Staff Software Engineer – AI

Pearson VUE

Principal Engineer at Pearson leading AI-powered learning experiences through architecture and technical leadership. Collaborating with teams to drive innovative educational solutions.

Posted 4/12/2026full-timeHoboken • New Jersey • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $150,000 - $165,000 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Distributed SystemsJavaPythonReactSQL

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Define and drive the architecture for scalable, high-performance web applications supporting Guided Study experiences.
Lead system design discussions and make strategic technology decisions across frontend, backend, and AI components.
Architect and implement AI-powered workflows using agentic AI frameworks and LLM-based systems.
Design and optimize data pipelines and backend services using Java, Python, and SQL.
Ensure best practices in scalability, observability, performance, and security.
Develop and integrate at least one Large Language Model (LLM) into production workflows.
Design and implement Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines.
Apply advanced prompt engineering techniques to improve learning personalization and response quality.
Evaluate emerging AI technologies and define roadmap integration strategies.
Lead frontend architecture using ReactJS.
Develop backend systems using Java and Python.
Design and optimize relational databases and complex SQL queries.
Ensure clean API design and seamless frontend-backend integration.
Partner closely with Product, Data Science, UX, and Content teams to deliver intelligent learning features.
Mentor senior engineers and influence engineering standards across the organization.
Contribute to technical strategy and long-term platform evolution.

Requirements

What you’ll need

10+ years of experience in design, architecture, and development of web applications
Strong hands-on experience in:
- Agentic AI systems
- At least one Large Language Model (LLM)
- Prompt Engineering
- Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
- Full-stack development expertise in:
- ReactJS
- Java
- Python
- SQL
Demonstrated experience designing scalable, distributed systems.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and system-thinking capabilities.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
Proven ability to work effectively in cross-functional teams.

Benefits

Comp & perks

This position is eligible to participate in an annual incentive program
information on benefits offered is here

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

JavaPythonSQLReactJSAgentic AI systemsLarge Language Model (LLM)Prompt EngineeringRetrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)scalable web applicationsdata pipelines

Soft Skills

analytical skillsproblem-solvingsystem-thinkingcommunication skillscollaboration skillsmentoringinfluencing engineering standards