Director of Engineering, AI Enablement

Principal Financial Group•Raleigh, NC

13h•Hybrid

About The Position

We’re looking for a Director of Engineering to join our Enterprise AI Enablement team. In this role, you’ll lead the strategy and execution of the common AI platforms that power AI across the entire company, shaping how teams build, scale, and deliver AI solutions at Principal. Operating at the intersection of financial services and technology, Principal builds financial tools that help our customers live better lives. We take pride in being a purpose-led firm, motivated by our mission to make financial security accessible to all. Our mission, integrity, and customer focus have made us a trusted leader for more than 140 years. As Principal continues to modernize its systems, this role will offer you an exciting opportunity to build solutions that will directly impact our long-term strategy and tech stack, all while ensuring that our products are robust, scalable, and secure!

Requirements

Bachelor's degree (preference in computer sciences, information systems, business administration) or equivalent
10+ years of enterprise-level technical experience, demonstrating progressive responsibility and impact
Experience driving delivery and execution—bringing focus, direction, and accountability to complex, evolving environments
Formal people leadership experience with the ability to guide teams through both strategy and hands-on execution
Strong collaborator who can partner across engineering, product, and business teams to influence outcomes and align to enterprise strategy
Effective communicator who can translate between technical concepts and business priorities

Nice To Haves

Experience building or supporting AI/ML platforms, LLMs, or AI enablement infrastructure
6+ years of technology leadership managing and mentoring direct reports; proven ability to build strong teams and a culture of accountability
Experience leading in global or distributed team environments
Background working in a regulated industry (e.g., financial services)
Familiarity with platform engineering, model operations, or enterprise-scale AI systems

Responsibilities

Lead engineering teams focused on AI infrastructure, model operations, agent and platform enablement, and agent lifecycle capabilities (design, orchestration, deployment, and monitoring), driving clarity, alignment, and execution across a highly collaborative organization
Define and deliver the technical direction for enterprise AI platforms, including LLM, chatbot, and agent-based systems used by teams across Principal
Partner closely with product management to build and execute roadmaps that align to enterprise AI strategy and business priorities
Drive execution discipline and delivery outcomes within an experimentation-heavy environment by bringing structure, prioritization, and timelines to innovative work
Shape and advance enterprise AI enablement efforts, ensuring scalable, secure, and reusable platform capabilities
Lead a globally distributed team, setting direction and fostering strong collaboration across regions
Build, mentor, and develop engineering leaders and teams, improving on performance, accountability, and technical excellence
Act as a key technology leader, influencing decisions and advocating for modern, resilient AI infrastructure practices across the organization