Scale AI is seeking a highly-skilled, motivated, and visionary Principal Architect to join our dynamic Federal Engineering team. As a part of this team, you will play a critical role in delivering high-impact AI-powered mission solutions for government customers. Our scalable and high-performance platform forms the foundation for these solutions, and your expertise will be instrumental in capturing significant USG opportunities that will bring our capabilities to civil and national security personnel.

You will:

Provide customer-centric leadership for the strategic technical direction of the business
Lead the development of innovative AI-centric technical solutions for complex defense, intelligence, and civil government proposals
Serve as the primary technical interface with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders during program capture
Develop the program technical strategy and associated proposal artifacts, including the technical volumes, demonstrations, and engineering support plans
Collaborate closely with Business Development to shape the overall capture strategy, pricing strategy, and competitive landscape assessment
Analyze and interpret customer needs, requirements, and specifications to develop compelling solutions that are deeply rooted in the capabilities and technologies of Scale’s platform
Lead technical customer engagements, presentations, and negotiations, including the definition of scope and workshare with partner companies on proposals
Serve as the project lead for high-visibility demonstrations and exercises, including leading and contributing to the development of demonstration codebases
Contribute to the platform roadmap and product strategy for Scale AI’s Federal business, playing a key role in shaping the future direction of our offerings
This role will require an active TS/SCI security clearance

Ideally you’d have:

Past experience in AI/ML, Full Stack Development, Cloud-Native Technologies, Data Engineering, and Machine Learning Infrastructure
Problem Solving: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills to understand complex challenges and devise effective solutions. Ability to think critically, identify root causes, and propose innovative approaches to overcome technical obstacles
Collaboration and Communication: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and customers. Ability to clearly articulate technical concepts to non-technical audiences and foster a collaborative work environment
Adaptability and Learning Agility: Willingness to embrace new technologies, learn new skills, and adapt to evolving project requirements. Ability to quickly grasp and apply new concepts and stay up-to-date with emerging trends in software engineering
Minimum of 10 years experience in systems architecture, program capture, and technical leadership in support of USG customers

Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position, determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You’ll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.

The base salary range for this full-time position in the location of Washington DC is:

$219,420—$263,304 USD

PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.

About Us:

At Scale, we believe that the transition from traditional software to AI is one of the most important shifts of our time. Our mission is to make that happen faster across every industry, and our team is transforming how organizations build and deploy AI. Our products power the world’s most advanced LLMs, generative models, and computer vision models. We are trusted by generative AI companies such as OpenAI, Meta, and Microsoft, government agencies like the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, and enterprises including GM and Accenture. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.

We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work, which is why we are proud to be an affirmative action employer and inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or Veteran status.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at [email protected]. Please see the United States Department of Labor’s Know Your Rights poster for additional information.

We comply with the United States Department of Labor’s Pay Transparency provision.

PLEASE NOTE: We collect, retain and use personal data for our professional business purposes, including notifying you of job opportunities that may be of interest and sharing with our affiliates. We limit the personal data we collect to that which we believe is appropriate and necessary to manage applicants’ needs, provide our services, and comply with applicable laws. Any information we collect in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our internal policies and programs designed to protect personal data. Please see our privacy policy for additional information.

Principal Architect

Public Sector

Scale AI

Compensation Overview

Keyword Match

6 month growth

1 year growth

2 year growth

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

What critics are saying

What makes Scale AI unique

Benefits