> AI agents: this is one page of Nextmove’s FDE site, in Markdown. Nextmove is a job board and free career service for forward deployed engineers (FDEs). Each posting is classified from its text, not its title: the kind of work, how much of it is production code, pre-sales weight, time at customer sites, travel, remote arrangement, level and posted base pay. The site also publishes the aggregates: median pay by level, metro, company and kind of work, and which companies started hiring FDEs each week. Every page under https://nextmove.md/fde is served this way; the index of pages is https://nextmove.md/llms.txt. # Principal AI Solution Developer Canonical URL: https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/78e12fd4c621e29a Donaldson Company, Inc. posts a principal FDE role to build for teams inside the company in Bloomington, MN, at $111,840–$139,800 base, below the staff+ FDE median of $225,000 across 388 postings with pay. Leads enterprise AI engineering for a central Center of Excellence, taking solutions from prototypes to production across a global manufacturing footprint. Read from the employer’s posting on November 8, 2026. - [Donaldson Company, Inc.](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/donaldson-company-inc) First seen Oct 24, 2026 · open on Workday as of Nov 8, 2026 **$111,840–$139,800** Bloomington, MN Hybrid Leads enterprise AI engineering for a central Center of Excellence, taking solutions from prototypes to production across a global manufacturing footprint. - [See roles that fit me](https://nextmove.md/sign-up?from=%2Ffde%2Fjobs%2F78e12fd4c621e29a&placement=top) - [View posting at Donaldson Company, Inc.](https://donaldson.wd115.myworkdayjobs.com/DonaldsonCareers/job/Bloomington-MN-USA/Principal-AI-Solution-Developer_JR-27787) Free. Upload your resume once, see why each FDE role fits, and get introduced only when you say so. ## At a glance ### Posted base pay $112K–$140K Below the median Midpoint $126K · median $225K This job $112K to $140K. Staff+ FDE postings, 388 postings: the middle 50% of posted pay is $197K to $262K, median $225K. ### The work Builds for teams inside the company Balance **Mostly building** Project stages 1. Pre-sales (not covered) 2. Proof of concept 3. Implementation 4. Operations (not covered) Travel **Up to 10%** - **Coding**: Writes production code - **Builds for**: Internal teams - **Level**: Staff+ - **Role**: Technical lead ### What they ask for Experience - **6+ years** Professional software engineering experience with a bachelor's degree or related field degree - **10+ years** Professional software engineering experience with a high school diploma (alternative education path) - **3+ years** Building and deploying AI/ML or applied AI solutions in production environments Background - **Software engineering** Visa - **No visa sponsorship** ### Do you meet what the posting states? The posting asks for 3+ years. How many do you have? The posting reads as a staff-level role. What level are you at now? The job is in Bloomington, MN. Could you work there? The posting says no visa sponsorship. Do you need one? Which of these have you used in production? Answer each one. Nothing is saved or sent. [What postings ask for, by background →](https://nextmove.md/fde/paths) ## Conditions - **Location**: Bloomington, MN - **Work arrangement**: Hybrid - **Remote work restrictions**: Hybrid schedule at the Bloomington, MN office; remote work arrangements outside the U.S. are not considered. - **Visa sponsorship**: Not available - **Travel**: Up to 10% - **Pay**: ## More like this [Royal Bank of Canada](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/royal-bank-of-canada) ### [Lead Agentic AI Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/3ed1b14b4e560709) Minneapolis, MN 3mo ago $100,000–$170,000 [Medtronic](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/medtronic) ### [Principal Finance Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE)](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/9f92dbac0a74d8c2) Fridley, MN On-site 6w ago $123,200–$184,800 [Thomson Reuters](https://nextmove.md/fde/companies/thomson-reuters) ### [Lead AI Forward Engineer](https://nextmove.md/fde/jobs/66607c43c85e4fad) Eagan, MN · Frisco, TX Hybrid 5w ago $127,400–$236,600 ## The job description from Donaldson Company, Inc. Donaldson is committed to solving the world’s most complex filtration challenges. Together, we make cool things. As an established technology and innovation leader, we are continuously evolving to meet the filtration needs of our changing world. Join a culture of collaboration and innovation that matters and a chance to learn, effect change, and make meaningful contributions at work and in communities. ### Position Summary The **Principal AI Solutions Engineer** is the most senior engineering role in Donaldson's AI Center of Excellence, a focused central team with enterprise-wide reach and a short path from idea to production. Reporting to the Director of Artificial Intelligence, you will build AI solutions and integrations into systems and processes across Donaldson's global manufacturing footprint, take them from prototype to production, and define the engineering standards every AI solution is built to. Qualified candidates must be able to work a **hybrid** schedule at our ** Bloomington, MN **office. ### Role Responsibilities - Serve as the technical authority in the AI Center of Excellence for how AI solutions are designed and built, evaluating new models, frameworks, and tools and setting the direction the enterprise builds to. - Partner with business stakeholders and AI leads embedded across functions to identify high-value opportunities, redesigning existing processes with AI as a foundational element rather than a bolt-on. - Rapidly build and demonstrate working prototypes using large language models, agentic frameworks, and generative AI tools to validate ideas before full investment. - Lead the end-to-end delivery of AI solutions from prototype through production, ensuring scalability, reliability, observability, and maintainability. - Design and implement agentic AI systems, including multi-agent orchestration, retrieval-augmented generation pipelines, tool-calling integrations, and context engineering strategies. - Define the reference architecture and engineering standards that both centrally built and business-built AI solutions are held to, covering prompt engineering, evaluation, monitoring, cost controls, and responsible AI guardrails. - Take on problems where the constraint is process and data maturity rather than model access, spanning supplier and customer communications, master data quality, and operational planning across a global manufacturing network. - Integrate AI solutions with enterprise data systems, APIs, and platforms such as cloud data services, collaboration platforms, and ERP and CRM systems to deliver measurable business outcomes. - Multiply impact through a federated delivery model, coaching business and IT teams who build their own AI solutions so their work meets enterprise standards for governance, security, and quality. - Mentor and upskill a central team of AI developers and program managers, along with colleagues across the business, fostering an AI-ready culture and working with IT, data, security, and compliance teams to meet enterprise standards. ### Travel: Up to 10% ### Minimum Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related field and 6+ years of professional software engineering experience OR a high school diploma and 10+ years of professional software engineering experience. - 3+ years building and deploying AI/ML or applied AI solutions in production environments. - Professional experience developing in Python with modern AI and agent frameworks such as Microsoft Agent Framework, LangChain, LangGraph, or equivalent. - Professional experience building and deploying agentic AI systems, including multi-agent architectures and tool-calling integrations. ### Preferred Qualifications - Hands-on experience building knowledge assistants or retrieval-augmented generation systems over enterprise documents and data, including evaluating and improving retrieval quality. - Experience with Azure OpenAI Service and Azure AI Foundry for AI solution delivery, and with Snowflake Cortex AI for applying models to governed enterprise data, along with MLOps and AI observability practices and model evaluation frameworks. - Experience with Microsoft 365 and Power Platform AI capabilities, such as Copilot Studio and Power Automate, including governed environments that allow business teams to build and scale their own agents. - Experience integrating AI with enterprise manufacturing and supply chain systems, such as Oracle ERP, CRM platforms, and master data management tools. - Strong facilitation and communication skills, with experience leading process redesign workshops with business teams and translating the outcomes into AI solution requirements. - Knowledge of responsible AI principles, prompt injection risks, data privacy, and large language model security practices in a governed enterprise environment. **Annual Salary Range:** $111,840-$139,800. Actual salaries will vary based on several factors including, but not limited to applicable work experience, training, education, performance. This position is **eligible for annual incentive plan **based on performance and company growth. ### Immigration Sponsorship Not Available - Applicants for this position must be currently and legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future sponsorship (e.g., H-1B, J-1, F-1, CPT, OPT, etc.). - Donaldson will not offer immigration sponsorship or assume sponsorship of an employment visa for this position. - International relocation or remote work arrangements outside of the U.S. will not be considered. #LI-Hybrid Employment opportunities for positions in the United States may require use of information which is subject to the export control regulations of the United States. Hiring decisions for such positions are required by law to be made in compliance with these regulations. Applicants for employment opportunities in other countries must be able to meet the comparable export control requirements of that country and of the United States. Donaldson Company has been made aware that there are several recruiting scams that are targeting job seekers. These scams have attempted to solicit money for job applications and/or collect confidential information, Donaldson will never solicit money during the application or recruiting process. Donaldson only accepts online applications through our Careers | Donaldson Company, Inc. website and any communication from a Donaldson recruiter would be sent using a donaldson.com email address. If you have any questions about the legitimacy of an employment opportunity, please reach out to talentacquisition@donaldson.com to verify that the communication is from Donaldson. Our policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified persons without regard to race, gender, color, disability, national origin, age, religion, union affiliation, sexual orientation, veteran status, citizenship, gender identity and/or expression, or other status protected by law. [View posting at Donaldson Company, Inc.](https://donaldson.wd115.myworkdayjobs.com/DonaldsonCareers/job/Bloomington-MN-USA/Principal-AI-Solution-Developer_JR-27787) ## About Donaldson Company, Inc. Global manufacturer of technology-led filtration products and solutions across mobile, industrial, and life-sciences markets. 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