Principal AI Engineer

Help shape the future of energy through AI-driven insights!

At MISO, our Analytics and Forensics team is redefining how data powers the energy markets. We build and maintain advanced analytical assets that detect, investigate, and ultimately help prevent market risk events, strengthening reliability for 45 million people.  This is more than an AI role.  It’s an opportunity to shape the future of energy markets. Your work will directly impact how risks are detected, analyzed, and prevented, helping ensure a reliable and resilient power grid.

We’re looking for a Principal AI Engineer who is passionate about pushing boundaries with machine learning, generative AI, and large language models. In this role, you’ll design and scale cutting-edge AI solutions that unlock deeper insights into market behavior and drive innovation across the energy sector.  You won’t just build models, you’ll build mission-critical intelligence that powers one of the most important infrastructures in the world.

Your responsibilities as our Principal AI Engineer will include:

• Designing, building, and deploying AI-driven solutions, including ML models, generative AI applications, and intelligent agents.
• Developing and operationalizing LLM-powered solutions (RAG, prompt engineering, agent workflows) to extract insights from structured and unstructured data.
• Building scalable infrastructure and platforms to train and serve models at enterprise scale.
• Prototyping and delivering minimal viable products (MVP), proofs of concept, and production-ready AI solutions.
• Partnering with data scientists, engineers, and technology teams to integrate AI into real-time and batch pipelines.
• Evaluating and recommending emerging tools, frameworks, and APIs (e.g., OpenAI, Hugging Face, Vertex AI).
• Applying AI to anomaly detection and market behavior analysis across electrical markets
• Driving insights from unstructured sources.
• Contributing to innovation through experimentation with foundation models, vector databases, and optimization techniques.

Experience needed for our Principal AI Engineer include:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science, Data Analytics or related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• 3 years of real-world experience building AI.
• 10-12 years of experience in building machine learning solutions in a professional environment.
• Demonstrated experience across multiple disciplines such as:
  • Predictive modeling
  • Natural language processing
  • Data pipelines and automation
  • API development and integration
  • Data visualization and segmentation
  • Applied mathematical modeling
• Proven ability to take ideas from concept to scalable production solutions.
• Hands-on experience with generative AI and large language models (fine-tuning, RAG, prompt engineering, agent frameworks).

Some of the technical proficiencies needed for our Principal AI Engineer include:

• Apache Spark, Databricks, or Synapse
• Azure Data Factory & Azure Machine Learning Studio
• MLflow and model lifecycle management
• OpenAI and/or Hugging Face ecosystems
• SQL and database querying
• Docker and containerized deployments
• R and Python (required)

Appropriate level will be determined based upon experience and knowledge.

Transformative innovation is happening in the electric industry, from digitalizing homes and distributed resources to renewable energy and an ever-changing grid. MISO manages the electricity superhighway in the Central U.S. and through use of groundbreaking research and advanced technology, our highly skilled employees ensure power flows reliably to 45 million Americans. Operating the electricity grid, running a robust energy market, planning for a bright future – it’s what our immensely hardworking and dedicated team does every day.

The base salary compensation range being offered for this role is $168,000 - $193,000 USD annually.  Base salary range for this position is included in accordance with requirements of various state/local pay transparency legislation. Please note that salaries may vary for different individuals in the same role based on several factors, including but not limited to location of the role, individual competencies, education/professional certifications, and qualifications/experience. 

Position is also eligible for an annual bonus if individual performance and company objectives are met.  At MISO we offer a comprehensive benefits package, including 401k, vacation, sick and safe time, available on your first day of employment.

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Salary : $168,000 - $193,000