Principal Software Engineer I

Careem is building the Everything App for the greater Middle East, making it easier than ever to move around, order food and groceries, manage payments, and more. Careem is led by a powerful purpose to simplify and improve the lives of people and build an awesome organisation that inspires. Since 2012, Careem has created earnings for over 2.5 million Captains, simplified the lives of over 70 million customers, and built a platform for the region’s best talent to thrive and for entrepreneurs to scale their businesses. Careem operates in over 70 cities across 10 countries, from Morocco to Pakistan.

About the team

The Data & AI team at Careem is responsible for building the foundational systems that power our data-driven decision-making and AI capabilities. We architect platforms for large-scale experimentation, distributed data processing, machine learning, and GenAI, empowering teams across Careem to innovate faster and smarter.

We design and maintain reliable, high-performance platforms that seamlessly integrate data and AI into Careem’s ecosystem. If you’re hands-on, and thrive at the intersection of big data systems, distributed computing, and cutting-edge AI technologies, this is the team for you.

About the role

We are looking for a Data & AI Architect to provide technical leadership to our team of engineers and data scientists. In this role, you will design and build platforms that combine the power of distributed systems, big data, and AI to drive impactful business outcomes. You’ll lead the development of systems like our experimentation platform, event streaming platform, big data processing, and machine learning & GenAI infrastructure while collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure scalability and reliability.

What you'll do

1. Architect and Maintain Platforms
• Build scalable systems for experimentation, real-time data streaming, machine learning, and GenAI pipelines.
• Design and optimize distributed systems for high throughput, low latency, reliability, and cost.
• Maintain platforms with the likes of Databricks, Apache Spark, and Distributed SQL systems.
2. AI and Machine Learning Integration
• Develop systems to deploy machine learning and deep learning models at scale.
• Ensure statistical rigor in decision making by improving our platform for online controlled experimentation.
• Collaborate with data scientists to bring AI/ML driven insights to production.
• Design and elevate the users and developers experiences.
3. Technical Leadership and Innovation
• Mentor team members in distributed systems and software engineering best practices.
• Conduct research and implement cutting-edge technologies to enhance platform capabilities.
• Act as a technical advisor for cross-team initiatives requiring AI and big data expertise.

What you’ll need

Must-Have

• Master’s or PhD (preferred) in fields of Computer Science, or Artificial Intelligence.
• Extensive hands-on experience with Golang, Python, distributed systems, big data technologies and data streaming.
• Strong knowledge of statistics, machine learning algorithms, and experimentation methods.
• Proven ability to contribute as an individual contributor (IC) while also leading and mentoring teams.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to navigate complex organizational structures, effectively collaborating with cross-functional teams.

Nice-to-Have

• Experience deploying deep learning models using frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch.
• Contributions to open-source projects in data engineering, distributed systems, or AI.
• Portfolio showcasing end-to-end development of platforms or AI solutions.
• Familiarity with data governance and compliance standards, ensuring data integrity and security.
• Proficiency in data modeling and database design, with experience in both relational and NoSQL databases.
• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and their data services.
• Understanding of data privacy regulations and best practices for data protection.
• Experience in performance tuning and optimization of large-scale data systems.
• Knowledge of DevSecOps practices and tools for continuous integration and deployment.

What we’ll provide you

We offer colleagues the opportunity to drive impact in the region while they learn and grow. As a full time Careem colleague, you will be able to:

• Work and learn from great minds by joining a community of inspiring colleagues.
• Put your passion to work in a purposeful organisation dedicated to creating impact in a region with a lot of untapped potential.
• Explore new opportunities to learn and grow every day.
• Work 4 days a week in office & 1 day from home, and remotely from any country in the world for 30 days a year with unlimited vacation days per year. (If you are in an individual contributor role in tech, you will have 2 office days a week and 3 to work from home.)
• Access to healthcare benefits and fitness reimbursements for health activities including gym, health club, and training classes.