Senior Software Engineer - Distributed Systems (AI Enablement)

Role Summary

At Skyscanner, we’re revolutionizing the travel experience with cutting-edge AI and data-driven solutions. As a Senior Engineer in the AI Enablement squad, you’ll play a critical role in developing the infrastructure that empowers our teams to safely and efficiently leverage AI. This squad focuses on building the systems and frameworks for AI guardrails, evaluation, and observability to ensure our AI technologies are reliable, ethical, and scalable.

This role requires expertise in distributed systems, microservices, and data pipelines, combined with a strong focus on observability and the ability to leverage vendor technologies to deliver impactful solutions. While this is not an ML development role, familiarity with the machine learning lifecycle is an advantage.

Key Responsibilities

• Distributed Systems Development: Design and build scalable distributed systems using Java-based microservices and Python batch processing to support AI guardrails, evaluation, and observability.

• Data Pipelines: Create and maintain robust data pipelines using PySpark and Databricks, ensuring efficient and reliable data flow across AI systems.

• Vendor Integration: Identify and leverage vendor capabilities (e.g., AWS, Databricks, and other cloud services) to deliver high-quality solutions that align with organizational goals.

• Observability Solutions: Develop monitoring and observability systems to track AI performance, detect anomalies, and ensure outputs align with business and ethical standards.

• Collaboration with Specialists: Work closely with cross-functional teams, including security, data science, and product, to ensure comprehensive and secure AI solutions.

• AI Governance Infrastructure: Contribute to systems that enforce ethical and legal AI practices, such as bias mitigation, safety measures, and transparency.

• Knowledge Sharing: Act as a mentor and technical leader within the squad, fostering collaboration and growth among team members.

What You Bring

• Technical Expertise: Extensive experience with distributed systems engineering, including designing and implementing Java-based microservices and Python batch jobs.

• Data Engineering Skills: Proficiency in building data pipelines using PySpark and Databricks, with a strong understanding of data flow and processing.

• Cloud Vendor Experience: Hands-on experience leveraging vendor technologies like AWS and Databricks to deliver scalable, robust solutions.

• Observability Knowledge: Deep understanding of observability principles, including monitoring, logging, and real-time system insights.

• AI/ML Lifecycle Awareness: Familiarity with the machine learning lifecycle (e.g., tools like MLflow) and its integration into production systems.

• Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively across teams, including specialists in security and data science.

• Problem-Solving Skills: A proactive and innovative approach to tackling complex technical challenges.

Why Join Us?

At Skyscanner, we believe that great AI can change the world for the better. As part of our AI Enablement squad, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the future of AI within a global, forward-thinking organization. You’ll work alongside talented engineers, data scientists, and product managers, driving meaningful change in the travel industry. If you’re passionate about innovation, ethical AI, and leading teams to success, this is the perfect opportunity for you.