Senior Application Engineer

DescriptionThe Senior Application Engineer designs and builds resilient software for complex internal applications, with a focus on API development, data services, and cloud-based infrastructure. You bring strong programming fundamentals - data structures, system design, and sound tradeoffs - and apply that thinking across languages rather than being anchored to any one stack. You will integrate AI capabilities into our product suite and - critically - wield AI development tooling (Claude Code, Cursor, AI-enabled CLI, and agentic coding tools) and AI DevOps practices to build, iterate, govern, and scale those applications with greater speed and quality, designing around AI's strengths and failure modes. Day-to-day work spans a modern JavaScript frontend, a server-side language such as PHP or Python, and AWS infrastructure, but adaptability and engineering judgment matter more than time spent in any specific framework.What You'll Do Every DayReasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.System Design & Development: Collaborate in designing and building resilient, AI-integrated software for complex internal applications, with emphasis on API development, data services, and cloud infrastructure. You will work hands-on with code and architecture to ensure systems align with user needs, company objectives, and the growing role of AI within our product suite.AI-Integrated Application Development: Build and maintain AI-powered features within internal applications, integrating APIs from providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. Scope, implement, and harden LLM-connected capabilities with an emphasis on reliability, performance, and practical utility - from integration design through testing and production deployment.Coding and Development: Write and manage application code, scripts, and automations using JavaScript, Python, and PHP. Design and maintain serverless Cloud Functions on AWS, with emphasis on performance, reliability, and clean integration with AI-driven workflows.Database Management: Perform data management using MySQL and PostgreSQL. Ensure the scalability, reliability, and security of all database systems supporting both traditional and AI-enhanced application layers.Problem-Solving: Identify and resolve complex technical issues — including those specific to AI integration, model behavior, and API reliability — both independently and collaboratively, ensuring smooth operation across all systems and components.Documentation & Reporting: Maintain clear, precise documentation of code, AI workflows, system behaviors, and processes. Keep records up to date and ensure all technical documentation is accessible for team members and stakeholders.AI-Powered Development & DevOps: Wield AI effectively across the full development lifecycle - using tools like Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and AI-enabled CLI utilities to accelerate coding, code review, debugging, and testing. Champion AI DevOps practices for how the team builds, iterates, governs, and scales applications: automated pipelines, AI-assisted testing, deployment tooling, and performance monitoring. Evaluate emerging AI development tools, establish team standards for responsible use across the SDLC, and drive continuous improvement in how AI amplifies engineering output.Implementation Oversight: Lead the implementation phase by overseeing code quality, performing reviews, and ensuring solutions follow best practices - including those specific to AI-integrated systems. Optimize application performance in cloud environments, focusing on efficient use of AWS services, SQS handling, and automated testing.Projects & Teammate Mentorship: Provide mentorship and guidance to the development team, including on AI integration approaches, development tooling, and application architecture. Offer project consultation and support to uphold and advance our engineering gold standards.Additional duties, as assigned.This is a remote work opportunity with limited travel obligations, which requires demonstrating a level of dedication and commitment to being self-driven and accountable.Requirements4+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a track record of shipping and maintaining production systems. Demonstrated exemplary performance may supersede the experience requirement.Strong foundation in computer science fundamentals — data structures, algorithms, time/space complexity, and object-oriented and functional design patterns — with the ability to apply them across languages. Comfortable picking up new languages and frameworks as needed; current stack exposure to a modern JS framework (Vue/React) and a server-side language (PHP, Python, or Node) is helpful but not required. Laravel familiarity is a plus.Experience integrating third-party APIs (including generative AI providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google) into production, with a clear understanding of rate limits,