Principal R&D AI Software Engineer (Remote)

Progressive Leasing is a leading provider of in-store and e-commerce lease-to-own solutions. With more than 20 years in FinTech, we've grown from start-up to industry leader by innovating, simplifying, and valuing people. We are a subsidiary of PROG Holdings (NYSE: PRG), a FinTech holding company with three business segments: Progressive Leasing, Purchasing Power (a leading employee purchase program for consumer products and services using payroll deduction), and Four, a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) platform.We are currently hiring a Principal R&D AI Software Engineer to help grow our company and ensure our mission is achieved!This role is a work from home position and can be performed remotely anywhere in the continental US or in our corporate location in Utah.Employee Value Proposition (EVP): PROG is dedicated to providing people with opportunity; opportunity for inclusive collaboration, opportunity for innovation, and opportunity for development.WE ARE: Prog Tech embodies the modernity and transformational vision that is core to our business evolution. As passionate and hungry technical experts, we join together on the mission of progressing through technology. We believe in taking pride in our engineering, in the relentless pursuit of daily progress, and to bring others with you in your march to the future. We continuously experiment, fail fast, and constantly deliver.YOU ARE: A highly specialized and deeply technical AI innovator who thrives at the frontier of emerging technology. You are a senior engineering leader with the ability to design, build, and deliver advanced AI-powered solutions-from rapid prototypes to early-stage production systems. You're excited by ambiguity, energized by experimentation, and passionate about transforming cutting-edge models, tools, and research into tangible business value. Your breadth of full-stack engineering expertise, coupled with mastery of modern AI frameworks, allows you to independently drive ideas from concept to implementation. You are a thought partner to leadership, a hands-on builder, and a force multiplier for the organization's AI strategy.YOUR DAY-TO-DAY:Architect, design, and develop proof-of-concepts and early-stage production systems leveraging LLMs, agentic workflows, vector databases, and emerging AI technologiesWork closely with the VP of Research & Development to shape technical direction, evaluate emerging tools, and identify high-impact opportunities for AI adoptionBuild integrations with platforms such as Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, and other leading models using APIs, SDKs, and custom toolchainsDevelop full-stack solutions end-to-end, including API development, data pipelining, infrastructure provisioning, and cloud-native deploymentsCreate advanced prompts, system instructions, tools, and agent architectures to elevate automation, reasoning, and decision-making across business processesPartner with engineering, product, data, and security teams to validate feasibility, ensure responsible-AI standards, and transition successful POCs toward production readinessMaintain a high sense of ownership over solution design, performance, quality, and reliabilityActively research, experiment, and document findings to keep Progressive Leasing at the cutting edge of applied AIYOU'LL BRING:10+ years of experience in software engineering with deep expertise in full-stack development, distributed systems, and cloud architecturesSenior-level proficiency in AI integrations, LLM APIs, agent development, prompt engineering, and orchestration frameworksIn‐depth expertise in cloud infrastructure design, automation, and deployment with AWSStrong programming capability in Python, plus experience with JavaScript/TypeScript and complementary backend frameworksHands-on experience building APIs, automating workflows, and designing scalable services using JSON, REST, and event-driven patternsSolid understanding of databases (SQL/NoSQL), vector embeddings, and data modeling for AI-powered applicationsExperience designing POCs, running experiments, and driving MVP-to-production evolutionAbility to work autonomously, move quickly, and distill ambiguous problem spaces into actionable technical solutionsStrong communication skills with the ability to influence decision-making and explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiencesCuriosity, creativity, and a passion for staying ahead of the rapidly evolving AI landscapeWE OFFER:Competitive CompensationFull Health Benefits; Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance + Paid Parental LeaveCompany Matched 401kPaid Time Off + Paid Holidays + Paid Volunteer HoursEmployee Resource Groups (Black Inclusion Group, Women in Leadership, PRIDE, Adelante)Employee Stock Purchase ProgramTuition ReimbursementCharitable Gift MatchingJob required equipment and servicesProgressive Leasing welcomes and encourages diversity in the workplace. We do not discriminate in any aspect of employment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local employment discrimination laws where Progressive Leasing does business.