Job Description

We're seeking an exceptional Principal AI Engineer to join our AI team and shape the development of cutting-edge solutions that address MSCI's most complex analytical challenges. In this role, you'll architect and implement advanced AI systems that transform how global investors make critical decisions by providing sophisticated insights across financial markets, risk assessment, and portfolio analytics. The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in AI/ML, proven experience in delivering enterprise-scale AI solutions, and a passion for leveraging technology to solve multifaceted problems in the financial data ecosystem.
As a senior individual contributor, you'll work closely with cross-functional teams to design innovative AI-powered platforms that process vast amounts of heterogeneous data, generate actionable insights, and enable data-driven decision-making at scale. You'll serve as a technical expert, establishing best practices and driving the adoption of state-of-the-art AI technologies while ensuring our solutions meet the rigorous standards required by institutional investors globally.
This role offers the unique opportunity to work on diverse, high-impact AI applications that shape how the world's largest financial institutions understand and navigate complex market dynamics.

• Design and implement enterprise-scale AI architectures for processing and analyzing complex, multi-dimensional financial and alternative data
• Architect end-to-end ML pipelines that handle multi-modal data sources including structured market data, unstructured documents, and real-time feeds
• Develop advanced NLP systems for extracting and validating critical metrics from millions of documents, reports, and regulatory filings
• Apply cutting-edge AI techniques (including LLMs, computer vision, and deep learning) to solve MSCI's diverse AI use cases
• Implement MLOps best practices and automated systems for model deployment, monitoring, and continuous improvement across multiple product lines
• Collaborate with product teams and domain experts to translate complex requirements into scalable technical solutions
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to other engineers on AI/ML best practices and architectural decisions
• Partner with MSCI Research teams to advance the state of AI applications in financial analytics
• Drive technical excellence through code reviews, design documentation, and knowledge sharing across the organization
• Help improve AI Engg team's productivty by using AI agents to automate tasks

• 10+ years of experience building and deploying AI/ML systems at scale, with deep hands-on technical expertise
• Expert-level proficiency in modern AI/ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch) and distributed computing platforms (Flink, Beam, Spark, Ray)
• Proven track record of architecting and delivering enterprise AI platforms handling large scale data
• Advanced knowledge of NLP, computer vision, and time-series analysis techniques with practical application experience
• Experience with financial data, risk modeling, or quantitative analytics is highly desirable
• Expertise in building real-time streaming architectures using technologies like Kafka, Flink, or Beam
• Strong foundation in MLOps practices including model versioning, A/B testing, and automated retraining pipelines
• Proficiency in cloud platforms (GCP, Azure) and containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Excellent technical communication skills with ability to present complex AI concepts to diverse stakeholders
• Track record of publishing research or speaking at conferences on AI/ML topics
• Passion for solving complex analytical challenges and using technology to drive innovation in financial markets

What we offer you

• Transparent compensation schemes and comprehensive employee benefits, tailored to your location, ensuring your financial security, health, and overall wellbeing.

• Flexible working arrangements, advanced technology, and collaborative workspaces.

• A culture of high performance and innovation where we experiment with new ideas and take responsibility for achieving results.

• A global network of talented colleagues, who inspire, support, and share their expertise to innovate and deliver for our clients.

• Global Orientation program to kickstart your journey, followed by access to our Learning@MSCI platform, LinkedIn Learning Pro and tailored learning opportunities for ongoing skills development.

• Multi-directional career paths that offer professional growth and development through new challenges, internal mobility and expanded roles.

• We actively nurture an environment that builds a sense of inclusion belonging and connection, including eight Employee Resource Groups. All Abilities, Asian Support Network, Black Leadership Network, Climate Action Network, Hola! MSCI, Pride & Allies, Women in Tech, and Women's Leadership Forum.

At MSCI we are passionate about what we do, and we are inspired by our purpose - to power better investment decisions. You'll be part of an industry-leading network of creative, curious, and entrepreneurial pioneers. This is a space where you can challenge yourself, set new standards and perform beyond expectations for yourself, our clients, and our industry.
MSCI is a leading provider of critical decision support tools and services for the global investment community. With over 50 years of expertise in research, data, and technology, we power better investment decisions by enabling clients to understand and analyze key drivers of risk and return and confidently build more effective portfolios. We create industry-leading research-enhanced solutions that clients use to gain insight into and improve transparency across the investment process.
MSCI Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the firm to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, disability, marital and civil partnership/union status, pregnancy (including unlawful discrimination on the basis of a legally protected parental leave), veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. MSCI is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application process, please email Disability.Assistance@msci.com and indicate the specifics of the assistance needed. Please note, this e-mail is intended only for individuals who are requesting a reasonable workplace accommodation; it is not intended for other inquiries.
To all recruitment agencies
MSCI does not accept unsolicited CVs/Resumes. Please do not forward CVs/Resumes to any MSCI employee, location, or website. MSCI is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited CVs/Resumes.
Note on recruitment scams
We are aware of recruitment scams where fraudsters impersonating MSCI personnel may try and elicit personal information from job seekers. Read our full note on careers.msci.com

Skills Required