We're looking for a Principal ML Engineer to be the technical authority behind our ML and GenAI work in the legal domain. This is a deeply technical, architecture-focused leadership role. You'll set direction across AI initiatives, but you won't manage people.
You're a good fit if you started your career as a software engineer (ideally in Java and/or Python), later moved into ML and Generative AI, and can be the strongest technical voice in the room.
What you'll do
- Serve as the principal technical authority for ML and GenAI initiatives
- Define and communicate the technical roadmap, architectural direction, and long-term AI strategy
- Evaluate legacy systems and platforms, identifying constraints, risks, and modernization paths
- Make high-impact technical decisions that guide engineering teams and shape platform evolution
- Lead and design POCs to validate new ML and GenAI approaches, tools, and architectures
- Assess feasibility, scalability, and integration needs before broader adoption
- Turn experimental results into clear architectural recommendations and next steps
- Build a deep understanding of existing backend systems, data flows, APIs, and legacy codebases
- Bridge historical system design and future-state AI/ML capabilities
- Partner with engineering teams so strategy matches implementation reality
Note: This role isn't focused on day-to-day coding, but it demands exceptional technical depth and sound judgment.
What you bring
- 10+ years in technology, with early-career experience as a software developer
- 5+ years in machine learning or AI
- Strong foundation in Java and/or Python, and the ability to read, assess, and reason about legacy code
- Experience with, or willingness to learn, Go and other newer languages
- Advanced experience in ML, AI, or GenAI, including architectural and system-level design
- Deep understanding of backend engineering, system design, and data-driven architectures
- Proven ability to make technical decisions at scale without owning daily coding tasks
- Demonstrated success as a technical leader without people-management responsibilities
Principal Machine Learning Engineer in Raleigh at Robert Half
This position is listed as full time and onsite. It was posted 3 days ago.