Purpose
The Principal Developer - AI Center of Excellence (CoE) plays a critical role in shaping and advancing the organization's AI strategy. This position is responsible for managing and driving the enterprise-wide adoption of Artificial Intelligence, including generative AI agent development and predictive AI pipelines, in partnership with our data science teams. The Principal Developer will be accountable for setting best practices, governance, and delivery models to accelerate innovation while ensuring scalability, compliance, and measurable business impact. This role will require a visionary leader who can blend deep technical expertise with strategic insight to foster an AI-driven culture and drive the successful implementation of AI solutions within the organization.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; a Master’s degree is preferred.
- Minimum of 8+ years of leadership experience in Information Technology roles, including at least 3+ years in AI/ML or advanced analytics.
- Demonstrated experience in software architecture and the application of design patterns.
- Proven experience building or scaling AI/ML teams, Centers of Excellence, or innovation programs.
- Strong understanding of generative AI platforms, LLMs, embeddings, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), MCP, A2A, and UCP.
- Demonstrated experience with predictive AI pipelines, MLOps, and enterprise data platforms.
- Intermediate knowledge of vendor ecosystems, including Glean, Microsoft Copilot, Azure OpenAI, Databricks, and others.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Exceptional leadership and stakeholder management skills across technical and business domains.
- Strong program management skills with the ability to juggle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Deep knowledge of AI governance, ethics, and compliance practices.
- Strategic communication and change management skills
Essential Job Functions:
Strategic Vision & Development
- Define and evolve the technical vision and architecture for AI CoE initiatives in alignment with enterprise goals/priorities.
- Collaborate with business and technology leaders to identify, design, and implement high-impact AI solutions.
Technical Leadership & Mentorship
- Build and lead a team of AI engineers, Architects, and Analysts providing technical guidance and mentorship to foster professional growth and innovation.
- Encourage a culture of experimentation, knowledge sharing, and collaboration within the development team and broader organization.
Generative AI Enablement
- Oversee development of generative AI agents, either custom-built or implemented, using third-party tools (e.g., Glean or Gemini).
- Create reusable components, frameworks, and guardrails to accelerate generative AI adoption across business functions. In particular, focus on agent performance and accuracy as well as the leverage of emerging protocols such as MCP, A2A, and UCP.
- Partner with IT and security teams to ensure compliance with enterprise policies, data security, and privacy regulations.
Predictive AI & Data Science Collaboration
- Work closely with business-aligned data science teams to design and operationalize predictive AI/ML pipelines.
- Enable standardization of model development, deployment, and monitoring practices.
- Promote collaboration between data scientists and engineers to accelerate insights-to-action cycles.
Integration, Program, and Product Management
- Ensure seamless integration of AI capabilities with existing business systems and workflows.
- Define coding standards, architectural guidelines, and best practices for AI development.
- Monitor and evaluate advancements in AI technologies, translating them into actionable improvements for existing processes.
- Drive the adoption of best practices in software development, including coding standards, testing methodologies, and code review processes.
Governance & Standards
- Define standards, playbooks, and reference architecture for AI development and deployment.
- Monitor advancements in AI technology, regulations, and industry best practices; translate them into actionable roadmaps.
- Lead vendor evaluations and manage strategic partnerships in the AI ecosystem.
Performance Monitoring & Improvement
- Establish metrics for success and lead initiatives to monitor the performance of AI applications, ensuring they meet organizational objectives.
- Drive continuous improvement through performance analysis and feedback loops with stakeholders across the enterprise.
Working Conditions (travel, hours, environment)
- Limited travel required including air and car travel
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to a warehouse environment and moving vehicles. The noise level in the work environment is typically quiet to moderate.
Physical/Sensory Requirements
Sedentary Work – Ability to exert 10 - 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time.
Benefits & Rewards
- Bonus opportunities at every level
- Non-traditional retail hours (we close at 7p!)
- Career advancement opportunities
- Relocation opportunities across the country
- 401k with discretionary company match
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Referral Bonus Program
- 80 hrs. annualized paid vacation (full-time associates)
- 4 paid holidays per year (full-time hourly store associates only)
- 1 paid personal holiday of associate’s choice and Volunteer Time Off program
- Medical, Dental, Vision, Life and other Insurance Plans (subject to eligibility criteria)
Equal Employment Opportunity
Floor & Decor provides equal employment opportunities to all associates and applicants without regard to age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other category protected by law.
This policy applies to all areas of employment, including recruitment, testing, screening, hiring, selection for training, upgrading, transfer, demotion, layoff, discipline, termination, compensation, benefits and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment. This policy and the law prohibit employment discrimination against any associate or applicant on the basis of any legally protected status outlined above.
5-10 years96
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Job Description
Download ResumePurpose
The Principal Developer - AI Center of Excellence (CoE) plays a critical role in shaping and advancing the organization's AI strategy. This position is responsible for managing and driving the enterprise-wide adoption of Artificial Intelligence, including generative AI agent development and predictive AI pipelines, in partnership with our data science teams. The Principal Developer will be accountable for setting best practices, governance, and delivery models to accelerate innovation while ensuring scalability, compliance, and measurable business impact. This role will require a visionary leader who can blend deep technical expertise with strategic insight to foster an AI-driven culture and drive the successful implementation of AI solutions within the organization.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field; a Master’s degree is preferred.
- Minimum of 8+ years of leadership experience in Information Technology roles, including at least 3+ years in AI/ML or advanced analytics.
- Demonstrated experience in software architecture and the application of design patterns.
- Proven experience building or scaling AI/ML teams, Centers of Excellence, or innovation programs.
- Strong understanding of generative AI platforms, LLMs, embeddings, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), MCP, A2A, and UCP.
- Demonstrated experience with predictive AI pipelines, MLOps, and enterprise data platforms.
- Intermediate knowledge of vendor ecosystems, including Glean, Microsoft Copilot, Azure OpenAI, Databricks, and others.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Exceptional leadership and stakeholder management skills across technical and business domains.
- Strong program management skills with the ability to juggle multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Deep knowledge of AI governance, ethics, and compliance practices.
- Strategic communication and change management skills
Essential Job Functions:
Strategic Vision & Development
- Define and evolve the technical vision and architecture for AI CoE initiatives in alignment with enterprise goals/priorities.
- Collaborate with business and technology leaders to identify, design, and implement high-impact AI solutions.
Technical Leadership & Mentorship
- Build and lead a team of AI engineers, Architects, and Analysts providing technical guidance and mentorship to foster professional growth and innovation.
- Encourage a culture of experimentation, knowledge sharing, and collaboration within the development team and broader organization.
Generative AI Enablement
- Oversee development of generative AI agents, either custom-built or implemented, using third-party tools (e.g., Glean or Gemini).
- Create reusable components, frameworks, and guardrails to accelerate generative AI adoption across business functions. In particular, focus on agent performance and accuracy as well as the leverage of emerging protocols such as MCP, A2A, and UCP.
- Partner with IT and security teams to ensure compliance with enterprise policies, data security, and privacy regulations.
Predictive AI & Data Science Collaboration
- Work closely with business-aligned data science teams to design and operationalize predictive AI/ML pipelines.
- Enable standardization of model development, deployment, and monitoring practices.
- Promote collaboration between data scientists and engineers to accelerate insights-to-action cycles.
Integration, Program, and Product Management
- Ensure seamless integration of AI capabilities with existing business systems and workflows.
- Define coding standards, architectural guidelines, and best practices for AI development.
- Monitor and evaluate advancements in AI technologies, translating them into actionable improvements for existing processes.
- Drive the adoption of best practices in software development, including coding standards, testing methodologies, and code review processes.
Governance & Standards
- Define standards, playbooks, and reference architecture for AI development and deployment.
- Monitor advancements in AI technology, regulations, and industry best practices; translate them into actionable roadmaps.
- Lead vendor evaluations and manage strategic partnerships in the AI ecosystem.
Performance Monitoring & Improvement
- Establish metrics for success and lead initiatives to monitor the performance of AI applications, ensuring they meet organizational objectives.
- Drive continuous improvement through performance analysis and feedback loops with stakeholders across the enterprise.
Working Conditions (travel, hours, environment)
- Limited travel required including air and car travel
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to a warehouse environment and moving vehicles. The noise level in the work environment is typically quiet to moderate.
Physical/Sensory Requirements
Sedentary Work – Ability to exert 10 - 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time.
Benefits & Rewards
- Bonus opportunities at every level
- Non-traditional retail hours (we close at 7p!)
- Career advancement opportunities
- Relocation opportunities across the country
- 401k with discretionary company match
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan
- Referral Bonus Program
- 80 hrs. annualized paid vacation (full-time associates)
- 4 paid holidays per year (full-time hourly store associates only)
- 1 paid personal holiday of associate’s choice and Volunteer Time Off program
- Medical, Dental, Vision, Life and other Insurance Plans (subject to eligibility criteria)
Equal Employment Opportunity
Floor & Decor provides equal employment opportunities to all associates and applicants without regard to age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other category protected by law.
This policy applies to all areas of employment, including recruitment, testing, screening, hiring, selection for training, upgrading, transfer, demotion, layoff, discipline, termination, compensation, benefits and all other privileges, terms and conditions of employment. This policy and the law prohibit employment discrimination against any associate or applicant on the basis of any legally protected status outlined above.