Principal Software Engineer - AI Systems

Position Summary...

What you'll do... What you'll do

1. AI Systems Engineering

Design and implement large-scale, production-grade AI systems that integrate LLMs and Generative AI into real-world applications.

Build frameworks that support Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), agentic workflows, and multi-step reasoning at scale.

Ensure models and agents are production-ready with strong observability, monitoring, and performance optimization.

• Architecture & Scalability

Architect distributed, fault-tolerant systems capable of supporting high-throughput AI workloads.

Lead the design of modular, extensible, and reusable components to accelerate AI adoption across teams.

Build MVPs quickly, validate assumptions, and iterate toward scalable long-term solutions.

Partner with product and platform teams to integrate AI into customer-facing and enterprise-grade applications.

Define and enforce standards for APIs, services, and infrastructure that enable seamless AI adoption.

Balance functional requirements with non-functional goals such as reliability, latency, and security.

Drive technical strategy for AI initiatives and guide teams in best practices for AI-driven software development.

Mentor engineers across software and AI domains to elevate overall technical expertise.

Contribute to thought leadership in AI engineering through internal frameworks, design patterns, and reusable components.

What you'll bring

12+ years of experience in software engineering (backend, distributed systems, large-scale platforms), with 2+ years applying Generative AI / LLMs in production.

Proven expertise in distributed computing, cloud-native architectures (GCP, Azure, or AWS), and systems that prioritize scalability and fault tolerance.

Strong coding skills in Python (preferred) and at least one system-level language (Java, Go, or C++).

Experience with ML / AI frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face) as a plus, but applied in the context of building systems, not just training models.

Deep knowledge of RAG pipelines, vector databases, and real-time data integration.

Familiarity with resilience engineering : disaster recovery, failover, monitoring, and high availability.

Exposure to multi-modal AI (text, image, video) and optimization techniques (quantization, distillation) is advantageous.

Strong grounding in system design, performance engineering, and design patterns.

Track record of delivering production systems with AI at scale, not just research or prototyping.

Key Positioning Shift

Moved model training / fine-tuning to secondary importance ? framed as a plus, not the core.

Emphasized distributed systems, cloud, APIs, reliability, and software engineering fundamentals.

Framed role as "AI Systems Engineer" / "AI Engineer" instead of "ML Engineer."

Highlighted production integration and customer-facing impact, which appeals to senior software engineers.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Walmart, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer – By Choice. We believe we are best equipped to help our associates, customers, and the communities we serve live better when we really know them. That means understanding, respecting, and valuing unique styles, experiences, identities, ideas, and opinions – while being inclusive of all people.

At Walmart, we offer competitive pay as well as performance-based bonus awards and other great benefits for a happier mind, body, and wallet. Health benefits include medical, vision and dental coverage. Financial benefits include 401(k), stock purchase and company-paid life insurance. Paid time off benefits include PTO (including sick leave), parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting. Other benefits include short-term and long-term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more.

You will also receive PTO and / or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes. The amount you receive depends on your job classification and length of employment. It will meet or exceed the requirements of paid sick leave laws, where applicable.

For information about PTO, see https : / / one.walmart.com / notices.

Live Better U is a Walmart-paid education benefit program for full-time and part-time associates in Walmart and Sam's Club facilities. Programs range from high school completion to bachelor's degrees, including English Language Learning and short-form certificates. Tuition, books, and fees are completely paid for by Walmart.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to a specific plan or program terms.

For information about benefits and eligibility, see One.Walmart.

The annual salary range for this position is $143,000.00-$286,000.00

Additional compensation includes annual or quarterly performance bonuses.

Additional compensation for certain positions may also include

Stock

Minimum Qualifications

Option 1 : Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 5 years' experience in software engineering or related area.

Option 2 : 7 years' experience in software engineering or related area.

Preferred Qualifications

Master's degree in computer science, computer engineering, computer information systems, software engineering, or related area and 3 years' experience in software engineering or related area. We value candidates with a background in creating inclusive digital experiences, demonstrating knowledge in implementing Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, and integrating digital accessibility seamlessly. The ideal candidate would have knowledge of accessibility best practices and join us as we continue to create accessible products and services following Walmart's accessibility standards and guidelines for supporting an inclusive culture.

Primary Location

1395 Crossman Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1114, United States of America

Walmart and its subsidiaries are committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and has a no tolerance policy regarding the use of illegal drugs and alcohol on the job. This policy applies to all employees and aims to create a safe and productive work environment.

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