Esri — the world leader in geographic information systems (GIS) and developer of ArcGIS, used by 75% of Fortune 500 companies — is hiring a Software Development Engineer at its R&D Center in Sharjah, UAE. This cutting-edge role applies AI, deep learning, LLM, and computer vision techniques to revolutionise geospatial analysis and satellite imagery intelligence — developing foundation models, AI agents, and developer tools that empower geospatial analysts and data scientists worldwide with the latest advances in spatial data science and AI.
About Esri R&D Center Sharjah — GIS & AI Innovation
Global Leader: Esri — world’s #1 GIS company, powering ArcGIS for 75% of Fortune 500 organisations
Sharjah R&D Focus: Cutting-edge AI, deep learning, LLM, and geospatial analysis for satellite imagery data
Team Mission: Develop Deep Learning and LLM models enabling geospatial analysts to leverage the latest spatial data science research
Technology Scope: Foundation models, AI agents, computer vision, satellite imagery, multimodal data, and ArcGIS platforms
Culture: Diverse, inclusive, mission-driven — committed to creating positive global change through GIS technology
Career Opportunity & Why Esri Sharjah UAE
World-Leading Platform: Build AI models for ArcGIS — the mapping software used by 75% of Fortune 500 companies
Frontier Research: Work on foundation models, multimodal AI, LLMs, and satellite imagery deep learning at research level
Global Impact: Your models reach geospatial analysts and data scientists across the world through Esri’s platform
Innovation Culture: An R&D environment where learning, experimentation, and cutting-edge AI research are daily practice
Position Overview
The Software Development Engineer at Esri’s R&D Center in Sharjah, UAE is a research-forward AI engineering role building the deep learning and LLM infrastructure that powers Esri’s geospatial intelligence platforms. You will develop foundation models, task-specific deep learning models, and AI agents for various modalities of GIS data — with a particular focus on satellite imagery and remote sensing applications. Working with Python, transformer architectures, computer vision techniques, and multi-agent frameworks like LangGraph, you will push the boundaries of what geospatial AI can do — enabling scientists, analysts, and organisations worldwide to extract deeper insights from the world’s location data through ArcGIS and its integrated AI toolset.
Why This Role Matters: As Software Development Engineer at Esri Sharjah, your models and APIs directly shape how the world’s leading geospatial platform applies artificial intelligence to understand our planet. You will build foundation models for computer vision and multimodal data that power satellite imagery analysis for Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and research institutions globally, develop AI agents that perform complex imagery tasks autonomously within the ArcGIS ecosystem, create and maintain developer samples and APIs that make cutting-edge deep learning and LLM capabilities accessible to the global geospatial community, and build a world-class AI engineering career at the most technically ambitious R&D centre in the UAE.
Key Responsibilities
Deep Learning & LLM Model Development
- Develop tools, APIs, and pretrained models for deep learning (DL) and large language model (LLM) workflows applied to geospatial imagery data
- Build and train foundation models for computer vision, natural language, location intelligence, and multimodal geospatial data modalities
- Design and implement task-specific deep learning models for imagery — including image classification, object detection, semantic segmentation, instance segmentation, GANs, super-resolution, and image inpainting
- Apply transformer architectures to both computer vision and natural language processing tasks within the geospatial and satellite imagery domain
AI Agents & Multimodal System Development
- Develop AI Assistants and Agents capable of performing complex, autonomous imagery analysis tasks within ArcGIS platforms and the broader Esri product ecosystem
- Build and orchestrate multi-agent systems using frameworks such as LangGraph — designing agent workflows that handle imagery analysis, spatial reasoning, and data extraction at scale
- Apply model fine-tuning, safety controls, and data-driven evaluation techniques to validate agent performance and reliability in production-grade geospatial workflows
- Explore and evaluate novel approaches to building multimodal foundation models that integrate visual, language, and location data for next-generation geospatial intelligence
Research, Benchmarking & Architecture Evaluation
- Perform systematic comparative studies of various AI architectures and evaluate their applicability to solve complex problems using satellite imagery and remote sensing data
- Stay current with the latest advances in deep learning, LLM research, and computer vision — applying relevant research directly to Esri’s geospatial platform needs
- Apply deep learning concepts from theory to production code with practical rigor — bridging the gap between research innovation and scalable deployed solutions
- Identify and experiment with emerging AI techniques that could enhance Esri’s geospatial AI capabilities across the ArcGIS product suite
Developer Tooling & Sample Authorship
- Author and maintain high-quality, well-documented samples showcasing AI and LLM applications across various ArcGIS platforms for the global developer community
- Develop APIs and developer tooling that make cutting-edge geospatial deep learning capabilities accessible and easy to use for geospatial analysts and data scientists
- Contribute to Esri’s open and developer-facing documentation, SDKs, and educational resources that enable the global GIS community to leverage AI effectively
Qualifications & Requirements
Education
- Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related engineering discipline — from IITs or other top-tier engineering institutions is specifically noted as preferred
- Advanced degree (MSc or PhD) in AI, machine learning, computer vision, or a related field is a meaningful additional advantage for this research-oriented role
Experience Requirements
- 2+ years of professional experience with Python in data science, deep learning, or LLM development environments
- Self-learner with extensive and demonstrable knowledge of machine learning, deep learning architectures, and large language model development
- Existing work authorisation for UAE — mandatory requirement for all candidates applying to this position
Technical Expertise — One or More Required
- Traditional and deep learning-based computer vision techniques — ability to develop and train models for classification, detection, segmentation, GANs, super-resolution, and inpainting tasks
- Transformer model application to computer vision and NLP — including vision transformers, CLIP-style models, and multimodal architectures
- Development of AI assistants and agents to perform specific automated analytical tasks in complex environments
- Building from scratch and fine-tuning multimodal foundation models across vision, language, and location data modalities
Recommended Qualifications
- Experience applying deep learning to satellite imagery or geospatial datasets — remote sensing, land cover analysis, object detection in aerial imagery
- Familiarity with ArcGIS suite of products and the core concepts of geographic information systems (GIS)
- Practical experience applying deep learning from theory to production code — evidenced by at least one significant project (internship, research publication, or personal portfolio)
- Experience building and orchestrating multi-agent systems with tools like LangGraph, paired with model fine-tuning, safety evaluation, and agent performance validation expertise
About Esri & the R&D Center Sharjah
Esri is the undisputed world leader in geographic information systems — the developer of ArcGIS, the mapping and analytics platform used by 75% of Fortune 500 companies and organisations across more than 200 countries. The Esri R&D Center in Sharjah, UAE is at the forefront of applying AI, deep learning, and large language models to geospatial analysis — developing the intelligent tools and foundation models that will define the next generation of location-based intelligence. Esri is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion as core drivers of innovation — believing that the best solutions emerge from teams with diverse experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds working together toward a shared mission of creating positive global change through GIS technology.
Career Excellence: Join Esri’s R&D Center in Sharjah and build AI and deep learning models that power geospatial intelligence for Fortune 500 companies, governments, and scientists worldwide — at the forefront of where AI meets the map.
Who Should Apply?
- Deep Learning Engineers with GIS or Satellite Imagery Experience: Ready to build production-grade geospatial AI models for a world-leading mapping platform in the UAE
- LLM & AI Agent Developers: With Python proficiency and hands-on experience building and orchestrating multi-agent systems for complex analytical tasks
- Computer Vision Researchers or Engineers: With strong transformer architecture knowledge and experience in detection, segmentation, or foundation model fine-tuning
- Geospatial Data Scientists: With remote sensing or satellite imagery background who want to apply cutting-edge deep learning research to real-world location intelligence challenges
- AI Engineers from Top Engineering Institutions: With 2+ years of Python, deep learning, or LLM development experience and valid UAE work authorisation
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