AI Engineer I

Work Authorization Requirement: Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Universal Corporation is unable to provide visa sponsorship or transfer sponsorship for this position now or in the future.

Position: AI Engineer I

Location/Department: Richmond Headquarters/Information Systems

Work Arrangement: Hybrid (3 days in office, 2 days remote)

Status: Full-Time/ Salaried Exempt

Reports To: AI Project Manager

Our Company

The Global Leader in Premium Leaf Tobacco Supply

Universal Leaf Tobacco Company is the world's leading supplier of premium leaf tobacco, with over 100 years of experience sourcing, processing, and delivering tobacco crops tailored to customer specifications. With operations spanning major tobacco-regions across five continents, we connect hundreds of thousands of farmers to global manufacturers through a reliable, transparent, and traceable supply chain.

Our portfolio includes flue-cured, burley, oriental, and dark tobaccos, supported by deep agronomic expertise and advanced processing capabilities. Beyond the leaf, we offer value-added services such as customized blending, next-generation nicotine solutions, recycled by-products, and digital traceability tools that enhance efficiency and sustainability across the supply chain.

Universal Leaf Tobacco is more than a supplier - we are a long-term partner committed to responsible sourcing, farmer support, and continuous innovation. By investing in agricultural communities and upholding the highest standards of quality and compliance, we help ensure a resilient tobacco supply for generations to come.

Summary

As an AI Engineer I at Universal, you will design and develop scalable AI solutions that support business innovation and operational efficiency. You will contribute to the full lifecycle of AI systems-from prototyping and model training to performance testing and deployment. This role is ideal for early-career professionals with strong technical foundations and a passion for machine learning and big data technologies.

What You'll Be Doing (Essential Duties)

• Design and develop scalable solutions using AI tools and machine learning models.
• Ensure the scalability, reliability, and performance of AI systems across diverse use cases.
• Develop and execute performance tests to evaluate system efficiency in handling large datasets, complex algorithms, and processing speeds.
• Perform research and testing to develop machine learning algorithms and predictive models.
• Utilize big data computation and storage tools to create prototypes and datasets.
• Conduct model training, evaluation, and tuning to optimize performance.
• Integrate, test, and monitor AI solutions in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
• Document technical workflows and contribute to knowledge sharing across the team.
• Stay current with emerging AI tools and technologies to support continuous improvement.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as .net, Python, or R.
• Internship or project experience in AI/ML (demonstrates hands-on exposure)
• Basic understanding of statistics and data analysis
• Experience with SQL or NoSQL databases
• Ability to write clean, maintainable code and follow coding standards
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Effective communication and collaboration abilities.
• Typically reports to the AI Project Manager.

Preferred Skills

• Exposure to MLOps tools and practices.
• Experience with RESTful APIs or microservices
• Familiarity with containerization (Docker)
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum environments
• Experience with data visualization and version control (e.g., Power-BI, Git).

Benefits We offer a wide range of market-competitive total rewards that include 401(k) match, pension, merit increases, paid holidays, medical, dental, life, vision, short and long-term disability benefits, and tuition assistance to name a few.

EOE M/F/Disabled/Vet Employer

All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.

The salary range for this position is $66,000 - $88,333. Final compensation will be determined based on factors such as experience, qualifications, and internal equity, in alignment with our compensation structure.