AI Engineer II

American Express is seeking an AI Engineer II with expertise in Python, Big Data, and Cloud technologies to join its technology organization in Gurugram, India. This role involves designing, building, and enhancing platforms and systems that power the company's AI, data, and decisioning capabilities. You will work on initiatives that integrate modern engineering practices, large-scale data processing, and automation to deliver reliable, secure, and high-impact solutions that drive business outcomes.

Key responsibilities include architecting scalable systems, developing reusable frameworks, and improving platform efficiency in collaboration with talented engineers, data scientists, and product teams. You will optimize data pipelines, build APIs, and enhance infrastructure reliability, directly influencing how American Express leverages technology globally. The role encourages learning, innovation, and technical ownership, providing access to modern technologies, open-source contributions, and professional development opportunities.

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the technical aspects of software development, including design, prototyping, and coding.
• Perform hands-on architecture, design, and development of systems.
• Promote consistent development practices, including tools, common components, and documentation.
• Dedicate approximately 80% of time to coding and testing, with the remainder focused on stakeholder collaboration for product/platform releases.
• Develop a comprehensive understanding of interdependencies with other Amex systems and platforms.
• Engage in continuous code refactoring, utilize visualization techniques for rapid concept development, and drive continuous improvement.
• Identify opportunities to adopt innovative technologies.
• Provide ongoing support for application availability.
• Collaborate with product owners to prioritize features for sprints and manage technical requirements based on industry trends, new technologies, and identified issues.
• Research and apply new and upcoming technologies to develop functional software.
• Debug software components and identify code defects for remediation.
• Deploy, support, and monitor software across various environments (test, integration, production).
• Implement automatic scaling of applications based on demand projections.
• Inspire team members through innovative changes and improvements by challenging the status quo and demonstrating risk-taking.
• Achieve team goals with increased self-reliance.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 2+ years of software development experience with a proven track record in building data-driven products.
• Solid understanding of Computer Science fundamentals, including object-oriented design, data structures, algorithms, complexity analysis, problem-solving, and diagnosis.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language (Java/Python) and willingness to learn new languages.
• Familiarity with Linux/Unix tools.

Technical/Platforms:

• Experience in large-scale platform engineering.
• Experience in application development and integration with cloud platforms such as Google Cloud Platform or Amazon Web Services.
• Understanding of the Machine Learning Ecosystem with hands-on experience with frameworks like Airflow, Jupyterlab, Jupyterhub, and MLFlow.
• Experience with object-oriented design and coding using Python and related frameworks.
• Proficiency in Linux.
• Understanding and experience with UNIX/Shell scripting.
• Proficiency in distributed systems concepts, including load balancing, sharding, and distributed transactions.
• Understanding of data structures, algorithms, and Design Patterns.

Good To Have:

• Experience building fast and scalable machine learning and analytical algorithms, managing tasks from design to deployment and monitoring.
• Experience in developing Web services, micro-services, and REST APIs.
• Experience working with distributed systems using Spark and Hive in a production Hadoop environment at significant scale.

Functional:

• Familiarity with design and coding across multiple platforms and languages.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills.
• Ability to interpret technical and business objectives and challenges.
• Experience with Porting/Software Configuration.
• Experience with Agile Methodologies.
• Experience in Software development/testing.
• Product Engineering Knowledge.
• Platform engineering knowledge (e.g., Financial Tech, E-commerce, Aggregator platforms).

Business Outcomes:

• Design and deliver innovative AIML/Big Data platform solutions across multiple business units.
• Identify and adopt new technologies to enhance user experience and predict future challenges.

Leadership Outcomes:

• Prioritize enterprise thinking, align the role's agenda with enterprise priorities, and balance stakeholder needs.
• Lead with an external perspective, challenge the status quo, and drive continuous innovation.
• Demonstrate learning agility, make swift, high-integrity decisions.
• Lead with a digital mindset and deliver exceptional customer experiences.

American Express offers comprehensive benefits supporting holistic well-being, including competitive salaries, bonus incentives, financial well-being support, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, disability benefits, flexible working models, generous paid parental leave, on-site wellness centers, confidential counseling, and career development opportunities.

American Express is an equal opportunity employer. Employment is contingent upon successful background verification.