Principal Software Engineer

Sprouts Farmers Market • Phoenix, AZ

1d

About The Position

The 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.

Requirements

• 15+ years of experience in software engineering
• 2 years of experience in AI/ML
• Deep expertise in distributed systems
• Deep expertise in cloud-native architecture
• Deep expertise in AI/ML systems
• Hands-on experience with Generative AI / LLMs
• Hands-on experience with Agentic AI systems
• Hands-on experience with Data pipelines

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

• 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 requirements
• Identify and drive high-impact AI use cases such as store intelligence, associate copilots, and inventory optimization
• Build agentic AI workflows, autonomous systems, and intelligent decision engines
• Define and standardize model lifecycle management, monitoring and observability, and evaluation frameworks
• Establish best practices for AI governance, responsible AI, and system reliability
• Partner with Product and Business teams to shape technical direction, influence solution design, and ensure alignment with outcomes
• Provide technical leadership in trade-offs, feasibility, and scalability decisions
• Ensure systems are production-ready, observable, and maintainable
• Lead resolution of critical production issues and system performance challenges
• Improve system resilience and uptime
• Mentor engineers and technical leads
• Drive engineering standards and best practices
• Influence architecture and design across teams

Benefits

• Competitive pay
• Sick time plan
• 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
• DailyPay - access earned wages before payday

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees