About this role
Appian Engineering develops the foundational layers and AI capabilities that power the enterprise-grade process automation platform. This team focuses on technical precision, high code quality, and continuous learning while building software that drives AI automation for large enterprises.
As a Principal ML Platform Engineer, you will serve as a technical linchpin by designing cloud-native architecture and directing high-complexity engineering solutions. You will maintain a personal technical presence while using AI coding tools to accelerate development without compromising correctness.
This role suits an experienced engineer with a strong background in distributed systems who excels at cross-team influence and mentorship. Candidates must be comfortable working on-site five days a week at the McLean, Virginia headquarters.
What you will do
- Architect, build, and optimize high-performance software systems while maintaining a strong personal technical presence on the team.
- Spearhead strategic technological changes and champion code refactoring efforts to keep the core codebase modern and performant.
- Use AI coding tools as a force multiplier to generate, review, and critically evaluate AI-assisted code.
- Drive technical story breakdowns, acceptance criteria, and architectural design across complex, multi-tier application layers.
- Manage product availability, latency, scalability, and efficiency by engineering deep reliability into core software systems.
- Radiate development best practices across the department, perform code reviews, and build automation frameworks.
- Actively coach and mentor engineers at multiple levels while taking ownership of their technical growth.
What you need
- Minimum of a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science or a related technical discipline.
- Ten or more years of relevant software development experience alongside a Bachelor of Science, or eight or more years with a Master of Science degree.
- Expert coding, scripting, and debugging proficiency in Java, Python, or Go.
- Deep working knowledge of distributed systems and cloud infrastructure.
- Demonstrated ability to drive technical decisions and shape engineering practices beyond a single team scope.
- Demonstrated experience using AI coding assistants and applying AI-generated code in a production environment.
- Proven experience developing, optimizing, and maintaining a high-volume, mission-critical production service environment.
- Exceptional ability to communicate highly technical architectures verbally, visually, and in writing.
Nice to have
- Experience designing microservices and working with containerization tools like Docker and Kubernetes.
- Experience implementing modern CI/CD pipelines.
- Experience developing and operating infrastructure across AWS, Azure, or GCP.
- Familiarity with enterprise platforms such as Salesforce or ServiceNow.
Benefits
- 401(k) plan with company match
- Flexible time off
- Paid parental leave
- Medical, dental, and vision plans
- Life and disability insurance
- Health savings account contributions and flexible spending accounts
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
What is the remote work policy for this position?
This role is based at the headquarters in McLean, Virginia. Employees hired for this position are expected to be in the office 5 days a week to foster in-person collaboration.
What is the salary range for this role?
The base salary range represents a good faith estimate of $175,000 to $325,000 USD at the time of posting. Actual compensation depends on factors such as relevant work experience, qualifications, internal peer equity, and market conditions.
What programming languages and technical domains are required?
Candidates need expert coding, scripting, and debugging proficiency in Java, Python, or Go. Additionally, the role requires deep working knowledge of distributed systems and cloud infrastructure.
What professional growth resources are provided?
Appian provides learning resources, dedicated learning time, full corporate sponsorship for technical certifications, and a leadership program for new and aspiring managers.
The application is on the official Appian Corporation careers page.
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