Coupa's AI platform powers production agents, conversational AI (Navi), customer-built agents (Agent Studio), and a suite of ML models for classification, fraud detection, and supplier intelligence. The Principal Engineer, AI/ML Architecture will define the technical direction for the next generation of these capabilities, designing how we train, evaluate, and serve models that are deeply tuned to enterprise spend management. Reporting to the Sr. Director, you will be hands-on in architecture and prototyping while guiding a growing team of ML and data engineers.
What You'll Do:
- Define the architecture for model training, evaluation, and serving across Coupa's AI platform.
- Evaluate and select model approaches (open-weight, commercial, and hybrid) against enterprise accuracy and cost requirements.
- Design evaluation frameworks that measure model quality on Coupa's specific task categories.
- Drive technical partnership evaluations with AI infrastructure and model providers.
- Architect training data pipelines, including synthetic data generation and quality validation.
- Design retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems that extend our existing RAG infrastructure with structured knowledge retrieval.
- Establish technical standards for model safety, tenant data isolation, and responsible AI.
- Write code, review PRs, and prototype approaches, especially in the early phases.
- Mentor and guide ML and data engineers across US and India.
- Collaborate with product, existing AI platform, and cloud operations teams.
What You Will Bring to Coupa:
- 15+ years of software engineering experience, with 5+ years focused on ML/AI systems.
- Demonstrated experience training or fine-tuning large language models. Must have shipped a fine-tuned or domain-adapted model to production.
- Deep knowledge of transformer architectures, training optimization (LoRA, QLoRA, PEFT, RLHF, DPO), and inference serving.
- Experience with distributed training on GPU clusters.
- Strong understanding of RAG architectures, vector search, embedding models, and knowledge graph integration.
- Hands-on experience with cloud AI/ML services (model hosting, managed training, or equivalent).
- Experience designing and running custom evaluation suites for LLMs.
- Proficiency in Python, PyTorch, and ML infrastructure tooling.
- Advanced degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or equivalent practical experience.
- Experience with enterprise B2B SaaS platforms preferred.
- Global Wellness Days: Enjoy two designated, company-wide paid wellness days off each year (typically the first Friday in March and the last Friday in September) so the entire global team can unplug, step away, and recharge together .
- Birthday Time-Off: Celebrate your day! Coupa provides a paid day off on your birthday or another day of your choice within your birthday month .
- Volunteer Time Off (VTO): Giving back is in our DNA. We offer 40 hours of paid VTO annually to support the community initiatives and volunteer programs you are passionate about .
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Access free, confidential, 24/7/365 counseling and resources for emotional support, work-life solutions, financial advice, legal guidance, and support for new parents .
- Business Travel Protection: Travel with peace of mind. Zurich Travel Assist provides medical, safety, pre-trip planning, and emergency support during any business travel .
- Referral Bonus Program: Share the Coupa experience! Receive generous monetary referral bonuses when you successfully refer talented friends or acquaintances who are hired into open roles .
Skills Required
- 15+ years of software engineering experience
- 5+ years focused on ML/AI systems
- Experience training or fine-tuning large language models
- Deep knowledge of transformer architectures and training optimization
- Experience with distributed training on GPU clusters
- Hands-on experience with cloud AI/ML services
- Proficiency in Python and PyTorch
- Advanced degree in Computer Science or Machine Learning
- Experience with enterprise B2B SaaS platforms
What the Team is Saying
Coupa Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare is described as comprehensive from day one for employees and dependents, including medical, dental, vision, mental‑health resources, and a no‑cost EAP. Additional options like FSAs and wellness initiatives are also cited.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time off is positioned around Flexible Time Off, floating holidays, and 40 hours of paid Volunteer Time Off, supported by a virtual‑first work model. These programs are highlighted as core elements of work‑life balance.
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Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave and a digital program for paths to parenthood (including adoption and surrogacy) are explicitly called out. Resources also extend to family medical leave and, in some locations, an onsite Mother’s Room.
Coupa Insights
What We Do
Coupa is a global technology company that helps businesses run smarter by connecting all the ways they spend money — from procurement and expenses to payments and supply chain decisions — in one intelligent platform. In simple terms, Coupa gives organizations the visibility and control they need to make better financial choices, reduce waste, and drive real impact. It’s where technology meets purpose: helping companies manage their resources more responsibly while creating a positive ripple across their people, partners, and the planet.
Why Work With Us
At Coupa, we prioritize an inclusive and empathetic workplace where every voice is valued. Our teams are proactive and accountable, ensuring we collaborate effectively to achieve our goals. The foundation of our culture rests on our people; we believe in fostering an environment that encourages innovation and curiosity.
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Coupa Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
Our virtual-first approach is intentional. It gives you the freedom to do your best work in a space that supports focus, balance, and creativity, while staying connected to a global team of changemakers who are redefining the future of business spend
