.
• Hands-On Leadership: Remain hands-on in development, guiding the implementation of advanced machine learning, deep learning, and Generative AI models and setting the standard for code quality.
• Drive Innovation: Champion research into emerging AI technologies, tools, and methodologies. Drive proof-of-concept initiatives and make strategic recommendations for integrating cutting-edge solutions.
• Oversee MLOps: Define and lead the strategy for MLOps, including the robust deployment, monitoring, and full lifecycle management of AI applications in containerized environments like OpenShift.

Requirements

• 6+ years of experience in Gen AI application development, building and deploying solutions with large language models such as GPT, Gemini, Claude, and Llama.
• Leadership & Management: Proven experience in a technical leadership or team management role, with a strong ability to mentor engineers, manage project priorities, and drive team performance.
• Architectural Expertise: Demonstrated ability to design and architect scalable, high-availability, end-to-end AI and machine learning systems.
• Business Acumen: Significant experience collaborating with non-technical business stakeholders to identify opportunities, define requirements, and articulate a clear AI strategy.
• AI Governance: Strong understanding and practical experience in implementing governance, risk, and ethical guidelines for enterprise-grade AI solutions.
• Expert Python Proficiency: Expert-level programming skills in Python and its core AI/ML ecosystem (e.g., NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn).
• Deep AI/ML Expertise: Extensive, hands-on implementation experience with Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Generative AI, and Agentic AI systems.
• Advanced Data Expertise: Proven expertise in designing and managing complex data handling, preprocessing, and validation pipelines for mission-critical AI applications.
• Advanced MLOps: Deep, practical experience in MLOps, including containerization (Docker), orchestration (OpenShift/Kubernetes), CI/CD, and production deployment of AI models.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.

Technical Stack & Expertise

• LLMs: Gemini, OpenAI models (GPT series), Copilot, Claude, Llama, and experience with Local Models.
• Frameworks: LangChain, LlamaIndex, and the Hugging Face ecosystem (Transformers, Datasets, Tokenizers).
• Orchestration: LangGraph and designing and building complex Multi-Agent Systems.
• Development: Building production-grade, scalable services using Python, FastAPI, and asynchronous programming patterns.
• RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation): Designing and implementing advanced retrieval techniques using Vector DBs (e.g., Pinecone, Chroma) and PostgreSQL (with pgvector).
• ML/DL Platforms: PyTorch and/or TensorFlow for building and fine-tuning models at scale.
• Deployment & Monitoring: Containerization with Docker, deploying resilient production APIs, and implementing comprehensive monitoring, logging, and alerting strategies.
• Applied AI Skills: Mastery of Advanced Prompt Engineering, AI Workflow Design, and GenAI application optimization for cost, latency, and performance.

Ideal Candidate

• You are a strategic thinker and a master builder, capable of seeing the long-term vision and diving deep into the technical details to make it a reality.
• You are an experienced and empathetic leader who empowers your team to do their best work.
• You excel at bridging the gap between business and technology, translating complex problems into actionable and impactful AI strategies.
• You have a deep-seated commitment to building responsible AI and establishing robust governance.
• You are a thought leader and lifelong learner, staying at the absolute cutting edge of the AI industry and inspiring others to do the same.
• You have a proven track record of delivering high-impact AI solutions from initial concept to full-scale production.

Pay & Benefits

Primary Location Full Time Salary Range: $156,160.00 - $234,240.00. In addition to salary, Citi’s offerings may also include, for eligible employees, discretionary and formulaic incentive and retention awards. Citi offers competitive employee benefits, including: medical, dental & vision coverage; 401(k); life, accident, and disability insurance; and wellness programs. Citi also offers paid time off packages, including planned time off (vacation), unplanned time off (sick leave), and paid holidays.