AI Principal

Why USAA?

At USAA, our mission is to empower our members to achieve financial security through highly competitive products, exceptional service and trusted advice. We seek to be the #1 choice for the military community and their families.

Embrace a fulfilling career at USAA, where our core values – honesty, integrity, loyalty and service – define how we treat each other and our members. Be part of what truly makes us special and impactful.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a dedicated Principal AI Scientist to join our rapidly growing AI Center of Excellence. In this role, you will lead the development and implementation of sophisticated Gen AI solutions, including AI agents, pushing the boundaries of intelligent systems and driving our AI program forward. You will work alongside a talented team of engineers, architects, and researchers to build the next generation of AI solutions. You will be a key driver in shaping our Enterprise AI strategy and vision, ultimately delivering the next generation of member service and experience

Leverages technical expertise and industry experience to influence the application, scalability, and enablement of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) at USAA. Identifies novel opportunities for advanced analytics solutions, effectively communicates with business leaders, product teams, and other key stakeholders and guides end-to-end solution development, IT implementation, and business adoption. Provides strategic guidance to executive leadership by seeking, vetting, proposing, and enabling “best in class” tools and technologies. Collaborates with IT Architecture and leadership to ensure data and analytics tools are consistent with USAA’s strategic vision.

This position can work remotely in the continental U.S. with occasional business travel. Relocation assistance is not available for this position.

What you'll do:

• Outline opportunities for the greatest member value or improvement to member experience from AI innovation.

• Identify and implement innovative solutions that leverage generative AI to streamline internal processes, automate tasks, and generate insights for improved decision-making.

• Shape the enterprise-wide generative AI strategy, cultivating a transformative roadmap and strategic program.

• Maintain a deep understanding of the latest advancements in Generative AI, including breakthroughs in model architectures, training techniques, and applications. Actively contribute to the development of intellectual property and publications in top AI conferences and journals

• Align member-centric pivotal initiatives to advancements in AI to drive exceptional member experiences.

• Partner to assess and integrate external AI tools and platforms and complete POCs and pilots.

• Own the design, development, and deployment of novel AI agents, including:

• Reinforcement learning agents: Develop algorithms and architectures for agents that learn from experience to achieve complex goals.

• Goal-oriented agents: Design agents capable of understanding and fulfilling user-defined goals in diverse environments.

• Multi-agent systems: Explore and implement collaborative and competitive agent interactions within complex systems.

• Develop and maintain innovative infrastructure and tooling for AI agent development and experimentation.

• Collaborate with other AI scientists, engineers, and product teams to integrate AI agents into our products and services.

• Mentor and guide junior AI scientists, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning.

• Stay ahead of industry trends and emerging technologies in the field of AI agents.

• Contribute to the development of intellectual property and publications.

• Develop and implement strategic roadmaps for AI agent development and deployment.

• Champion the adoption of ethical AI principles and practices within the organization.

• Drive cross-functional collaboration and influence stakeholders at all levels to ensure successful AI implementation.

• Lead change management initiatives related to AI adoption and innovation.

What you have:

• Bachelor’s degree in mathematics, computer science, statistics, economics, finance, actuarial sciences, science and engineering, or other similar quantitative field.

• 10 years of progressive experience in predictive analytics or data analysis, to include 6 years of experience in training and validating statistical, physical, machine learning, and other sophisticated analytics models.

• 6 years of experience in one or more dynamic scripted language (such as Python, R, etc.) with a focus on writing code that is easy to follow, well detailed, and commented where necessary to explain logic (high code transparency).

• Subject matter expert in the concepts and technologies associated with classical supervised modeling for prediction such as linear/logistic models, discriminant analysis, support vector machines, decision trees, forest models, etc.

• Subject matter expert in the concepts and technologies associated with unsupervised modeling such as k-means clustering, hierarchical/agglomerative clustering, neighbors algorithms, DBSCAN, etc.

• Deep hands-on experience building, deploying, and managing the performance of advanced analytics solutions. Consistent track record of providing ground breaking solutions that drive business adoption and value.

• Extensive project management experience and can anticipate and appropriately manage project milestones, risks, and impediments. Demonstrated history of appropriately communicating and calling out potential impediments and limitations to leadership.

• Demonstrated experience in guiding and mentoring junior technical staff in business interactions and model building.

• Extensive experience explaining and influencing sophisticated technology decisions to both technical and nontechnical audiences at all levels in the organization and with multi-functional and enterprise teams.

• Demonstrated experience leading business or product/portfolio transformation through use of advanced analytics.

What sets you apart:

• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, or related technical field with 8+ years of experience in research and development of AI, with a strong focus on reinforcement learning, deep learning.

• Experience conducting research and exploring innovative advancements in Generative AI including agentic architectures, learning algorithms, and application domains.

• Collaborate with other AI scientists, engineers, and product teams to integrate multi-agent systems into our products and services.

• Proven track record of developing and deploying successful Generative AI systems in real-world applications, including cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud)

• Deep expertise and production deployment experience with contemporary reinforcement learning algorithms (e.g., PPO, DPO, etc.), and various AI agentic architectures.

• Extensive experience in a lead capacity in technology research, strategy, and implementation in the areas of Generative AI development for large scale cross-enterprise initiatives

• Ability to work as 'project driver' working effectively through indirect resources and leadership levels to achieve objectives, with excellent communication and presentation skills to convey value outcomes

• Publication record in top AI conferences and journals.

Compensation range: The salary range for this position is: $217,520 - $415,760.

Compensation: USAA has an effective process for assessing market data and establishing ranges to ensure we remain competitive. You are paid within the salary range based on your experience and market data of the position. The actual salary for this role may vary by location.

Employees may be eligible for pay incentives based on overall corporate and individual performance and at the discretion of the USAA Board of Directors.

The above description reflects the details considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job and should not be construed as a detailed description of all the work requirements that may be performed in the job.

Benefits: At USAA our employees enjoy best-in-class benefits to support their physical, financial, and emotional wellness. These benefits include comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans, 401(k), pension, life insurance, parental benefits, adoption assistance, paid time off program with paid holidays plus 16 paid volunteer hours, and various wellness programs. Additionally, our career path planning and continuing education assists employees with their professional goals.

For more details on our outstanding benefits, visit our benefits page on USAAjobs.com.

Applications for this position are accepted on an ongoing basis, this posting will remain open until the position is filled. Thus, interested candidates are encouraged to apply the same day they view this posting.

USAA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.