Principal AI Software Engineer

Athene is transforming how software is built by creating an AI-native engineering platform where developers and intelligent agents collaborate across the software development lifecycle. This initiative focuses on embedding AI directly into development workflows to improve speed, quality, and reliability at enterprise scale., Athene is focused on building long-term value through innovative technology and disciplined execution. The Future Engineer Initiative represents a strategic investment in redefining how software is developed and delivered through AI-native systems, with a hands-on platform engineering focus on integrating Claude Code CLI, AWS Bedrock, agent orchestration frameworks, and MCP-driven workflows directly into software delivery systems.

Accountabilities:

Define AI-Native SDLC Architecture

• Partner with senior engineers and architects to define the architecture of an AI-native software development lifecycle

• Establish patterns for integrating AI agents into design, development, testing, and deployment workflows

• Evaluate emerging technologies and frameworks for agent orchestration and AI-assisted development

Design and Build AI Platform Capabilities

• Architect and implement platform components that integrate AI systems into existing developer tooling and pipelines, + Build and orchestrate multi-agent systems using frameworks such as LangGraph, AutoGen, AgentCore, or similar

Define RAG and Context Management Strategies

• Design and implement retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems, including:

• Document ingestion and indexing

• Vector store design

• Context retrieval and ranking strategies

• Establish evaluation frameworks to measure relevance, accuracy, and performance of AI systems

Ensure Production Readiness of AI Systems

• Implement observability for AI-driven systems, including monitoring of performance, cost, and accuracy

• Design safeguards for security, compliance, and auditability in regulated environments

• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) with 6+ years building backend, platform, or infrastructure systems; strong proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript, and deep experience with modern SDLC practices (Git-based workflows, CI/CD)

• Experience designing and operating cloud-native systems (AWS preferred), including containerized and orchestrated environments (Docker, Kubernetes)

AI & Platform Experience

• Hands-on experience building applications with LLMs, including agent orchestration frameworks (LangChain, LangGraph, AutoGen, LlamaIndex, or similar), RAG pipelines, and AI-powered workflows

• Familiarity with enterprise AI platforms such as AWS Bedrock or equivalent

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience embedding AI capabilities into developer platforms or CI/CD pipelines, including designing or operating multi-agent systems in production

• Familiarity with emerging standards (e.g., Model Context Protocol) and experience working in regulated environments requiring secure, auditable systems

• Proven ability to influence technical direction and mentor engineers, Drive. Discipline. Confidence. Focus. Commitment. Learn more about working at Athene (https://www.athene.com/careers) .

Athene (West Des Moines, IA) We are driven to do more. More for our customers and the financial professionals who offer our products. If you are driven to do more and love the challenge of pursuing more, Athene is your kind of company. You will find we offer more than the basics to create an inclusive and dynamic work environment at our various locations., Athene is a Military Friendly Employer! Learn more about how we support our Veterans (https://www.athene.com/our-veterans) . Athene is committed to inclusion and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other status protected by federal, state or local law.