Job Description
As a Senior Engineer 2 on our AI Enablement team, you will be a lead technical contributor responsible for designing and delivering complex AI platform capabilities. You will ensure that all designs are clear and complete for successful execution while making technical decisions that balance short and long-term business objectives.
This is an opportunity to drive the technical strategy of AI enablement at Nordstrom, acting as a subject matter expert and making transformative impact on how thousands of engineers leverage AI technology. A key dimension of this role is ownership of security and identity for AI systems - including how we authenticate, authorize, and protect AI services and the sensitive data they process. You will be expected to champion security-first engineering practices across the team and the broader organization.
A day in the life...
Technical Leadership
Design enterprise-scale systems requiring collaboration among multiple engineers
Make technical decisions and influence priorities and trade-offs that enable solutions to achieve short and long-term business objectives
Take ownership of systems and designs that span multiple engineers' work, breaking complex problems into smaller tasks for team members
Champion new techniques and best practices across the organization, particularly around secure AI system design
Act as a subject matter expert in one or more technical areas (e.g. AI security, identity and access management)
Security & Identity Engineering
Architect and implement identity and access management solutions for AI services, including authentication flows and fine-grained authorization
Design service-to-service authentication patterns in cloud-native and AI service @contexts
Design and enforce security controls that protect AI systems against threats such as prompt injection, model inversion, and data exfiltration
Define and implement compliance guardrails to meet regulatory and internal security standards (e.g. data residency requirements)
Partner with security and compliance teams to perform threat modeling, security reviews, and penetration testing for AI platform components
Establish security observability: audit logging, anomaly detection, and alerting for identity and authorization events
Platform Development & Operations
Design and implement complete AI platform solutions that integrate effectively with developer tools, cloud services, LLM providers, and observability systems
Design deployment processes to minimize downtime with comprehensive alerting
Understand trade-offs in different engineering processes and adjust team practices to meet project needs
Lead resolution of difficult and complex operational incidents
Team Leadership & Mentorship
Mentor and coach junior engineers, providing guidance on technical approaches, security best practices, and career development
Lead design reviews and provide actionable feedback to maintain a high bar for quality and security
Take responsibility for challenging work that needs support, ensuring team success
Work closely with product managers, data scientists, and cross-functional teams to align on requirements and strategy
Facilitate cross-functional troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and vendor engagement when needed
Quality & Excellence
Lead the team in keeping code and systems well-designed, well-documented, and optimized
Own team-level metrics, events, and documentation ensuring comprehensive observability
Drive accountability for team-level application performance
Ensure the team follows engineering and security standards; contribute to improving those standards
Challenge the team to implement solutions that are robust, stable, scalable, and cost-effective
You own this if you have...
7+ years of professional software engineering experience
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent industry experience
Expert programming skills in Python with the ability to architect and deliver maintainable systems
Hands-on experience with IAM concepts, authentication protocols, and service authentication patterns
Hands-on experience with Kubernetes for container orchestration and production operations
Experience designing and deploying production systems on major cloud platforms, including infrastructure as code and reliability engineering
Proven ability to design large-scale systems requiring coordination across a full engineering team
Experience optimizing systems for performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness
Strong analytical and debugging skills with ability to solve technical and business problems
Understanding of AI-specific security risks including prompt injection, model misuse, and data privacy, along with practical mitigation strategies
Familiarity with AI/ML concepts and technologies, including LLM orchestration frameworks, vector databases, or agentic platforms
Preferred:
CISSP, or equivalent security certification
2+ years of hands-on experience with security and identity solutions in production environments
Experience with secrets management platforms, key rotation strategies, and compliance frameworks
LI-Hybrid
We've got you covered...
Our employees are our most important asset and that's reflected in our benefits. Nordstrom is proud to offer a variety of benefits to support employees and their families, including:
Medical/Vision, Dental, Retirement and Paid Time Away
Life Insurance and Disability
Merchandise Discount and EAP Resources
A few more important points...
The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It's not all-inclusive. There may be additional duties, responsibilities and qualifications for this job.
For Los Angeles or San Francisco applicants: Nordstrom is required to inform you that we conduct background checks after conditional offer and consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with legal requirements per Los Angeles, Cal. Muni. Code 189.04 and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For additional state and location specific notices, please refer to the Legal Notices document within the FAQ section of the Nordstrom Careers site.
Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation should contact the nearest Nordstrom location, which can be identified at www.nordstrom.com.
Please be mindful that there may be legal notices and requirements related to this job posting that are specific to your state. Review the Career Site FAQ's (https://careers.nordstrom.com/#/contact-us/faq) for relevant information and guidelines.
© 2022 Nordstrom, Inc
Current Nordstrom employees: To apply, log into Workday, click the Careers button and then click Find Jobs.
Nordstrom keeps job postings open for at least one day after the posting date.
Pay Range Details
The pay range(s) below has been provided in compliance with state specific laws. Pay ranges may be different for other locations. Pay offers are dependent on the location, as well as job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
$166,000.00 - $258,000.00 Annual
This position may be eligible for performance-based incentives/bonuses. Benefits include 401k, medical/vision/dental/life/disability insurance options, PTO accruals, Holidays, and more. Eligibility requirements may apply based on location, job level, classification, and length of employment. Learn more in the Nordstrom Benefits Overview by copying and pasting the following URL into your browser: https://careers.nordstrom.com/pdfs/Ben\Overview\17-19.pdf
About Us
We're a fast-moving fashion company that started as a shoe store in 1901. This heritage of service is the foundation we're building on as we provide convenience and true connection for our customers. We empower our people to be innovative, creative and focused on providing the best service to our customers. Through it all, we remain committed to leaving the world better than we found it.
Whether you're a genius engineer, a phenomenal salesperson or a supply chain pro, we invite you to bring your unique talents and join our team. We reward great work, promote from within and celebrate diversity.
CUSTOMER OBSESSEDWe strive to know our customers better than anyone else. We listen, anticipate, build trust and move with speed to deliver on their needs.
OWNERS AT HEARTWe treat every interaction as an opportunity to make an impact and deliver excellence.
CURIOUS AND EVER CHANGINGWe approach problems with curiosity and create solutions. We unlock potential to be bold, think big and inspire innovation.
HERE TO WINWe're committed to delivering results, both today and tomorrow. We win as a team by supporting and challenging one another to be better every day.
WE EXTEND OURSELVESWe treat each other with respect and kindness. We do the small things that make a big difference. We create a welcoming environment, helping people feel connected, valued and part of one community.
Come on! Join us!
