AI Engineer

<p><span data-contrast="none">We're looking for an AI Engineer to contribute to the development and delivery of AI/ML systems. This role is ideal for an early-career engineer who is comfortable writing code, eager to take on real responsibility, and ready to grow their craft.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">In this role, you will work as a contributing member of a cross-functional team, building and supporting AI/ML models, pipelines, and the systems around them. You'll take ownership of well-scoped tasks, learn from more senior engineers, and steadily expand the surface area you can confidently deliver on. You'll be joining real, in-flight work where reliability and quality matter. You'll collaborate closely with experienced engineers to build new capabilities, improve existing systems, and develop the technical instincts that come from shipping things that matter.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 2">Why This Role Matters</span></span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"335559738":299,"335559739":299}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="none">At Robots & Pencils, we design AI systems for a human world. Our name says it all. Robots and pencils means engineering paired with creativity, because every agent we ship has to work for real people in real workflows. That balance is baked into how we operate.</span> <br> <br><span data-contrast="none">Every role here contributes directly to that mission. Here, you shape how AI systems integrate into enterprise operations, how teams move at real velocity, and how products create measurable impact for clients and the people they serve. We ship production-ready AI in 30 to 45 days. That pace demands people who take ownership, lead with craft, and care deeply about what they put their name on.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></p>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 2">What </span><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 2">You’ll</span><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 2"> Do</span></span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"335559738":299,"335559739":299}"> </span></p>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 3">Craft </span><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 3">& Delivery</span></span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"335559738":281,"335559739":281}"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="54" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Build and ship features of AI/ML and LLM-powered systems with guidance from senior engineers, contributing to solutions that run in production</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="54" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Implement and maintain components of AI/ML and AI agent pipelines from data ingestion through model deployment, picking up the unglamorous parts as you grow</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="54" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Contribute to LLM-powered features such as prompts, evaluations, retrieval, and tool integrations, working alongside senior engineers</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="54" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Handle data preprocessing, feature engineering, and basic evaluation to prepare quality inputs and validate model and prompt performance</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 3">Collaboration & Communication</span></span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"335559738":281,"335559739":281}"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="none">Work closely with engineers across a distributed, cross-functional team to move projects forward effectively</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="none">Document experiments, results, and model decisions clearly so findings can be built upon, replicated, and shared across the team</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="none">Participate in code reviews and team discussions, contributing your perspective and incorporating feedback</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 3">Leadership & Influence</span></span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"335559738":281,"335559739":281}"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="none">Take ownership of assigned tasks and deliver end-to-end with consistency and follow-through</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="none">Share learnings from experiments and research with the broader team, contributing to a culture of continuous improvement</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="8" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="6" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="none">Bring intellectual curiosity to every problem — ask good questions, explore new approaches, and stay hungry to grow your craft</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 2">What </span><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 2">You’ll</span><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 2"> Bring</span></span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"335559738":299,"335559739":299}"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="55" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">3+ years of professional software engineering experience, with hands-on exposure to AI/ML systems and generative AI development</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="55" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Solid software engineering foundation (Python or similar)</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="55" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Foundational knowledge of cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure), with interest in deepening AWS and AWS GenAI expertise</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="55" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Exposure to building or contributing to agentic AI systems alongside more senior engineers</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="55" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Familiarity with AI frameworks and orchestration tools</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="55" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="6" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Familiarity with evaluation and observability practices for LLM apps</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="55" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="7" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Awareness of AI safety, responsible AI principles, prompt injection risks, and PII handling</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="55" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="8" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Exposure to RAG pipelines: chunking strategies, embedding models, and vector databases</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="55" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="9" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Experience building or integrating with APIs, including internal and third-party services</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="55" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="10" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Awareness of LLM cost considerations such as token economics and caching strategies</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="55" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="11" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Working knowledge of Docker for containerized deployments, with exposure to Kubernetes</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="·" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="55" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"·","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="12" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="none">Demonstrable, day-to-day usage of AI-forward coding tools such as Claude Code and Cursor</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559685":720,"335559737":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 2">Helpful Extras</span><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 2"> and Unique Skills</span></span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"335559738":299,"335559739":299}"> </span></p>
<p><strong><span data-contrast="none"><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 2">You’ll</span><span data-ccp-parastyle="heading 2"> Do Well Here if You Are</span></span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"134245418":true,"134245529":true,"335559738":299,"335559739":299}"> </span></p>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">A doer.</span></strong><span data-contrast="auto"> You see something broken and fix it. You'd rather move on clarity than wait for certainty.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">A fast learner who knows you don't know everything.</span></strong><span data-contrast="auto"> The AI landscape changes weekly. You're senior enough to know better and curious enough to keep learning anyway.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Direct in a way that makes the work better.</span></strong><span data-contrast="auto"> You give honest feedback. You'd rather have the hard conversation than blow smoke.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Obsessed with craft.</span></strong><span data-contrast="auto"> You know genius is in the details. You ship exceptional, not perfect, and you don't put your name on work you wouldn't stand behind.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Built for ownership.</span></strong><span data-contrast="auto"> You honor commitments, admit mistakes fast, and back your teammates when a decision costs something. No handoffs, no finger-pointing.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="6" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">All in.</span></strong><span data-contrast="auto"> You treat clients' businesses like your own. You take the work seriously without taking yourself seriously.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="7" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Resourceful when the budget, timeline, or team is tight.</span></strong><span data-contrast="auto"> Constraints don't slow you down. They sharpen you.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="8" data-aria-level="1"><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Glad to be in the room with people who care as much as you do.</span></strong><span data-contrast="auto"> Our teams average fifteen-plus years of experience. We hire people who push each other to do better work.</span><span data-ccp-props="{}"> </span></li>
</ul>
<p> <br><em><span data-contrast="none">The below range reflects the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range. This range may be modified in the future. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, any collective bargaining agreements, and business or organizational needs. The salary range for this role is $105,000USD - $147,000 USD.<span data-ccp-charstyle="apple-converted-space" data-ccp-charstyle-defn="{"ObjectId":"2fd183b4-ad5c-5199-9fc7-89a6d0356079|1","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[201342446,"1",201342447,"5",201342448,"3",201342449,"1",469777841,"Aptos",469777842,"",469777843,"宋体",469777844,"Aptos",201341986,"1",469769226,"Aptos,宋体",268442635,"24",469775450,"apple-converted-space",201340122,"1",134233614,"true",469778129,"apple-converted-space",335572020,"1",469778324,"Default Paragraph Font"]}"> </span></span></em><span data-contrast="none"> </span><em><span data-contrast="none">We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance and 401(k) to eligible employees.</span></em> <br> <br><em><span data-contrast="none">An offer of employment may be conditional upon successful completion of a background check in accordance with local legislation and our candidate privacy notice. Your current employer will not be contacted without your permission.  We are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for all job applicants and employees. Employment decisions are based upon job-related reasons regardless of an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, marital status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by law.</span></em><span data-ccp-props="{"335559685":360}"> </span></p>