Principal Engineer - Machine Learning & Inference Engineering

About this role:

Wells Fargo is seeking a Principal Engineer in the Digital Technology and Innovation group which supports evolving digital platforms and enhances integration of the innovation pipeline into our customer-facing capabilities. The Principal Engineer for Tachyon AI Engineering will lead the design, development, and operationalization of enterprise-scale AI/ML solutions across hybrid environments. This role requires deep technical expertise, strategic vision, and leadership to accelerate predictive and generative AI adoption.

The ideal candidate will have experience with AI Compute Environment, Data Engineering, Generative AI, RAG pipelines, and agentic AI systems, and will drive innovation and modernization initiatives, including model migration from on-prem platforms to cloud-native environments

In this role, you will:

Act as an advisor to leadership to develop or influence applications, network, information security, database, operating systems, or web technologies for highly complex business and technical needs across multiple groups

• Lead the strategy and resolution of highly complex and unique challenges requiring in-depth evaluation across multiple areas or the enterprise, delivering solutions that are long-term, large-scale and require vision, creativity, innovation, advanced analytical and inductive thinking

• Translate advanced technology experience, an in-depth knowledge of the organizations tactical and strategic business objectives, the enterprise technological environment, the organization structure, and strategic technological opportunities and requirements into technical engineering solutions

• Provide vision, direction and expertise to leadership on implementing innovative and significant business solutions

• Maintain knowledge of industry best practices and new technologies and recommends innovations that enhance operations or provide a competitive advantage to the organization

• Strategically engage with all levels of professionals and managers across the enterprise and serve as an expert advisor to leadership

Key Responsibilities:

Platform Leadership

• Drive the evolution of the Tachyon Predictive AI Platform on GCP Vertex AI, Azure ML, and On-Prem AIML Platform

• Architect scalable, secure, and compliant AI/ML infrastructure across hybrid environments

Model Lifecycle Management

• Oversee end-to-end ML lifecycle: feature engineering, model development, validation, deployment, and monitoring

• Implement proactive, event-driven model monitoring and drift detection

Migration & Modernization

• Lead model migration initiatives from legacy and on-prem systems to cloud-native platforms

• Ensure smooth transitions with minimal downtime and compliance adherence

Innovation & Automation

• Drive initiatives for Generative AI and agentic AI integration into workflows

• Automate governance processes and optimize operational SLAs

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with data scientists, MLOps engineers, and application teams to deliver AI solutions

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on AI strategy and technical decisions

Mentorship & Thought Leadership

• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to engineering teams.

• Represent the organization in AI forums and contribute to enterprise AI strategy.

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of Engineering experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education

• 5+ years of hands-on programming and/or scripting experience in one or more of the following: Python, Java, Shell scripting etc.

• 5+ years of experience with Infrastructure as code (IaC) implementation using Terraform, Crossplane or any other industry equivalent solutions

• 5+ years of experience with OpenShift Container Platform and/or Google Cloud Platform, and/or Microsoft Azure hands on experience

• 5+ years of experience with enterprise-grade automation solutions design and implementation experience using tools such as Ansible, Harness CD, GitHub Actions, Playwright etc.

• 2+ years of experience with AI, Gen AI, Agentic automation solutions design and development

Desired Qualifications:

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

• Demonstrated ability to lead complex projects with limited supervision and high accountability

• Experience with Generative AI, RAG pipelines, and agentic AI systems.

• Exposure to Google Cloud Platform: Vertex AI / Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, Agentspace, MCP, A2A exposure

• Cloud certification; AWS, GCP, Azure or Generative AI Leader

• Deep understanding of LLMs, prompt engineering, vector databases, and orchestration tools

• Expertise in cloud AI platforms (GCP Vertex AI, Azure ML), On-Prem AIML systems, and MLOps frameworks

• Strong programming skills (Python, SQL/NoSQL) and experience with ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch)

• Proven track record in enterprise-scale AI deployments, model migration projects, and innovation initiatives

• 2+ years of experience building full stack Agentic AI Automations (from chat experiences to muti-agent systems) using Agentic AI Frameworks like LangGraph, Crew AI, Microsoft AutoGen, LangChain, Chainlit

Job Expectations:

• This position is not eligible for Visa sponsorship

• Ability to work on-site at approved location

• Relocation assistance is not available for this position

​Locations:

• 1755 Grant St., Concord, CA

• 333 Market St., San Francisco, CA

• 300 S. Brevard St., Charlotte, NC

Pay Range
 

Reflected is the base pay range offered for this position. Pay may vary depending on factors including but not limited to demonstrated examples of prior performance, skills, experience, or work location. Employees may also be eligible for incentive opportunities.

$159,000.00 - $305,000.00

Posting End Date:

12 May 2026

*Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

We Value Equal Opportunity

Wells Fargo is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Employees support our focus on building strong customer relationships balanced with a strong risk mitigating and compliance-driven culture which firmly establishes those disciplines as critical to the success of our customers and company. They are accountable for execution of all applicable risk programs (Credit, Market, Financial Crimes, Operational, Regulatory Compliance), which includes effectively following and adhering to applicable Wells Fargo policies and procedures, appropriately fulfilling risk and compliance obligations, timely and effective escalation and remediation of issues, and making sound risk decisions. There is emphasis on proactive monitoring, governance, risk identification and escalation, as well as making sound risk decisions commensurate with the business unit’s risk appetite and all risk and compliance program requirements.

Applicants with Disabilities

To request a medical accommodation during the application or interview process, visit Disability Inclusion at Wells Fargo.

Drug and Alcohol Policy

 

Wells Fargo maintains a drug free workplace.  Please see our Drug and Alcohol Policy to learn more.

Wells Fargo Recruitment and Hiring Requirements:

a. Third-Party recordings are prohibited unless authorized by Wells Fargo.

b. Wells Fargo requires you to directly represent your own experiences during the recruiting and hiring process.