Senior AI Engineer
Reach Velocity - Emerging TechnologyAbout the role
Senior AI Engineer
US Remote | $220,000–$250,000 base salary + competitive equity | Full-time
The opportunity
Join an early-stage technology company building practical AI-powered software. We are looking for a senior engineer who combines strong full-stack development with hands-on experience turning LLM capabilities into reliable products. You will own features from initial design through production, working across backend systems, AI workflows and user experience.
What you will do
- Build and ship production-grade agentic AI systems and customer-facing product features.
- Develop full-stack applications using TypeScript/Node.js and Python.
- Design orchestration, tool use, context and memory management, and retrieval workflows.
- Establish evaluations and observability to measure quality, diagnose failures and improve reliability, latency and cost.
- Integrate AI into intuitive interfaces and workflows, with attention to security and responsible handling of information.
- Assess emerging models and tools pragmatically, choosing approaches that solve real user problems.
- Take ownership in a small team, moving from 0→1 development to maintainable production systems.
What you will bring
- 6–10+ years of full-stack software engineering experience, including applied AI/LLM systems delivered to production.
- Strong hands-on TypeScript/Node.js and Python skills.
- Practical experience with agentic architectures, context engineering, orchestration, evaluation and observability.
- Early-stage startup experience and the ability to deliver independently across the product stack.
- Clear examples of systems you personally built, shipped and supported in real-world use.
- A degree in Computer Science or a related STEM discipline.
Strong pluses
Experience with regulated environments, fintech, document intelligence, information extraction or complex unstructured data.
Compensation and working arrangements
- Annual base salary: $220,000–$250,000 USD, plus competitive equity.
- Remote within the United States; candidates must be US-based.
- Quarterly team offsites.
- Visa transfers may be possible for exceptional candidates, subject to individual review.
This is a confidential search. Further company information will be shared during the recruitment process.
Responsibilities
- Build and ship production-grade agentic AI systems and customer-facing product features.
- Develop full-stack applications using TypeScript/Node.js and Python.
- Design orchestration, tool use, context and memory management, and retrieval workflows.
- Establish evaluations and observability to measure quality, diagnose failures and improve reliability, latency and cost.
- Integrate AI into intuitive interfaces and workflows, with attention to security and responsible handling of information.
- Assess emerging models and tools pragmatically, choosing approaches that solve real user problems.
- Take ownership in a small team, moving from 0→1 development to maintainable production systems.
Qualifications
- 6–10+ years of full-stack software engineering experience, including applied AI/LLM systems delivered to production.
- Strong hands-on TypeScript/Node.js and Python skills.
- Practical experience with agentic architectures, context engineering, orchestration, evaluation and observability.
- Early-stage startup experience and the ability to deliver independently across the product stack.
- Clear examples of systems you personally built, shipped and supported in real-world use.
- A degree in Computer Science or a related STEM discipline.
Benefits
- Competitive equity.
- Quarterly team offsites.
- Visa transfers may be possible for exceptional candidates, subject to individual review.
Skills mentioned
About Reach Velocity - Emerging Technology
Reach Velocity: Strategic Talent & Growth Partner for Emerging Technology Reach Velocity is a specialist technology consulting and talent solutions firm supporting the world’s most innovative companies. With headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal and Laguna Beach, California, we operate at the intersection of strategic advisory, workforce design, and elite technical recruitment across global innovation hubs. Our focus is on helping high-growth companies build and scale world-class engineering and leadership teams in advanced sectors including Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Autonomous Systems, Aerospace, Space Exploration, AgTech, and Future Mobility. Beyond traditional recruitment, Reach Velocity works closely with founders, executives, and technical leaders to design scalable talent strategies that support rapid innovation and long-term growth. Strategic Talent Solutions We deliver flexible hiring solutions tailored to the needs of both venture-backed startups and established technology organizations, including: Executive Search & Leadership Hiring Identifying and securing senior leaders capable of scaling complex technical organizations. Specialist Engineering Recruitment Access to the top tier of global talent across AI/ML, perception, autonomy software, robotics, embedded systems, and aerospace engineering. Project & Team Buildouts Assembling complete engineering teams to support product launches, R&D initiatives, and next-generation technology programs. Embedded Hiring Partnerships (RPO) Acting as an extension of internal teams to design hiring processes, pipelines, and long-term workforce strategies. Flexible Engagement Models Retained search, contingency recruitment, and contract staffing depending on the scale and urgency of each project. A Consulting-Led Approach to Recruitment What differentiates Reach Velocity is our consulting-first mindset. Rather than simply filling roles