Principal AI Engineer

Join one of Baltimore's Best Places to Work!

This is a 2 Year Grant Funded Opportunity, located in our Baltimore, MD headquarters.

Pulitzer Prize winning news organization, The Baltimore Banner is seeking a collaborative and visionary Principal AI Engineer to lead the adoption and application of cutting-edge AI technologies across our organization. This is a unique, two-year grant-funded position, created in partnership with the Lenfest Institute, and part of a national cohort of AI fellows embedded within leading news media organizations.

Reporting to the Chief Technology Officer, you will work at the forefront of AI-driven transformation in local journalism, collaborating with cross-functional teams across editorial, product, technology, audience, and business operations to identify high-impact AI opportunities, develop solutions, and bring them to market. You will help shape how AI is used to enhance content discovery, newsroom efficiency, personalization, and business intelligence.

This role will also have the opportunity to collaborate directly with experts from Microsoft and OpenAI, aligning our work with state-of-the-art industry practices. You’ll help demonstrate how AI can drive meaningful innovation in the local news industry, building use cases that showcase real-world value—inspired by and potentially shared with peer organizations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the identification, design  and deployment of AI applications across departments—developing solutions in close partnership with stakeholders.
• Collaborate deeply with editorial, product, engineering, audience, and business teams to map problems, create AI-enabled solutions, and operationalize them.
• Serve as AI evangelist and advisor, helping the organization understand, adopt, and responsibly govern emerging AI technologies.
• Optimize and fine tune AI models using Azure OpenAI and/or other commercial platforms like AWS.
• Ensure the integration of AI solutions with existing systems and infrastructure.
• Partner with internal and external experts, to ensure solutions are scalable, performant, and innovative.
• Participate in a national cohort of AI fellows, sharing knowledge and insights across peer institutions in the media industry.
• Ensure robust model testing, validation, and integration into existing systems and workflows.
• Document technical processes and best practices, contributing to a culture of continuous learning.
• Conduct research and stay current with the latest advancements in AI technologies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or higher in computer science, Artificial Intelligence, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in AI/ML development and deployment, with strong experience in generative AI and large language models.
• Demonstrated success in collaborative, cross-functional projects, preferably in mission-driven or fast-paced environments.
• Proficiency in programming languages like Python in the context of AI and machine learning.
• Experience with AI services on Cloud platforms like Azure, AWS or GCP  and experience with prompt engineering, RAG systems and model fine-tuning.
• Proven track record of successfully delivering AI projects from concept to production.
• Proven ability to explain complex AI systems to non-technical stakeholders and lead change management around adoption.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to think critically and creatively.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.

Salary Range: $140,000 - $160,000 Individual pay may vary from the target range and is determined by several factors including experience, internal pay equity, and other relevant business considerations. We constantly review all teammate pay to ensure a great compensation package that is fair and equal across the board.

Our amazing benefits include:

The Venetoulis Institute embraces diversity and inclusion, and we are wholeheartedly committed to being proactive in inspiring a culture of inclusion across our organization. We are dedicated to establishing an organization that reflects the fundamental respect for different ways of working and living, and we assure every employee the opportunity to reach their full potential.

We are dedicated to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodation due to a disability to participate in the application process, please contact [email protected] to request accommodation. Reasonable accommodations may include, but are not limited to, adjustments in the application process, modifications or assistance regarding job interviews, and accommodations to enable access to our facilities. We appreciate the value that individuals with disabilities bring to our workforce and encourage applicants with disabilities to disclose their needs for accommodation to facilitate a smooth and inclusive recruitment experience.