Principal AI Engineer - AI Transformation

Fifth Third Bank • Cincinnati, OH

2d

About The Position

The Principal AI Engineer architects and implements artificial intelligence and machine learning systems to address business challenges throughout Fifth Third Bank, with a strong focus on researching and experimenting with generative AI models and agentic systems. The role involves rigorous data analysis, statistical evaluation, experimental design, and algorithm development using structured and unstructured data. Solutions may range from on-demand analytics to integrated software systems developed with cross-functional teams and aligned to business requirements. The engineer also stays informed about emerging AI trends, risks, and opportunities and educates senior leaders.

The position sets enterprise-wide technical standards by defining reference architectures, chairing design reviews, and approving model lifecycle gates such as data sourcing, bias audits, and drift monitoring. It develops and evaluates AI systems, extracts insights from complex data, designs statistically valid experiments, and builds banking-specific analytics while observing financial regulations. The engineer leads projects and cross-team technical initiatives, influences technical direction, mentors colleagues, and partners with engineering, data, compliance, and security teams to integrate scalable, compliant AI solutions. The role is accountable for managing risk in accordance with Bank policies and risk appetite, and for supporting positive customer and colleague experiences.

The base salary varies according to factors including relevant skills, experience, education, and geographic location. The position is eligible for an incentive compensation plan based on company, line of business, and/or individual performance. Fifth Third describes its benefits programs as supporting employees' and families' physical, financial, emotional, and social well-being; further details are available through its Careers benefits page or a talent acquisition partner.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Statistics, Data Science, Mathematics, or a related technical field.
• At least 6 years of experience developing and deploying machine learning or AI solutions in production environments.
• Strong programming skills and proficiency in Python; familiarity with JavaScript and SQL.
• Expertise in generative AI techniques, including prompt engineering, fine-tuning, retrieval-augmented generation, evaluation frameworks, tool integration, and agentic system design.
• Experience with cloud computing platforms; AWS is preferred, including Bedrock, SageMaker, and Lex.
• Experience with machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch, scikit-learn, and Hugging Face.
• Practical knowledge of deep learning, neural networks, and traditional machine learning algorithms.
• Familiarity with model optimization techniques, including quantization and distillation.
• Knowledge of AI orchestration frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, and MCPs.
• Proficiency with version control systems such as Git and GitHub.
• Understanding of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
• Experience with containerization and Infrastructure as Code, including Docker and Terraform.
• Knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and software design principles.
• Experience designing observability systems for AI applications.
• Clear communication skills and the ability to build consensus across teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to manage time effectively and prioritize competing demands.
• Self-motivation and demonstrated ability to work independently.
• Experience working in Agile environments.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Understanding of ethical considerations in AI deployment.
• Ability to mentor colleagues and promote knowledge sharing.

Nice To Haves

• An advanced degree is preferred but not required.
• Experience with AWS, specifically Bedrock, SageMaker, and Lex.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement AI and machine learning systems that solve business challenges and deliver measurable value.
• Create and maintain model documentation describing methodologies and approaches.
• Research, test, and apply state-of-the-art generative AI models and solutions.
• Develop agentic AI systems that can reason, plan, and use tools to complete complex tasks.
• Create evaluation frameworks to assess model performance, identify hallucinations, and ensure output quality.
• Stay current with emerging AI and machine learning technologies, frameworks, and methodologies, and contribute to AI development and deployment best practices.
• Define enterprise-wide technical standards, reference architectures, design reviews, and model lifecycle gates, including data sourcing, bias audits, and drift monitoring.
• Extract patterns and insights from complex, multidimensional data sets.
• Apply predictive modeling, machine learning, optimization, and other advanced analytics techniques.
• Translate business questions into well-defined analytical problems and objectives.
• Design and execute experiments using statistically valid methodologies and evaluation criteria.
• Develop specialized analytics for banking use cases while maintaining compliance with financial regulations.
• Lead projects or processes with limited supervision and apply advanced knowledge to complex problems.
• Influence technical direction and standards across products and platforms, and drive cross-team initiatives to support integration, scalability, and compliance.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to understand business requirements and translate them into technical solutions.
• Communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and present findings, recommendations, and insights accessibly.
• Collaborate with software, cloud, and data engineers and data scientists to integrate AI into existing systems and products.
• Work with compliance and security teams to ensure AI systems meet banking regulatory requirements.
• Educate senior leaders about emerging AI trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Manage, monitor, and report risks in accordance with Bank policies and risk appetite.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits programs designed to support employees' and families' physical, financial, emotional, and social well-being.
• Eligibility to participate in an incentive compensation plan, with payments based on company, line of business, and/or individual performance.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior