AI Forward Deployed Engineer Principal

• Scope: The Senior Principal AI Forward Deployed Engineer operates as a technical leader across multiple business units—including Strategy & Analytics, Finance, Guest Services, Revenue Management, Operations, Marketing, and beyond—embedding directly with teams to architect and deploy enterprise-grade AI solutions in both shoreside and shipboard environments. This role commands the full technology stack, from backend application development (Python, Node.js, APIs, microservices) to infrastructure (Docker, Kubernetes, Kafka) and advanced AI/ML integration including LLMs and agentic systems. The incumbent serves as the primary technical authority during AI deployments, working cross-functionally with data scientists, data engineers, platform teams, infrastructure teams, security, privacy, and product managers. Engagements typically involve weeks to months of focused, high-stakes collaboration with business units to deliver production-ready AI solutions that drive measurable outcomes.
• Impact: The Senior Principal AI Forward Deployed Engineer plays a pivotal role in transforming AI prototypes into scalable, production-grade solutions that deliver quantifiable business value. By embedding directly with business units and taking full ownership of end-to-end delivery, this position significantly accelerates the organization's ability to realize returns on AI investments. The impact extends to driving operational efficiency gains, elevating guest experiences, and enabling data-driven decision-making through robust, deployed AI applications. This role serves as the critical bridge between technical capabilities and real-world business needs, ensuring AI initiatives advance beyond proof-of-concept to deliver innovation, competitive advantage, and tangible outcomes—including revenue growth, cost reduction, improved satisfaction scores, and new capabilities that were previously unattainable. The incumbent's contributions multiply across the organization as reusable patterns, best practices, and platform improvements benefit future deployments.
• Problem Solving: This role demands expert-level analytical and technical skills to address the most complex, ambiguous challenges in AI deployment and application development. The Senior Principal AI Forward Deployed Engineer must deconstruct vague business problems into actionable technical solutions by deeply understanding operational context, system constraints, data availability, and stakeholder priorities. Problem-solving involves conducting root cause analysis, architecting scalable and maintainable solutions, resolving critical production issues under pressure, and iterating approaches based on real-world feedback. The ability to navigate high-stakes trade-offs—speed vs. scalability, custom vs. reusable, perfect vs. good enough—is essential. The incumbent must also solve for complex real-world constraints including legacy system integration, shipboard connectivity limitations, distributed/offline environments, security requirements, and aggressive timelines while delivering solutions that meet rigorous technical standards and business objectives. This role serves as the escalation point for the most challenging technical blockers across AI deployments.
• Leadership: While this position does not have direct reports, it demonstrates senior-level leadership through technical ownership, strategic influence, and cross-functional impact. The Senior Principal AI Forward Deployed Engineer leads by owning end-to-end delivery of AI solutions, making critical architecture decisions, setting quality standards, and serving as a technical role model during engagements. By partnering with data scientists, engineers, and business stakeholders, the role builds alignment, removes blockers, and drives projects forward without formal authority. Leadership is further demonstrated through mentoring junior and mid-level engineers, establishing best practices and reusable patterns that scale across the organization, advocating for platform and tooling improvements based on field insights, and communicating effectively with executives on solution progress, technical trade-offs, and strategic recommendations. The incumbent champions responsible AI deployment influences the organization's AI roadmap through field-driven insights, and guides business units toward leveraging AI technologies effectively, ethically, and strategically.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science or related field
• Master's degree preferred but not required

Certifications (required at least 1):

• AWS certifications (Solutions Architect, Developer Associate, Machine Learning Specialty)
• Kubernetes certifications (CKA, CKAD)
• Relevant AI/ML or cloud certifications

• 6-8+ years of software engineering experience with a focus on backend/full-stack development
• 4+ years deploying AI/ML solutions in production environments
• Led/architected 3+ production AI systems
• Strong hands-on experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud-native architectures
• Experience building and operating event-driven or streaming data systems (Kafka, Kinesis)
• Track record of delivering technical solutions in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
• Track record leading technical engagements with senior/executive stakeholders.
• Mentored junior engineers; led cross-functional delivery teams.

• Experience in a Forward Deployed Engineer, Solutions Engineer, or Technical Consultant role
• Experience building generative AI applications, LLM integrations, or agentic AI solutions
• Background in travel, hospitality, or cruise industry
• Experience with shipboard or distributed/disconnected computing environments
• Contributions to platform engineering, developer tooling, or infrastructure automation

Travel: No or very little travel likely

Work Conditions: Work primarily in a climate-controlled environment with minimal safety/health hazard potential.

Physical Demands: Must be able to remain in a stationary position at a desk and/or computer for extended periods of time.

This position is classified as “in-office.” As an in-office role, it requires employees to work from a designated Princess office Monday through Thursday each week.

Employees may work from their homes on Fridays.

Candidates must be located in (or willing to relocate to) the area.

Princess provides comprehensive and innovative benefits to meet your needs, including:

• Cruise and Travel Privileges for You and Your Family
• Health Benefits
• 401(k)

Our highest responsibility and top priority is compliance, environmental protection and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the people in the communities we touch and serve, and our shipboard and shoreside employees.

Please visit our site to learn more about our Culture Essentials, Corporate Vision Statement and our Core Values at: princess.com/en-us/company-information

Princess is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.

Princess will provide reasonable accommodations with the application process, upon your request, as required to comply with applicable laws.

If you have a disability and require assistance in this application process, please contact careers@carnival.com .

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