Principal Architect - AI Engineer

Principal Architect - AI Engineer

Location Chicago, Illinois, United States This job is associated with 2 categories See allJob IdWHQ00026743Information TechnologyJob TypeFull-TimePosted Date 09/03/2026

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Description

Job overview and responsibilities

The Principal AI Engineer will be instrumental in designing and delivering foundational Retail AI agentic workflows that transform the customer experience across all channels. This position will drive technological innovation in conversational AI and autonomous systems, shaping United's future as we advance our digital transformation. As a technical leader, you will have exceptional engineering expertise, strong communication skills, and a deep understanding of AI agent architectures, LLM integration patterns, and production-grade system design.

Technical Leadership and Innovation

Design and implement production-grade AI agentic workflows using modern frameworks and industry best practices

Develop sophisticated conversational AI solutions that integrate seamlessly with United's retail systems and customer-facing channels across web, mobile, and voice

Build scalable, reliable AI agent architectures that support complex customer journeys and deliver measurable business outcomes

Establish engineering standards, patterns, and best practices for AI agent development across the organization

Drive continuous improvement of AI system performance, reliability, and customer experience outcomes

Evaluate emerging AI technologies and frameworks, making strategic recommendations for adoption

Collaboration and Stakeholder Management

Engage and collaborate with product managers, data scientists, business stakeholders, and engineering teams to translate business requirements into technical solutions

Partner with Digital Technology, Customer Support & Advocacy, and Customer Experience organizations to align AI initiatives with strategic business objectives

Share knowledge and mentor engineers, contributing to the growth of United's AI engineering capabilities

Provide technical guidance and thought leadership on AI agent design patterns, prompt engineering, and LLM integration strategies

Foster open communication within cross-functional teams to ensure alignment and successful delivery of AI-powered customer experiences

System Design and Architecture

Design cloud-native AI solutions leveraging AWS services and modern microservices architectures

Implement robust API integrations connecting AI agents with United's retail, inventory, and customer data systems

Ensure compliance with security protocols, data governance standards, and engineering best practices throughout the development lifecycle

Build observability and monitoring capabilities to track AI system performance and customer experience metrics

Collaborate with architecture teams to ensure AI solutions follow enterprise standards and scale effectively

Qualifications

What's needed to succeed (Minimum Qualifications):

Bachelor's degree

Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field preferred

7+ years of software engineering experience with strong Python development expertise

Proven experience designing and deploying production AI/ML systems at scale

Deep understanding of AI agent architectures, prompt engineering, and LLM integration patterns

Strong knowledge of API design, microservices architecture, and cloud platforms (AWS preferred)

Experience with modern software development practices including CI/CD, testing, and observability

Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively engage stakeholders at all levels

Excellent problem-solving skills and ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams

Ability to effectively use software architecture design tools such as Lucid to create detailed technical architecture diagrams

A mindset for continuous learning and staying updated on AI/ML industry trends and emerging technologies

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer without sponsorship

Successful completion of interview required to meet job qualification

Reliable, punctual attendance is an essential function of the position

What will help you propel from the pack (Preferred Qualifications):

Master's degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or related field

Hands-on experience with LangChain and LangGraph for agent development

Experience building conversational AI solutions for customer-facing applications in retail, e-commerce, or travel industries

Knowledge of United's technology stack, SDLC tools, and enterprise systems

Experience with real-time data processing and event-driven architectures

Familiarity with contact center platforms, voice automation tools, and omnichannel customer experience systems

3+ years of experience building Generative AI and Conversational AI platforms

Experience with AI model evaluation, A/B testing, and performance optimization techniques

Understanding of responsible AI principles, bias mitigation, and AI governance frameworks

The base pay range for this role is $140,600.00 to $183,108.00.

The base salary range/hourly rate listed is dependent on job-related, factors such as experience, education, and skills. This position is also eligible for bonus and/or long-term incentive compensation awards.

You may be eligible for the following competitive benefits: medical, dental, vision, life, accident & disability, parental leave, employee assistance program, commuter, paid holidays, paid time off, 401(k) and flight privileges.

United Airlines is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law. We provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. To request an accommodation, contact JobAccommodations@united.com

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field with 7+ years software engineering experience and strong Python skills
• Proven experience designing and deploying production AI/ML systems, deep knowledge of AI agent architectures, LLM integration, API design, microservices, and AWS
• Excellent communication, problem-solving, cross-functional teamwork, and ability to create technical architecture diagrams using tools like Lucid