Principal AI Engineer

ABOUT EDGE

At EDGE bold ideas are engineered into technologies that protect, improve and save lives.

Headquartered in the United Arab Emirates, EDGE is a leading advanced technology group working at the forefront of defence and emerging technologies. Spanning more than 35 specialised companies and multiple centres of excellence, we are purpose-built to move fast. Free from heavy legacy processes, we give our people the autonomy, accountability, and agility to bring breakthrough technologies from concept to reality.

Based in Abu Dhabi, a globally connected hub at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, EDGE is home to a truly multicultural community where bold ideas thrive, and the future is shaped.

Together, we are shaping the future.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking a Principal AI Engineer to provide technical leadership in the design, development, integration, verification, and deployment of advanced AI and computer vision solutions for edge and mission-critical platforms.

The role will serve as a senior technical authority across AI/ML, computer vision, video analytics, embedded software, and system architecture, working closely with AI, embedded, systems, hardware, test, product, and programme teams.

The Principal AI Engineer will be responsible for taking complex AI systems from concept and architecture through development, integration, verification, certification, and field deployment. The role requires strong hands-on expertise in Python and C++, deep learning, computer vision, video analytics, and edge AI, combined with the ability to lead multi-disciplinary engineering teams without direct authority.

The successful candidate will operate at a high level of technical autonomy, make architecture and technology decisions under real-world constraints such as latency, power, memory, compute capacity, reliability, and certifiability, and establish engineering practices that support the development of robust, production-ready and safety-relevant AI systems.

RESPONSIBILITIES

- Define and develop software requirements based on system-level requirements and translate them into robust software architectures and designs.

- Lead the architecture, design, development, integration, verification, and deployment of AI and computer vision software.

- Design, develop, and maintain high-performance video analytics and AI software using Python and C++, particularly for edge and embedded platforms.

- Lead the development and implementation of object detection, tracking, recognition, classification, and other computer vision algorithms.

- Develop novel AI/ML algorithms and make principled architecture selections based on application requirements and constraints.

- Design scalable software architectures, system decomposition, interfaces, and integration strategies across multi-team engineering environments.

- Lead technical resolution of complex software, AI, computer vision, and embedded-system issues across PC and edge devices.

- Perform system-level profiling and optimization across CPU, GPU, memory bandwidth, I/O, and other system resources to resolve performance bottlenecks.

- Lead software integration activities and ensure effective integration across AI, embedded, hardware, systems, and test components.

- Define and enforce software development standards, coding practices, code review processes, testing methodologies, and quality gates.

- Lead technical teams and projects, providing mentorship and technical direction while influencing teams without direct authority.

- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to identify and solve complex problems using advanced AI, computer vision, and video analytics techniques.

- Develop communication protocols, software interfaces, and system integrations required for AI-enabled platforms.

- Plan and execute software verification activities including testing, analysis, inspections, and technical reviews.

- Ensure software development follows the V-model and applicable engineering, quality, safety, and configuration-management processes.

- Contribute to and lead major programme milestones and technical reviews, including SDR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and related design and readiness reviews.

- Support the complete product lifecycle from concept and architecture through production, certification, deployment, and field support.

- Ensure compliance with applicable company processes, quality-management requirements, statutory requirements, safety requirements, and engineering standards.

- Provide technical support during system testing, integration activities, and field deployments when required.

- Stay current with emerging AI/ML, computer vision, edge computing, and vide

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

- 12+ years of professional experience in software engineering, AI/ML engineering, computer vision, or a closely related field.

- At least 4+ years of experience in a Principal Engineer, Lead Engineer, Software Architect, Technical Lead, or equivalent technical leadership role.

- Strong hands-on programming experience in Python and C/C++.

- Strong understanding of data science, machine learning, deep learning, and computer vision.

- Extensive experience developing and deploying computer vision and video analytics solutions.

- Strong understanding of deep learning architectures, including CNNs, RNNs/LSTMs, Vision Transformers, GANs, diffusion models, and multimodal architectures.

- Strong understanding of the mathematical foundations, capabilities, limitations, failure modes, and application trade-offs of modern AI/ML architectures.

- Experience with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch and/or TensorFlow.

- Demonstrated ability to design and develop AI/ML algorithms and select appropriate architectures based on system requirements and constraints.

- Proven experience taking complex AI/software solutions from concept and architecture through development, integration, verification, and production or field deployment.

- Strong knowledge of software architecture, design patterns, software development methodologies, and testing strategies.

- Experience with system decomposition, interface definition, software integration, and lifecycle management of complex systems.

- Demonstrated ability to diagnose and resolve complex software and performance issues across embedded and/or PC-based platforms.

- Experience leading technical teams, projects, or major technical workstreams.

- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

- Demonstrated ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary engineering teams and communicate complex technical concepts clearly.

- Ability to work independently, manage changing priorities, and deliver under demanding programme schedules.

- Willingness to travel and provide field support during testing and deployment when required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Strong Linux systems engineering experience, including shell scripting, real-time Linux, determinism analysis, and latency characterization.

- Hands-on experience developing and deploying AI/ML applications on NVIDIA Jetson embedded platforms.

- Strong experience with ROS 2, including distributed node architecture, DDS configuration and tuning, and real-time middleware performance optimization.

- Strong understanding of communication protocols and interfaces, including MAVLink.

- Experience with embedded and real-time software development for edge computing platforms.

- Good understanding of avionics systems and subsystems.

- Experience working with military, aerospace, defense, or other mission-critical systems.

- Familiarity with aviation and military software development standards, including:

RTCA DO-178B

- ARP4754

- MIL-STD-498

- IEEE/EIA 12207

- Working knowledge of software development processes for safety-critical and certifiable systems.

- Experience working within a V-model development lifecycle and participating in formal engineering reviews such as SDR, PDR, CDR, and TRR.

- Experience optimizing AI workloads for constrained environments involving compute, GPU utilization, memory, power, latency, and real-time performance.

- Experience establishing software engineering standards, technical governance, code-review practices, and quality gates across engineering teams.

- Experience working across AI/ML, embedded software, systems engineering, hardware, verification, and programme management functions.

- Experience developing AI solutions for mission-critical, defense, aerospace, autonomous systems, or other safety-relevant applications.

WHY CHOOSE EDGE

Launched in November 2019, the UAE's EDGE is one of the world's leading advanced technology groups, established to develop agile, bold and disruptive solutions for defence and beyond, and to be a catalyst for change and transformation. It is dedicated to bringing breakthrough innovations, products, and services to market with greater speed and efficiency, to position the UAE as a leading global hub for future industries, and to creating clear paths within the sector for the next generation of highly skilled talent to thrive.

At EDGE, the real investment goes beyond compensation. Through our dedicated learning academy and digital learning platforms, employees have access to extensive opportunities to develop new skills, deepen their expertise, and advance their careers. Combined with the freedom to innovate, strong career support, and the opportunity to collaborate with world-class talent from across the globe, EDGE is a place where you can continue to grow, keep learning, and turn ambitious ideas into meaningful outcomes.

Working at EDGE also comes with a package that genuinely reflects how much we value our people. Salaries are highly competitive and tax-free and, depending on your role and seniority, benefits can include family visas, annual flight tickets, medical insurance for you and your dependents, and education allowances for your children.

CANDIDATE PRIVACY & EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

If you feel your skills, experience and potential are a strong match for a role, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet every requirement. We are genuinely interested in what you can bring to EDGE.

Any information you share as part of your EDGE candidate profile or job application will be handled in accordance with applicable data protection and privacy regulations.

EDGE is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and high-performing workforce. We believe every individual deserves to be treated with fairness, respect and dignity, and our employment decisions reflect that. We do not discriminate based on race, colour, nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, marital status, age, disability, pregnancy or parental status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

As a global organisation, effective collaboration across international teams is central to how we work, so English proficiency is required for all roles unless otherwise stated in the job posting.

Please note that EDGE does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruitment agencies. Any resumes in the absence of a formally executed agreement in place will be deemed the property of EDGE, and no placement fees or compensation will be payable in respect of such submissions.