Principal AI-Native Software Engineer
Palo Alto, California
This position requires office presence of a minimum of 5 days per week and is only located in the location(s) posted. No relocation is offered.
We’re looking for an AI-Native Software Engineer (Principal Engineer) who blends strong fullstack Python engineering with hands-on experience building intelligent systems powered by LLMs, agent orchestration, and AI-augmented development workflows.
This is not a traditional software engineering role. We want someone who has fully integrated AI into how they design, code, test, debug, and deliver solutions — and who can work side-by-side with business partners to turn ideas into production-ready applications with speed and precision.
In this role, you’ll help shape requirements in real time, build scalable AI-enabled systems, and create seamless integrations across backend services, agent frameworks, data sources, and user-facing applications.
What You’ll Do
- Partner directly with business stakeholders to understand needs, refine ideas, and translate goals into working software solutions.
- Operate in a collaborative “2-in-a-box” model, co-owning outcomes from ideation through delivery.
- Build and integrate AI-powered applications using Python and frameworks such as FastAPI, Flask, or Django.
- Design and orchestrate intelligent workflows using LLMs, LangGraph, MCP, and multi-agent systems.
- Develop and optimize prompts, context strategies, session memory, retrieval pipelines, and vector-based search to improve agent performance.
- Use AI coding assistants and agentic development tools as a core part of your workflow for prototyping, refactoring, testing, documentation, and code review.
- Integrate backend services, APIs, databases, vector stores, third-party platforms, and machine learning systems into robust end-to-end solutions.
- Implement testing, monitoring, evaluation, logging, and CI/CD practices to improve reliability and system performance.
- Apply best practices in security, privacy, scalability, and operational resilience across AI and backend systems.
What You’ll Bring
- A strong ability to work directly with business partners and turn ambiguous ideas into clear, deliverable engineering solutions.
- Clear communication skills with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
- Deep, practical use of AI tools in software development, with examples of how they’ve meaningfully improved your speed, quality, and approach.
- Experience building AI agents, conversational systems, RAG pipelines, or multi-agent workflows in real-world environments.
- Strong problem-solving skills, technical curiosity, and a builder mindset.
- A passion for exploring emerging AI tools and applying them in ways that create real business value.
What You’ll Need
- Strong experience in fullstack Python development, including backend frameworks such as FastAPI, Flask, or Django.
- Experience designing and integrating REST APIs, backend services, and database solutions across SQL and/or NoSQL environments.
- Hands-on expertise with LLMs, prompt engineering, context engineering, session management, retrieval strategies, and vector search.
- Experience with LangGraph, MCP, or similar agent orchestration frameworks.
- Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure.
- Experience with Docker, CI/CD pipelines, testing frameworks, and production deployment practices.
- A strong foundation in secure, scalable, and maintainable software design.
If you’ve already embraced AI as a core part of how you build software — and you’re excited to partner closely with the business to deliver high-impact solutions quickly — we’d love to hear from you.
Our Principal Software Engineer, earns between $174,100.00 - $279,800.00 USD Annual. Not to mention all the other amazing rewards that working at AT&T offers. Individual starting salary within this range may depend on geography, experience, expertise, and education/training.
Joining our team comes with amazing perks and benefits:
- Medical/Dental/Vision coverage
- 401(k) plan
- Tuition reimbursement program
- Paid Time Off and Holidays (based on date of hire, at least 23 days of vacation each year and 9 company-designated holidays)
- Paid Parental Leave
- Paid Caregiver Leave
- Additional sick leave beyond what state and local law require may be available but is unprotected
- Adoption Reimbursement
- Disability Benefits (short term and long term)
- Life and Accidental Death Insurance
- Supplemental benefit programs: critical illness/accident hospital indemnity/group legal
- Employee Assistance Programs (EAP)
- Extensive employee wellness programs
- Employee discounts up to 50% off on eligible AT&T mobility plans and accessories,
- AT&T internet (and fiber where available) and AT&T phone.
#LI-Onsite – Full-time office role-
Ready to join our team? Apply today.
Weekly Hours:
40Time Type:
RegularLocation:
Palo Alto, California, USA:TX:Dallas / One AT&T Plaza (208 S Akard - Whitacre Tower) - Adm:208 S Akard StSalary Range:
$174,100.00 - $279,800.00It is the policy of AT&T to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, AT&T will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. AT&T is a fair chance employer and does not initiate a background check until an offer is made.
Job ID R-110600-1 Date posted 06/01/2026
Benefits
Your needs? Met. Your wants? Considered. Take a look at our comprehensive benefits.
- Paid Time Off
- Tuition Assistance
- Medical and dental plans
- Discounts
- Training & Development
Our hiring process
Apply Now
Confirm your qualifications align with the job requirements and submit your application.
Assessments
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Interview
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Conditional Job Offer
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Background Check
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