Principal Engineer

Principal Engineer – Complex Systems Architecture | AI Intelligence PlatformRemote | Europe preferred | Immediate StartMy client is looking for an exceptional hands-on Principal Engineer to architect and build complex distributed systems for a next-generation AI Intelligence Platform.This is a builder role, not a traditional architecture position. You will own a critical technical workstream end-to-end — from architecture and implementation through to deployment and production — working closely with a highly technical founding team.What we're looking for7+ years of engineering experience building complex, production-scale distributed systems.Expert Python engineering skills, including Pydantic, asyncio and strong typing.Proven experience designing and building data-intensive, event-driven systems.Strong Kubernetes, Docker, Helm and CI/CD experience.Experience with fault-tolerant architectures, data pipelines, schema evolution and observability.Strong architectural judgement and the ability to operate independently in ambiguous environments.A genuine builder mindset — you should be able to explain exactly what you personally designed, built and operated.Strong advantageExperience with Dagster/Ray, knowledge graphs, vector databases, on-premise/air-gapped LLM infrastructure, sovereign AI, intelligence/OSINT platforms or other mission-critical systems.The ideal candidateSomeone who has built difficult technology in production, rather than simply implemented existing solutions. Backgrounds in deep-tech, AI infrastructure, distributed systems, intelligence, autonomous systems or leading AI/technology companies are particularly relevant.The technical bar is exceptionally high. We are prioritising genuine engineers, researchers and technical builders over consultants or architects who no longer code.*** Only successful candidates will be contacted ***