Staff Software Engineer (AI)

Juniper Square is hiring a Staff Software Engineer (AI) to lead the technical direction and architecture of AI systems. The role involves setting technical direction, driving architectural decisions, and raising engineering quality across the team. The engineer will work on AI-native development, build and operate AI systems, and lead and grow the team.Requirements7+ years of backend and/or ML engineering experience with a trajectory of increasing technical leadership, architectural responsibility, and mentorshipDeep expertise in Python, with strong proficiency in building production-grade backend services; experience with other server-side languages (Node/TS, Java) a plusProduction experience building and operating AI/LLM-powered systems — such as AI SDKs, RAG pipelines, evaluation frameworks, agentic workflows, or model observability — in real systems, not just experimentationExperience leading technical design for complex systems, including making architecture decisions, evaluating tradeoffs, and guiding implementation across multiple engineers or teamsExperience with relational/NoSQL databases, including schema design, performance tuning, and data modelingExperience building and operating cloud-native systems using AWS, Docker, Kubernetes, and infrastructure as codeStrong understanding of CI/CD, observability, reliability, and operational excellence in production environmentsAbility to work through ambiguity, break down complex problems, and drive alignment across engineering, product, and designDemonstrated ability to raise engineering quality through technical standards, design reviews, mentoring, and reusable platform patternsHands-on experience with AI-native development tools (e.g., Cursor, Augment); demonstrated ability to embed AI-driven practices to accelerate team velocity and code qualityAbility to critically evaluate AI-generated code and outputs, including identifying failure modes, regressions, and edge casesBenefitsHealth, dental, and vision care for you and your familyLife insuranceMental wellness coverageFertility and growing family supportFlex Time Off in addition to company-paid holidaysPaid family leave, medical leave, and bereavement leave policiesRetirement saving plansAllowance to customize your work and technology setup at homeAnnual professional development stipendOriginally posted on Himalayas