Principal Engineer, Engineering AI Productivity

Confluent3 days ago

Location

Remote, United States

Workplace

Remote

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 285,000 – 342,000

Level

Principal

Role

Principal Engineer

Posted

May 13, 2026

Full TimeRemotePrincipal

The role

Summary

Confluent is seeking a strategic Principal Engineer to drive internal AI productivity and automation across engineering teams. The ideal candidate will define and implement agentic AI capabilities, focusing on streamlining development workflows, enhancing R&D productivity, and scaling AI adoption responsibly within the organization.

What you'll do

AI Strategy Development: Define and evangelize the AI and agentic flows strategy, aligning business metrics, engineering needs, and platform opportunities.

Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner with Engineering, Trust and Security to integrate AI capabilities responsibly and at scale, driving complex cross-team projects.

Workflow Automation: Lead the delivery of core agentic workflows to improve productivity across engineering, with a balance of 60% hands-on execution and 40% strategic planning.

AI Governance: Establish industry standards, ethical frameworks, guardrails, and quality metrics for AI behavior and automated flows.

Thought Leadership: Participate in external forums, evolve with the technology landscape, and develop internal playbooks for building and scaling agentic outcomes.

What we look for

Technical

Distributed SystemsExpertise in building distributed systems and infrastructure to support complex engineering workflows.

AI/ML PlatformsHands-on experience with AI platforms, LLM integration, and workflow automation.

Responsible AIDeep understanding of responsible AI practices and governance frameworks.

Education

Advanced Technical DegreeBachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field preferred.

Experience

Strategic Leadership8+ years driving strategic productivity initiatives in SaaS/Cloud platforms or developer tools.

Cross-Functional ManagementProven ability to lead cross-functional teams and influence senior stakeholders without direct authority.

Skills

Required skills

AI StrategyAbility to define and implement AI-driven productivity strategies.

Technical LeadershipStrong capability to guide complex technical initiatives and translate strategies into actionable outcomes.

Workflow AutomationExpertise in designing and implementing intelligent, automated workflows.

Nice to have

Cloud-Native PlatformsExperience in cloud-native ecosystems and developer platforms.

Real-Time DataBackground in event-driven architecture and real-time data systems.

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 285,000 – 342,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Equity Options

Stock options as part of compensation package

Remote Work

Fully remote work arrangement with flexible location

Inclusive Culture

Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace

Professional Development

Opportunities for continuous learning and career growth

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Phone or video call with recruiting team to assess background and initial fit
2
Technical Interview — Detailed discussion of technical expertise, AI strategy, and leadership experience
3
Cross-Functional Panel — Interview with engineering leaders to evaluate cross-team collaboration skills
4
Strategic Presentation — Candidate presents a proposed AI productivity strategy to demonstrate vision and execution capabilities
5
Final Leadership Interview — Meeting with senior executives to align on long-term strategic objectives