Principal Software Engineer - AIML, ITC

About the job

Who You’ll Work With At Nike, our mission is to leverage the power of advanced data and innovative technology to inspire and serve athletes* worldwide. You will be part of the Data & AI (DAI) team, a dynamic group at the heart of digital transformation. This team designs, builds, and maintains scalable, intelligent, and secure platforms that drive critical decision-making, personalized consumer experiences, and operational excellence throughout the global Nike ecosystem. Collaboration is key—expect to interact with talented engineers, data scientists, product managers, and global stakeholders who share a passion for excellence and innovation.

Who We Are Looking For We are searching for a visionary and accomplished Principal Software Engineer to join our Tech Center in India. You are not only an expert in software architecture and engineering, AIML framework, but also a strategic thinker who can see the long-term impact of technology decisions. Your experience allows you to guide teams through ambiguity, set clear technical standards, and shape the future of Nike’s data-driven platforms. You thrive in a fast-paced environment where cross-functional collaboration, creativity, and agility are essential. You have a demonstrated history of successfully leading engineering teams, delivering innovative solutions, and driving organizational change at scale.

- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Technology, Machine Learning or AI systems or a related field. Masters degree in Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning / Generative AI is highly desired

- 12+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership or principal engineer capacity.

- Extensive expertise in building, deploying, and scaling sophisticated AI platforms, distributed systems, and AI cloud-native architectures (Atleast one or more with AWS SageMaker, DataBricks, Azure ML, or GCP / Google Vertex AI).

- Advanced proficiency in one or more programming languages: Python, Java, Scala or Go

- Proven track record of deploying large-scale ML models into production environments.

- Experience with modern ML stacks (e.g., LLMs, PyTorch, TensorFlow, Spark, and cloud-native MLOps tools)

- Strong track record with modern DevOps methodologies, automation, CI/CD pipelines, and infrastructure as code (IaC).

- A strong familiarity and development experiences with agentic workflow and AI/LLM powered enterprise applications.

- Exceptional communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and inspire at all levels of the organization.

- Experience driving and managing complex, high-impact technology projects in a fast-paced, agile environment.

- Deep understanding of security and compliance best practices in large-scale enterprise environments.

- Demonstrated commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in engineering teams.

What You Will Work On

- Lead the architectural vision, technical design, and implementation of complex, large-scale data and AI platforms, ensuring they are robust, secure, and highly performant.

- Champion best practices in software development, Agentic AI systems, and ML cloud infrastructure, setting high standards for code quality, reliability, and maintainability across multiple engineering teams.

- Mentor and coach senior engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence, intellectual curiosity, and continuous growth. Provide thought leadership to enable teams to solve challenging engineering problems.

- Collaborate extensively with global product and business stakeholders to translate strategic goals into actionable technology roadmaps, align engineering efforts with business priorities, and deliver exceptional value to Nike’s customers and partners.

- Drive adoption of modern engineering methodologies, including automation, continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), MLOps/DevOps practices, test-driven development, and agile frameworks to accelerate innovation and delivery.

- Evaluate, recommend, and integrate emerging technologies, frameworks, and tools to strengthen Nike’s technology ecosystem and maintain our position as an industry leader.

- Oversee the end-to-end lifecycle of critical projects, from requirements gathering and solution design, to implementation, monitoring, and optimization.

- Ensure all platforms and services meet stringent security, privacy, and compliance standards, proactively identifying and mitigating risks.

- Represent the Tech Center in India as a senior technical ambassador, collaborating with global teams, sharing expertise, and contributing to Nike’s worldwide engineering community.