Sr Developer - AI Application Backend (GCP, Python) at MattelInc

The Opportunity:  We are seeking a highly skilled   with strong expertise in Python and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to design, build, and scale AI-driven backend systems.  This role focuses on developing production-grade AI applications, building scalable APIs, integrating LLMs and ML models, and deploying cloud-native solutions on GCP. You will collaborate closely with AI engineers, data scientists, frontend developers, and DevOps teams to deliver intelligent, reliable, and high-performance backend services.  The ideal candidate has hands-on experience in building AI-enabled systems using modern Python frameworks and cloud infrastructure, with strong knowledge of distributed systems and scalable architecture.  Key Responsibilities  🔹 AI Application Development  • Design and develop backend services to power AI-driven applications.  • Integrate Large Language Models (LLMs), ML models, or AI services into production systems.  • Build RESTful APIs and microservices using Python frameworks (FastAPI, Flask, Django).  • Implement RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) pipelines and AI orchestration workflows where applicable.  • Optimize AI inference performance, latency, and reliability.  🔹 Cloud & Infrastructure (GCP)  • Design and deploy AI backend services on Google Cloud Platform (GCP).  • Work with GCP services such as:  • BigQuery  • Cloud Run  • Cloud Functions  • Compute Engine  • GKE (Kubernetes Engine)  • Cloud Storage  • Vertex AI (preferred)  • Ensure scalability, monitoring, and fault tolerance of cloud applications.  • Implement IAM policies, security best practices, and environment isolation.  🔹 Data & Integration  • Develop data pipelines to support AI models and analytics workflows.  • Integrate backend systems with third-party APIs and enterprise applications.  • Work with SQL and NoSQL databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, BigQuery).  • Handle data validation, transformation, and preprocessing logic.  🔹 DevOps & CI/CD  • Containerize applications using Docker.  • Deploy and manage services using Kubernetes (GKE preferred).  • Implement CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Cloud Build, Jenkins).  • Monitor application health and performance using logging and observability tools.  🔹 Collaboration & Engineering Excellence  • Participate in Agile/Scrum ceremonies.  • Write clean, maintainable, well-documented code.  • Conduct peer code reviews.  • Troubleshoot and debug production issues.  • Contribute to architectural decisions and continuous improvement.    Technical Skill Set  Programming  • Python (Advanced)  • SQL  Frameworks  • FastAPI / Flask / Django  • Async programming (asyncio)  Cloud  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP)  • Vertex AI (preferred)  • BigQuery  • Cloud Run / GKE  DevOps  • Docker  • Kubernetes  • CI/CD pipelines  • Git  AI/ML  • LLM integrations  • RAG pipelines  • Prompt engineering basics  • Embedding & vector databases (Pinecone, FAISS, etc.)    Key Competencies  • Strong backend system design skills  • Ownership mindset  • Cross-functional collaboration  • Clear communication skills  • Ability to work in fast-paced, AI-driven environments