PepsiCo

Senior AI Engineer, Architect

PepsiCo$130K — $180K *
Plano, TX 75025In-Person
Enterprise Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's in Computer Science, AI, ML, or Data Science required; Master's preferred.
  • Minimum of 10 years of experience in Machine Learning, Data Science, or AI.
  • Proven track record in designing and operating enterprise platforms with strict reliability and governance.
  • Expertise in systems/platform architecture with a focus on multi-tenant environments.
  • Strong understanding of orchestration systems for long-running workflows and compensation mechanisms.
  • In-depth knowledge of identity and security architecture including RBAC/ABAC systems.
  • Experience in governance engineering related to audit logging and policy routing.

Responsibilities

  • Define reference architecture and design standards for AI agent workflows.
  • Manage release sequencing and deprecation strategies ensuring minimal disruption.
  • Establish secure identity patterns and enforce policy models across workflows.
  • Ensure auditability for agent actions and compliance evidence requirements.
  • Drive implementation of human-agent collaboration and long-running orchestration patterns.
  • Define CI/CD promotion gates and standards for safe migrations.
  • Own operational excellence metrics and deliver developer enablement training.

Benefits

  • Professional development opportunities and mentorship.
  • Access to cutting-edge AI technologies and resources.
  • Collaborative work environment with cross-functional teams.
  • Flexibility in work arrangements with a focus on work-life balance.
  • Participation in governance and strategy forums to influence technical direction.
Full Job Description
Overview

We are seeking a Senior AI Engineer to define and drive the end-to-end engineering of an enterprise-grade agentic orchestration capability that enables smart AI agents to autonomously execute workflows, collaborate with humans, and operate securely with governed access. This role owns the technical direction and delivery of core capabilities spanning agent workflow development environments, automated CI/CD and safe migration patterns, human-agent collaboration and long-running orchestration, and agent identity/registry/marketplace with policy enforcement. You will serve as the technical authority-establishing standards for reliability, auditability, security, and performance; driving cross-team execution; and ensuring adoption at scale through enablement and strong operational practices.

Responsibilities

1) Technical Direction, Architecture Standards & Roadmap Ownership (30%)
  • Define reference architecture, design standards, and engineering guardrails for agent workflow orchestration, human collaboration, and identity/governance capabilities. (Decide/Consult)
  • Own sequencing of releases, deprecation strategy, and compatibility standards to enable safe evolution with minimal disruption. (Decide)

2) Secure-by-Design Identity, Policy Enforcement & Auditability (25%)
  • Establish and enforce non-human identity patterns, consent propagation mechanisms, RBAC/ABAC policy models, and least-privilege access across agent workflows. (Decide/Consult)
  • Ensure end-to-end auditability for agent actions, prompt/tool changes, model switches, handoffs/messages, approvals, and access decisions; define evidence requirements for compliance. (Decide/Consult)
  • Define and enforce data classification, PII redaction, retention/purge, and policy-based routing to compliant models/providers. (Decide/Consult)

3) Deterministic Human-Agent Collaboration & Long-Running Orchestration (20%)
  • Define and drive implementation of deterministic handoff patterns (assign/escalate/co-pilot/co-author), resilient messaging, and stateful long-running workflows with timers and compensation/rollback. (Decide/Consult)
  • Ensure seamless integration into enterprise systems (CRM/ITSM/custom apps) via gateways and standardized interfaces. (Consult/Decide)

4) Automated Delivery, CI/CD Gates & Safe Migration Patterns (15%)
  • Define promotion gates and automated CI/CD standards including versioning, testing, security scans, approvals, and drift detection. (Decide/Consult)
  • Drive safe migration practices between model providers/versions with minimal downtime and proven rollback; define operational playbooks. (Decide/Consult)

5) Operational Excellence, Reliability & Enablement (10%)
  • Own SLIs/SLOs and operational posture: observability standards (metrics/logs/traces), incident and credential compromise runbooks, and release readiness reviews. (Decide/Consult)
  • Deliver enablement: reference implementations, developer playbooks, training for platform ops and application teams; mentor senior and junior engineers. (Consult/Execute)

Decision-Making Autonomy: High - accountable for architecture standards, cross-team technical tradeoffs, governance posture, and operational readiness decisions.
Supervision Required: Low - operates with periodic alignment to senior leadership and governance forums.
Complexity of Role: Very high - enterprise-grade orchestration with strict security/audit requirements, multi-tenant isolation, deterministic workflow needs, and latency SLOs across multiple integrated systems.
Cross-Functional Interactions: Yes - leadership-level engagement across security/identity, DevX, SRE, enterprise applications, and business/product stakeholders.

Qualifications

Key Skills/Experience Required Minimum Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications
  • Bachelor's in CS/AI/ML/Data Science or equivalent experience required.
  • Master's preferred
  • 10 year experience in ML, Data Science, AI required.
  • Extensive experience designing and operating enterprise platforms/services with production reliability and governance requirements.

Required Expertise
  • Systems/platform architecture: multi-tenant isolation, scalability, versioning, backward compatibility, release sequencing
  • Orchestration and workflow systems: Temporal-class systems (or equivalent) including long-running workflows, compensation, state persistence
  • Identity and security architecture: SSO (SAML/OIDC), non-human identity, RBAC/ABAC, consent propagation, secrets/keys rotation, least-privilege design
  • Governance and compliance engineering: audit logging models, approval workflows, policy routing, PII redaction, retention/purge controls
  • Observability/SRE partnership: SLO definition, OTel-based telemetry, incident management, reliability engineering
  • Developer enablement: SDK design, reference implementations, platform adoption strategy, mentoring and technical leadership

Differentiating Competencies
  • Strategic thinking: shapes direction and standards; anticipates second-order impacts of platform decisions
  • Proactiveness & initiative: identifies systemic risks early (security, reliability, adoption) and drives resolution
  • Discretion: handles sensitive security/identity, compliance, and access-control topics appropriately
  • Financial acumen: frames tradeoffs across build vs buy, provider choices, operational cost and risk
  • Executive communication: crisp narratives for governance forums; evidence-based recommendations and decisions
  • Organizational leadership: aligns multiple teams, mentors senior engineers, drives adoption and accountability

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo Careers

Joining PepsiCo's global team offers more than just a chance to excel in your career; it's an opportunity to be part of a dynamic and diverse environment where innovation thrives. Work You’ll Do At PepsiCo, we are committed to producing great leaders and fostering a culture of innovation. Our team is dedicated to empowering professionals to master their career paths with PepsiCo. As a leader in the food and beverage industry, we offer unique job opportunities that intersect with cutting-edge technology and market leadership. Lead with Unique Opportunities PepsiCo stands at the forefront of the industry, not only in terms of product quality but also in our approach to leadership and professional growth. We offer a variety of employment paths, including full-time positions, internships, and leadership training programs that are designed to foster diversity and accelerate career development. Work with a Global Team Collaborate with over 260,000 employees worldwide who are united in delivering joy not only to our consumers but also in driving innovation and growth within the company. PepsiCo’s commitment to global diversity and inclusive culture makes it a prime environment for professional development and networking. Introducing PepsiCo’s Professional Growth and Development Programs We are committed to nurturing talent through comprehensive training programs and robust benefits that support both personal and professional growth. Our programs are tailored to help employees at every level of their career to advance and succeed. Innovate and Lead Join the largest team of food and beverage industry experts—dedicated professionals at the intersection of consumer needs, innovative technology, and sustainable practices. Deliver targeted solutions and drive industry leadership through a depth and breadth of knowledge and innovation that’s second to none. Be Part of a Great Team Engage in meaningful work that impacts millions of lives worldwide. At PepsiCo, you’ll harness the power of our global resources and the creativity of our people to improve the way the world accesses the foods and beverages it loves. Future-Proof Your Career With PepsiCo, the sky is the limit when it comes to where your ambition can take you. We offer unmatched opportunities for career advancement along with the training, internship programs, and certification support needed to thrive in your professional journey. Explore Discover how PepsiCo is leading the way in digital innovation and sustainable practices while maintaining a steadfast focus on diversity and employee well-being. Stay Connected Join Our Team Search for open positions that match your skills and interests. We look for passionate, curious, creative, and solution-driven team players ready to take their career to the next level. SEARCH PEPSICO JOBS Keep Up to Date Stay ahead with career tips, insider perspectives, and industry-leading insights you can put to use today—all from the people who work here. READ CAREERS BLOG Job Alert Emails Customize your subscription to receive job alerts, latest news, and insider tips tailored to your preferences. Discover the exciting and rewarding career opportunities that await at PepsiCo.
Learn more about PepsiCo
Size
309,000 employees
Market Cap
$250.5 billion
Industry
Net Income
$7.1 billion
Founded
1965
5 Year Trend
+4.8%
Revenue
$70.3 billion
NASDAQ

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