Principal / Lead AI Engineer — App Development & Networking

Full Job Description

SMS Group is looking for a Principal/Lead AI Engineer to own the architecture and delivery of our AI-powered applications, built on a strong networking backbone. This role blends applied AI, mobile/web app development, and networking — covering real-time APIs, IoT connectivity, and cloud infrastructure. You'll set the technical direction, lead a team of engineers, and ensure our AI systems are fast, reliable, and scalable.

Responsibilities

- Architect and lead development of AI-powered mobile and web applications, from model integration through production deployment

- Design real-time communication systems (WebSockets, WebRTC, gRPC, MQTT) that power live AI features

- Lead integration of IoT devices and edge hardware into the app ecosystem

- Design and scale cloud/backend infrastructure (AWS/Azure/GCP, Kubernetes) to support AI workloads

- Set technical strategy and roadmap across AI, app development, and networking

- Mentor engineers and set standards for code quality and architecture

- Partner with product, data science, and design teams on cross-functional initiatives

- Own performance, security, and reliability of networked AI systems

Qualifications

Required:

- 8+ years of software engineering experience with a focus on AI/ML and app development

- 2+ years in a technical leadership role (Principal, Staff, or Lead Engineer)

- Experience building mobile and/or web apps (iOS, Android, React Native, or Flutter)

- Strong networking background: TCP/IP, HTTP/2, WebSockets, gRPC, MQTT, WebRTC

- Experience integrating ML models into production (TensorFlow, PyTorch, ONNX, or Core ML)

- Experience with IoT protocols (MQTT, CoAP, BLE, or Zigbee)

- Cloud infrastructure experience (AWS, Azure, or GCP), Docker/Kubernetes

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field

Preferred:

- Master's degree in Computer Science or a related field

- Experience with edge AI / on-device inference

- Open-source contributions, patents, or publications in AI or networking

Athira Prakash

+971 54 724 0363

[email protected]

Work Location: In person