Jobs / United States / Scale AI INC
Principal Architect
Scale AI INC · 🇺🇸 Washington, DC
Sponsorship verdict
Sponsorship possible
One solid signal, not two — worth applying, and worth asking about sponsorship early.
- Employer is on a government sponsor recordThe US Department of Labor certified 74 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest Jun 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. USCIS also records 3 H-1B approvals in FY2023. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
- The posting doesn’t mention sponsorshipSilence isn’t a refusal — ask the recruiter before investing much time.
- No salary bar for this routeH-1B has no fixed salary bar: the employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for the role and area. Cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level. Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/29/2025-23853/weighted-selection-process-for-registrants-and-petitioners-seeking-to-file-cap-subject-h-1b, rules effective 2026-02-27.
- Confirmed live todayWhen a source last listed this job as open.
US H-1B: cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level — Level I gets 1 entry, Level IV gets 4 (DHS projected selection odds ≈15% at Level I to ≈61% at Level IV). Universities and non-profit research employers are cap-exempt. The $100,000 fee for new petitions from abroad is currently blocked by a court order (appeal pending).
A verdict summarises public evidence; it is not legal advice and never a guarantee — the employer and the immigration authority decide. Sign in to factor in where you can already work.
Or apply yourself on the official page →
Sponsor Radar — Scale AI INC
The US Department of Labor certified 74 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest Jun 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. USCIS also records 3 H-1B approvals in FY2023. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
Past sponsorship or register membership never guarantees sponsorship for this vacancy or for you. Full Sponsor Radar for Scale AI INC →
About the role
Principal Architect Location: Washington, DC About the Role We are seeking a Principal Architect to drive the design, development, and deployment of our agentic AI products in a fast-paced, collaborative, extremely high-visibility environment. In this role, you will lead a team of 50+ engineers, providing both strategic and technical guidance. You’ll be responsible for high-impact architectural decisions, cross-company collaboration, and executive level engagements. What You’ll Do • Team Leadership: Lead and mentor a high-performing engineering team of 80+, fostering a culture of technical excellence and ownership. • Technical Direction: Guide your team through complex challenges involving LLMs, AI agents, and large-scale distributed systems. • Executive Stakeholder Engagement: Represent Scale AI in high-stakes negotiations and strategic discussions with senior external partners, demonstrating strong technical competence and credibility. • Strategic Planning & Communication: Develop and communicate a compelling vision for Scale AI’s technology applied to your program. Provide regular updates to senior leadership and key stakeholders on progress, risks, and opportunities. • Culture & Teamwork: Foster a culture of speed, unity of purpose, resilience, and teamwork. Lead through uncertainty with determination and adaptability. What We’re Looking For • 10+ years of software engineering experience, including 5+ years in a technical leadership or staff role. • Deep understanding of modern AI/ML technologies, including experience working with LLMs and AI agents. • Proficient in one or more modern programming languages (Python, JavaScript/TypeScript) • Hands-on experience with Kubernetes and cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure). • Strong product and business sense, with a track record of aligning engineering efforts with company goals. • Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-changing environments and guide your team to do the same. • Experience in executive level engagement with industry partners and Public Sector customers Success Metrics Within 6 months: • Successful demonstration of agentic AI’s mission value in high-stakes customer demonstrations • Establish Scale AI as the preferred agentic AI partner for the PEO • Establish high velocity, agile engineering cadence both internally and with our industry partners Within 12–18 months: • Secure follow-on contract award with expanded scope for Scale • Position Scale AI as the global AI leader in this mission area • Establish developed solutions as Scale product offerings to deliver on future contracts Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position and may be inclusive of several career levels at Scale; it will be determined during the interview process based on work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You'll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO. Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend. The base salary range for this full-time position in the location of Washington DC is: $298,400 — $373