Director of AI Engineering
Apollo.ioSalary not specified
Full Time
Senior (5 to 8 years), Expert & Leadership (9+ years)
Not SpecifiedCompensation
Expert & Leadership (9+ years), Senior (5 to 8 years)Experience Level
Full TimeJob Type
UnknownVisa
Retail, Technology, AIIndustries
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field; Master’s preferred
- 15+ years of software engineering experience, including 5+ years in engineering leadership roles
- Proven experience building and scaling large distributed systems (Java, Python, or similar)
- Hands-on experience with modern AI/ML platforms: LLMs, RAG, vector search, knowledge bases, orchestration frameworks
- Deep knowledge of cloud-native architectures, micro-services, CI/CD, and backend testing frameworks
- Experience working with data science or ML teams to bring models into production
- Track record of delivering platforms adopted by multiple product teams at enterprise scale
- Strong communication skills, strategic thinking, and ability to drive alignment across diverse stakeholders
- Experience in retail, e-commerce, or other large-scale consumer-facing products is a plus
Responsibilities
- Lead architecture and development of Sparky Agent AI Platform, powering conversational and task-oriented agents
- Design and scale distributed systems supporting LLMs, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), knowledge bases, and agent orchestration
- Define platform capabilities such as context management, evaluation pipelines, safety/guardrails, observability, and cost-efficient inference
- Drive technical strategy and platform roadmaps aligned with business goals and long-term product vision
- Ensure excellence in performance, reliability, accessibility, and security of AI-driven systems
- Deliver production-ready AI platform features used by multiple product and experience teams
- Establish engineering best practices, high code quality, and strong operational maturity (SLOs, incident management, performance monitoring)
- Improve developer workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud-native deployment processes
- Ensure fast iteration loops for model integration, experimentation, and continuous improvement
- Lead, grow, and mentor a team of high-performing backend and platform engineers (including managers and senior ICs)
- Build a strong engineering culture centered on innovation, accountability, and learning
- Drive team planning, goal setting, career development, and performance management
- Partner with Product and UX to deliver intuitive, AI-powered customer experiences
- Work closely with Applied AI/Data Science teams to productize models, optimize inference, and establish evaluation frameworks
- Collaborate with Security, Legal, and Responsible AI teams to ensure safe, compliant, and ethical AI deployment
- Stay ahead of emerging AI technologies, agent frameworks, model architectures, and industry trends
- Champion experimentation and rapid prototyping to unlock new capabilities and improve user experiences
- Influence enterprise-wide AI strategy through technical vision, architectural leadership, and platform standardization
Skills
Key technologies and capabilities for this role
Questions & Answers
Common questions about this position
What is the employment type for this position?
This is a full-time position.
Is this role remote or does it require working in an office?
This information is not specified in the job description.
What education is required for this role?
A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science is required.
What kind of team culture does this role foster?
The role involves fostering a culture of innovation, technical excellence, high performance, accountability, and learning.
What experience makes a strong candidate for this Director role?
Strong candidates will have expertise in leading architecture and development of AI platforms, scaling distributed systems for LLMs and agent orchestration, and experience in people leadership including mentoring high-performing engineers.
Walmart
Global retail chain offering affordable products
About Walmart
Walmart operates a chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores, providing a wide variety of products at low prices to everyday consumers, families, and communities. The company combines physical retail locations with an e-commerce platform, allowing customers to shop for groceries, apparel, electronics, and household items both in-store and online. Walmart's efficient supply chain management and large-scale purchasing enable it to maintain affordability, setting it apart from competitors. The company also offers financial services and health and wellness services, including pharmacies and vision centers. Walmart's goal is to save people money and support communities, as demonstrated by its efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and its commitment to social responsibility, including programs for veterans and military families.
Bentonville, ArkansasHeadquarters
1962Year Founded
$5,515MTotal Funding
IPOCompany Stage
Financial Services, Consumer GoodsIndustries
10,001+Employees
Benefits
PTO: Paid vacation, sick time, personal time and holiday time
10% discount on regularly priced general merchandise and fresh fruits and vegetables
6% 401(k) match to all employees, including hourly workers, after one year
Roth IRA available
Associate Stock Purchase Plan
maximum and eligible preventive care covered at 100%
Health reimbursement plans
Risks
Rising U.S. labor costs could pressure profit margins.
Amazon's grocery delivery expansion threatens Walmart's market share.
Fintech investments expose Walmart to financial regulatory risks.
Differentiation
Walmart's omnichannel strategy integrates physical and online retail seamlessly.
The company offers a wide range of products at consistently low prices.
Walmart's commitment to community support enhances its brand reputation.
Upsides
Walmart's investment in fintech expands its financial services offerings.
Robotics integration in distribution centers boosts operational efficiency.
Culturally themed product lines attract diverse customer segments.
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