Principal AI/ML Engineer

DeepLight AI is a specialist AI and data consultancy dedicated to transforming the regional corporate landscape through bespoke, high-impact intelligent systems. We combine deep quantitative expertise, cutting-edge cloud architecture, and modern MLOps to engineer secure, scalable, and resilient platforms designed to power enterprise AI at scale. With deep roots across the financial services and banking sectors in the UAE, we help major institutions bridge the gap between experimental models and production-grade AI platforms. We don't build temporary fixes or isolated prototypes—we engineer bulletproof, banking-grade AI solutions for high-stakes enterprise transformations. The Opportunity We are seeking an exceptional Principal AI / ML Engineer to serve as a technical authority, team mentor, and trusted client principal across our high-impact enterprise engagements in the UAE. This is a high-visibility leadership role at the intersection of quantitative science, deep learning architectures, modern MLOps, and strategic consulting. You will lead cross-functional squads of AI Engineers, Data Scientists, and Data Engineers—translating complex executive visions into elegant, production-ready machine learning and Generative AI systems while navigating client organizations with high emotional intelligence (EQ), empathy, and poise. What You’ll Do... Architect, build, and deploy enterprise-grade machine learning models, deep learning pipelines, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems, and LLM agent frameworks on modern cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure). Act as the primary technical advisor to client C-suite, Chief AI Officers, and Engineering Leads. Translate complex business challenges into clear technical execution blueprints, evaluation harnesses, and delivery roadmaps. Direct and nurture a team of AI engineers and quantitative specialists. Build a culture of psychological safety, continuous learning, and technical excellence through hands-on coaching and active listening. Use high EQ to de-escalate project friction, align disparate business and IT agendas, and defend technical choices, explainability models, and AI ethics before architecture review boards (ARBs) and risk committees. Design zero-trust AI security frameworks, prompt injection defences, PII masking protocols, and automated CI/CD pipelines compliant with regional Central Bank regulatory frameworks and data sovereignty laws. As an AI consultancy, our greatest asset is the expertise of our people. While technical mastery is the foundation of what we do, the ability to bridge the gap between complex data science and actionable business value is what defines your success with Deeplight. We're looking for individuals who are not only world-class in their fields of specialism, but also compelling communicators and persuasive advocates for their own skills. You will be the face of our firm, tasked with building trust, articulating the "why" behind your technical decisions, and effectively "selling" your vision to high-level stakeholders. If you thrive on the challenge of presenting cutting-edge solutions as much as you do on building them, you will fit right in. Requirements What We’re Looking For... A Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, Theoretical Physics, Physics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field. 8+ years in software engineering, machine learning, and AI platform development, with substantial experience leading teams inside top-tier technology or management consultancies. Demonstrated ability to build authentic client trust, read organizational dynamics, resolve technical friction constructively, and lead teams with empathy and clarity. Deep technical command of modern AI frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face, LangChain/LlamaIndex), vector databases, container orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes), and cloud MLOps (AWS SageMaker, Azure OpenAI). Proven track record of taking complex AI/ML systems out of experimental notebooks and into secure, high-concurrency production cloud environments. While we welcome expertise across complex enterprise industries, a background in financial services, banking, or capital markets is highly advantageous. What Gives You an Edge... Practical experience with parameter-efficient fine-tuning (LoRA, QLoRA), quantization, and serving open-weight LLMs (vLLM, Ollama, TGI). Hands-on experience designing concurrent multi-cloud AI architectures across AWS and Azure in regulated environments. Experience navigating enterprise procurement, client dynamics, and local regulatory frameworks across the UAE or broader GCC region. Benefits The benefits you'll enjoy as part of this role include: Competitive salary Comprehensive 'Gold Level' personal health insurance Individual Visa Sponsorship Professional development and certification support Subscription reimbursement relating to your role Opportunity to work on cutting-edge AI projects Monthly Employee Incentive program Career advancement opportunities in a rapidly growing AI company This position offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of AI implementation while working with a talented team of professionals at the forefront of technological innovation. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in driving our company's success in delivering transformative AI solutions to our clients. At DeepLight AI, we recognise that diversity drives innovation. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where individuals with different thinking styles can thrive and contribute their unique strengths to our specialised AI and data solutions. Our goal is to ensure our application and interview process is accessible, predictable, and fair for all candidates. If you require any specific adjustments to the application process, or if you require any reasonable adjustments should you be successful in being processed to the interview stage, please do let us know. This information will be kept strictly confidential and will not impact hiring decisions.