Senior AI Engineer

Job Posting Organization:
The Foundation is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to combating poverty, disease, and inequity on a global scale. Established with the mission that every individual, regardless of their identity or circumstances, should have the opportunity to lead a healthy and productive life, the Foundation emphasizes the importance of diversity among its employees to reflect the global populations it serves. The organization offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage without premiums, generous paid time off, paid family leave, retirement contributions, regional holidays, and opportunities for employees to engage in various community initiatives. The Foundation is committed to fostering a workplace environment that promotes both personal and professional growth for its employees.

Job Overview:
As a Senior AI Engineer, you will play a pivotal role in the Enterprise Data Solutions (EDS) team within the Business Operations and IT organization. This position requires a highly skilled individual contributor who is responsible for designing, building, and deploying AI solutions that cater to the needs of foundation and affiliate staff globally. You will leverage your strong technical expertise and hands-on approach to develop scalable, secure, and reliable AI systems that address real organizational challenges. Your responsibilities will include translating defined problem statements into effective technical solutions, collaborating closely with team members, and contributing directly to the implementation and delivery of AI initiatives. This role is hybrid, requiring 50% in-office presence in Seattle, and involves executing AI initiatives, designing solutions, integrating systems, and ensuring that solutions are production-ready and adhere to engineering best practices.

Duties and Responsibilities:
Your duties will encompass a wide range of responsibilities, including but not limited to: developing and implementing agentic AI systems that involve multi-step workflows, tool usage, and autonomous task orchestration using LLM-based frameworks; designing, building, and deploying scalable AI/ML solutions utilizing Python and cloud-native services in Microsoft Azure; integrating AI capabilities into enterprise applications and workflows through APIs and microservices; translating business and technical requirements into robust, production-ready solutions; collaborating with engineers, product managers, and stakeholders to ensure AI solutions meet requirements; contributing to solution design and architecture discussions; utilizing AI-assisted development tools to enhance development efficiency; participating in code reviews, automated testing, and CI/CD pipelines; deploying, monitoring, and optimizing AI solutions in Azure; troubleshooting and resolving issues across development and production environments; contributing to reusable components and shared frameworks for AI development; supporting data preparation and prompt engineering; and staying current with emerging AI technologies to identify opportunities for enhancement.

Required Qualifications:
The position requires a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, typically necessitating an advanced degree or equivalent experience along with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience. Candidates should possess strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, a commitment to operational excellence, and a dedication to continuous learning and improvement of engineering practices. Proficiency in programming with Python is essential, along with hands-on experience using AI-assisted coding tools such as Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, and Codex. Familiarity with state-of-the-art LLMs, agentic systems, and RAG architecture is crucial, as is practical knowledge of embeddings, tokenization, evaluation, and frameworks like LangChain and LlamaIndex. Experience in deploying, monitoring, and maintaining ML/LLM systems in production is also required, along with a deep understanding of data privacy, security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security, and compliance considerations in AI system development.

Educational Background:
Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience, with a preference for those holding an advanced degree in a relevant field. The educational background should ideally include coursework or training in artificial intelligence, data science, computer science, or related disciplines that provide a strong foundation for the technical skills required in this role.

Experience:
The role requires a minimum of 5 years of prior relevant experience, with at least 3 years of professional experience working with cloud technologies, preferably Azure. Candidates should demonstrate a proven ability to prototype, iterate, and productionize innovative AI solutions that deliver measurable business value. Experience with agile development methodologies such as Scrum or Kanban is also beneficial, as is a commitment to ethical AI practices and responsible AI development.

Languages:
While the job does not specify mandatory languages, proficiency in English is essential for effective communication within the team and with stakeholders. Additional language skills may be considered an asset, particularly if they align with the Foundation's global mission and the diverse populations it serves.

Additional Notes:
This is a hybrid role based in Seattle, requiring 50% in-office attendance. The salary range for this position is between $157,400 to $236,000 USD, with higher ranges for specific locations such as Seattle and Washington D.C. where the range is $173,100 to $259,700 USD. The Foundation emphasizes a balance between competitive pay and its mission-driven focus. New hires typically fall within the range minimum and midpoint, with actual placement depending on job-related skills and experience. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a background check, and the Foundation is committed to providing an inclusive hiring experience, offering accommodations for candidates with disabilities or medical conditions.