Principal AI Software Engineer, Senior Vice President

Are you looking for a career move that will put you at the heart of a global financial institution? We are seeking an exceptionally skilled Principal AI Software Engineer to architect and implement robust, scalable backend systems that power our advanced AI tools and services. This hands‑on individual contributor role demands expert knowledge of Python fundamentals, a profound understanding of software design principles, architectural patterns, and an unwavering commitment to writing clean, maintainable, and production‑grade code that minimizes technical debt. Proficiency in FastAPI is a must. Prior hands‑on expertise in Generative AI development and its associated frameworks is required. Hands‑on experience and in‑depth understanding of C++ is a significant bonus.

By Joining Citi, you will become part of a global organisation whose mission is to serve as a trusted partner to our clients by responsibly providing financial services that enable growth and economic progress.

Team/Role Overview

The Credit Risk Technology team is at the forefront of leveraging data and artificial intelligence to transform critical risk functions within Citi. We develop and maintain complex software solutions that empower Citi’s Risk organization to manage counterparty credit risk. Our systems integrate vast datasets, including trades, collateral, market data, and counterparty information to compute essential metrics such as Pre‑Settlement Risk (PSE), Exposure at Default (EAD), and Risk Weighted Assets (RWA), alongside optimizing margin allocation, collateral haircuts, liquidity, and concentration levels.

What You’ll Do

• Architect and implement cutting‑edge software systems, defining the technical design for our AI solutions to ensure scalability, performance, and reliability.
• Drive the hands‑on design, implementation, and deployment of sophisticated systems that automate the analysis of data, code, and documentation.
• Apply deep expertise to structure extracted knowledge within a Credit Risk Domain‑aware knowledge graph, including advanced strategies for effectively modelling complex codebases, particularly C++, within this graph.
• Act as a critical technical partner with data scientists, business analysts, and other engineering teams to translate challenging business requirements into robust technical solutions and ensure successful, high‑quality project delivery.
• Tackle the most complex technical challenges within our AI initiatives, providing solutions that set the standard for engineering excellence.

What We’ll Need From You

• Exceptional Python Expertise: Demonstrated mastery of core Python, including advanced features, performance optimization, and a deep understanding of the FastAPI framework.
• Prior hands‑on experience with Generative AI, Large Language Model (LLM) frameworks (e.g. LangChain, LlamaIndex), and their application in enterprise environments is a must. This must be underpinned by a profound understanding of core machine learning principles, algorithms, and data science methodologies.
• Full Lifecycle Ownership: Extensive hands‑on experience and technical authority throughout the entire software development lifecycle, from conceptualization and design to implementation, deployment, and operational ownership of enterprise software solutions, involving significant cross‑functional collaboration.
• Strategic System Design: Significant hands‑on experience in architecting and designing (architecture, design patterns, reliability, scaling) highly complex new and current systems with broad technical impact.
• Hands‑on expertise with containerized deployment technologies (e.g. Kubernetes, OpenShift, Docker) and orchestration strategies.
• Hands‑on experience and in‑depth understanding of C++ is a significant bonus, particularly for complex code analysis, parsing, and integration into knowledge graph structures.

What We Can Offer You

This Principal role provides a unique opportunity to be at the technical vanguard, making foundational contributions to our organization’s strategic direction through pioneering AI product development within a dynamic global financial environment. You will leverage unparalleled technical depth to solve critical, complex challenges integral to cutting‑edge AI projects. This will enable you to define technical paradigms, drive radical innovation, and significantly accelerate your career at the forefront of a leading global financial institution, influencing the very core of our AI ecosystem.

We work hard to have a positive financial and social impact on the communities we serve. In turn, we put our employees first and provide the best‑in‑class benefits they need to be well, live well and save well. By joining Citi London, you will not only be part of a business casual workplace with a hybrid working model (up to 2 days working at home per week), but also receive a competitive base salary (which is annually reviewed), and enjoy a whole host of additional benefits such as:

• Generous holiday allowance starting at 27 days plus bank holidays; increasing with tenure
• A discretionary annual performance‑related bonus
• Private medical insurance packages to suit your personal circumstances
• Employee Assistance Program
• Pension Plan
• Paid Parental Leave
• Special discounts for employees, family, and friends
• Access to an array of learning and development resources

Citi is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified candidates will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you are a person with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation to use our search tools and/or apply for a career opportunity, please contact Accessibility at Citi.