Principal AI Engineer

Svitla Systems Inc. is looking for a Principal AI Engineer for a full-time position (40 hours per week) on a short-term basis in Romania. Our client is a venture-backed Physical AI company building a proprietary foundation model that fuses data from multiple sensors to understand and reason about real-world environments in real time. Its platform lets enterprises in manufacturing, energy, semiconductors, and other industries deploy ready-made AI agents in the cloud or at the edge for asset reliability, process optimization, and task verification. Developers can build and adapt these agents using natural language, APIs, or a no-code toolkit.

A Principal-level engineer will lead their development team’s move to AI-assisted development. You will own the transition from first assessment to independent operation, teaching the team to work effectively with AI coding tools and agents while contributing code yourself. The role is not tied to a specific programming language: what matters is your experience with AI coding tools and your ability to enable a team.

Time zone: CET (Central European Time).

Requirements

• Senior- or principal-level software engineering experience, with a relevant degree or equivalent practical experience.
• Deep, practical experience with AI-assisted development and AI coding agents in production teams.
• Strong understanding of large language models (LLMs) and how to apply them across the software development lifecycle.
• Proven track record of training, mentoring, or leading engineering teams through new practices.
• Ability to define team processes, not only individual workflows.
• Self-directed: works with light oversight once goals are set and reports progress proactively.
• Fluent in English and clear written communication.
• Based in Europe and available full-time (40 hours per week) for the whole engagement.

Will be a plus

• Background as a lead AI engineer, for example, on LLM-related work at a major AI or hardware company.
• Experience managing or leading multiple projects at once.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and AI-assisted test generation (e.g., Playwright tests).

Responsibilities

• Assess the team’s current development workflow and identify where AI tools and coding agents add the most value.
• Design and roll out the processes the team needs to work with AI effectively: how work is planned, delegated to agents, reviewed, and merged.
• Train developers hands-on through pairing, workshops, and day-to-day guidance on real project work.
• Define team practices and guardrails for AI-assisted coding, including code review standards, quality checks, and when not to rely on AI.
• Select, configure, and integrate AI development tooling suited to the client’s stack.
• Work as a hands-on engineer, contributing code and leading by example.
• Coordinate with the QA engineer so AI coding agents are also used to build out the test suite.
• Document processes and playbooks so practices outlast the engagement.
• Send a weekly update to the client on progress, completed work, and next steps.