Backflip AI
Principal AI Engineer / ML Engineer
Backflip AI, San Francisco, California, United States, 94199
About Backflip
Backflip (backflip.ai) is a generative AI startup revolutionizing how engineers and designers create for the physical world. Founded by the team behind Markforged, we\'re building AI-first tools that make 3D CAD as intuitive and fast as sketching on paper. Backed by Andreessen Horowitz and NEA, we\'ve raised a $30M Series A and built a deeply technical, mission-driven team. Our goal: empower one engineer to work at the speed of a hundred. The Role
We\’re hiring a
Principal AI/ML Engineer —a top-tier
individual contributor
who sets the technical bar,
shapes our AI direction , and
tech-leads critical projects
without direct reports. You\’ll architect, prototype, and productionize multimodal generative systems that power our CAD engine. What You’ll Do
Co-define the technical strategy for generative modeling with the Head of AI; influence roadmap through hands-on prototypes and data-driven recommendations. Architect end-to-end systems across LLMs, diffusion, and retrieval; design interfaces between perception, reasoning, and CAD-specific geometry modules. Tech-lead projects: drive design reviews, create implementation plans, de-risk research, and ensure high-quality, shippable outcomes. Own the model lifecycle: dataset curation, training/eval, optimization, low-latency inference, monitoring, and continuous improvement. Raise the bar: establish coding standards, reproducible experimentation, benchmarking, and model/infra observability. Mentor and unblock engineers and researchers (guidance, pairing, design reviews) while remaining an IC with no direct reports. Collaborate with product/design to translate ambiguous user needs into concrete AI capabilities; instrument and iterate quickly. What We\’re Looking For
3-7+ years in deep learning / generative AI with a record of shipping complex systems. Expert in multimodal and generative models (transformers, diffusion, autoregressive); strong Python + PyTorch. Evidence of technical leadership as an IC: you\’ve set standards, led cross-functional efforts, and made architectural decisions that lasted. Fluency from research to production: data strategy, training, tooling, serving, and performance engineering. Bonus
Experience with
CAD , 3D geometry, graphics, differentiable programming, or AI for the physical world. Why Backflip
In-person in SF with a tight-knit, world-class team building the future of 3D design. Flexible PTO and competitive compensation. Seniority level
Mid-Senior level Employment type
Full-time Job function
Engineering and Information Technology Industries
Software Development
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Backflip (backflip.ai) is a generative AI startup revolutionizing how engineers and designers create for the physical world. Founded by the team behind Markforged, we\'re building AI-first tools that make 3D CAD as intuitive and fast as sketching on paper. Backed by Andreessen Horowitz and NEA, we\'ve raised a $30M Series A and built a deeply technical, mission-driven team. Our goal: empower one engineer to work at the speed of a hundred. The Role
We\’re hiring a
Principal AI/ML Engineer —a top-tier
individual contributor
who sets the technical bar,
shapes our AI direction , and
tech-leads critical projects
without direct reports. You\’ll architect, prototype, and productionize multimodal generative systems that power our CAD engine. What You’ll Do
Co-define the technical strategy for generative modeling with the Head of AI; influence roadmap through hands-on prototypes and data-driven recommendations. Architect end-to-end systems across LLMs, diffusion, and retrieval; design interfaces between perception, reasoning, and CAD-specific geometry modules. Tech-lead projects: drive design reviews, create implementation plans, de-risk research, and ensure high-quality, shippable outcomes. Own the model lifecycle: dataset curation, training/eval, optimization, low-latency inference, monitoring, and continuous improvement. Raise the bar: establish coding standards, reproducible experimentation, benchmarking, and model/infra observability. Mentor and unblock engineers and researchers (guidance, pairing, design reviews) while remaining an IC with no direct reports. Collaborate with product/design to translate ambiguous user needs into concrete AI capabilities; instrument and iterate quickly. What We\’re Looking For
3-7+ years in deep learning / generative AI with a record of shipping complex systems. Expert in multimodal and generative models (transformers, diffusion, autoregressive); strong Python + PyTorch. Evidence of technical leadership as an IC: you\’ve set standards, led cross-functional efforts, and made architectural decisions that lasted. Fluency from research to production: data strategy, training, tooling, serving, and performance engineering. Bonus
Experience with
CAD , 3D geometry, graphics, differentiable programming, or AI for the physical world. Why Backflip
In-person in SF with a tight-knit, world-class team building the future of 3D design. Flexible PTO and competitive compensation. Seniority level
Mid-Senior level Employment type
Full-time Job function
Engineering and Information Technology Industries
Software Development
#J-18808-Ljbffr