Senior Principal AI Platform Engineer, Data & AI Platform

Job Description

We are seeking a unique individual with a passion for data and AI technology who can help our team drive forward enterprise-scale AI adoption of our data & AI platform. Vertex Pharmaceuticals is in a transformational period where we are accelerating our capabilities, technologies, and data to augment our scientific mission, enable Vertex to grow in scale, and continue to be on the forefront of science, medicine, and technology. As part of this effort, it is critical that users have data “at their fingertips”, with the patterns and technology to support AI adoption at scale. 

As a Senior Principal AI Engineer in the Data Platforms team, you will unlock and accelerate AI by designing the reusable components, starter kits, and opinionated developer first patterns for our Data Platform. This person will be a key contributing member of the Data Platform, driving forward the deployment and management of Vertex’s enterprise platform for data & AI. This role operates at the platform level, shaping how teams build AI on the platform by turning best practices into predictable and repeatable patterns embedding governance into code, and reducing time to value for new use cases. You will work horizontally across platform engineering, governance, and product teams to act as a technical multiplier, enabling dozens of teams across Vertex to ship safely, consistently, and securely. To support enablement, you will advise and influence high-impact initiatives across the organization and lead a scaled enablement program to deliver AI on the Vertex Data Platform. 

Key Duties & Responsibilities: 

• Platform Management – Design, support, and continuously enhance Vertex’s enterprise data and AI platform to enable scalable and efficient AI adoption across the organization. 

• Design and Build – Design, build, and maintain production-grade AI starter kits to streamline the development and deployment of AI solutions. 

• Reference Implementations – Deliver end-to-end reference implementations for AI workloads, providing teams with clear examples and best practices for leveraging the platform. 

• Delivery Management – Partner with platform engineering, governance, and product teams to deliver data solutions that accelerate AI development and adoption, reducing time-to-value for new use cases. 

• Solution Packaging – Package solutions as templated, internal tooling, and opinionated defaults that align with enterprise standards, ensuring consistency and ease of use across teams. 

• Team Enablement – Act as a technical multiplier by providing reusable architecture patterns, starter kits, and developer-first abstractions to empower teams across Vertex to build and deploy AI solutions effectively. 

• Technology Champion – Advocate for innovative, cloud-first approaches to data and AI platform development, driving forward Vertex’s technological capabilities to support future growth. 

• Innovation Champion – Identify and implement process enhancements and opportunities to improve Vertex’s data and AI platform, ensuring alignment with best practices and industry standards. 

• Enablement Champion – Lead scalable enablement programs across the Vertex Data Platform to drive consistency, quality, and reuse of AI platform patterns. 

Knowledge and Skills:

• Technical Expertise – Hands-on experience with AI technologies, particularly GenAI, LLM, Agentic AI, Dev/DataOps, or MLOps, and a solid understanding of enterprise software development tools and methodologies. Experience with Snowflake or Databricks is required. 

• Workflow Tools – Working knowledge of key workflow tools, including JIRA and Confluence, to support project management and collaboration. 

• Product and Solution Management – Experience managing the creation and grooming of epics and themes for product and Solution roadmaps. 

• Project Management – Demonstrated ability to work independently and manage multiple projects requiring collaboration across functional areas. 

• Team Collaboration – Skillful and collaborative team player with the ability to develop rapport and credibility with stakeholders. 

• Mentorship and Support – Proven ability and willingness to teach, engage, and support others as they learn new technologies and concepts. 

• Adaptability and Problem-Solving – Enthusiasm for and ability to quickly learn new technologies and tackle complex challenges. 

• Communication Skills – Strong presentation, verbal, and written communication skills to effectively convey technical concepts to diverse audiences. 

Education and Experience:

• Successful track record with 10+ years of experience working with data, advanced analytics, and 5+ years of developing cloud-based data products. 

• Strong experience working with AI/ML and GenAI products

• 5+ years of experience delivering projects in agile environments, with a strong understanding of agile methodologies and practices. 

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Software Engineering, or related field, or relevant years of experience

Pay Range:

$188,000 - $282,000

Disclosure Statement:

Company Information

Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation.

Vertex is committed to equal employment opportunity and non-discrimination for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to a person's race, color, sex, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, marital status, or any characteristic protected under applicable law. Vertex is an E-Verify Employer in the United States. Vertex will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities, in accordance with applicable law.

Any applicant requiring an accommodation in connection with the hiring process and/or to perform the essential functions of the position for which the applicant has applied should make a request to the recruiter or hiring manager, or contact Talent Acquisition at ApplicationAssistance@vrtx.com