AI Engineer

Job Description & Responsibilities

Persistent Systems is looking for an AI Engineer to design, build, and deploy secure AI applications that help employees find information, automate work, analyze data, and make better decisions.

You'll work closely with business and technical teams to turn ideas into reliable AI solutions using modern generative AI, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and agent-based technologies. This role covers the full software development lifecycle—from planning and prototyping to deployment, monitoring, and ongoing improvements.

We're looking for someone who enjoys solving real business problems, understands both the opportunities and limitations of AI, and can explain technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Position Responsibilities

• Design, build, test, deploy, and maintain AI-powered applications
• Develop RAG systems, AI agents, and conversational AI solutions
• Work with business, engineering, IT, security, and data teams to identify AI use cases and deliver production-ready solutions
• Build secure data ingestion, retrieval, and search pipelines
• Evaluate AI models, frameworks, SDKs, and cloud services based on performance, cost, security, and business needs
• Develop Python APIs and services using tools like FastAPI, Docker, and Kubernetes.
• Implement AI safety, security, governance, and monitoring practices
• Create evaluation frameworks to measure AI quality, accuracy, latency, cost, and reliability
• Connect AI solutions to enterprise databases and analytics platforms
• Document solutions, mentor teammates, review code, and promote engineering best practices

Technologies You'll Work With

• Programming: Python, SQL, pandas, R
• AI Frameworks: LangChain, LangGraph, LlamaIndex, CrewAI, AutoGen
• Agent SDKs: Microsoft 365 Agents SDK, OpenAI Agents SDK, Claude Agent SDK, Google ADK
• Cloud Platforms: Azure AI Foundry, AWS Bedrock, Google Vertex AI, Databricks
• Deployment: FastAPI, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD
• Model Hosting: Hugging Face, Ollama
• AI Evaluation: LangSmith, MLflow, Braintrust, Langfuse, Arize Phoenix
• Analytics: Power BI, Tableau
• Machine Learning: PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn, XGBoost

Job Qualifications & Experience

Minimum Qualifications  

• 2–5 years of experience in software engineering, machine learning, data engineering, or AI engineering
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, data science, mathematics, or a related field (or equivalent experience)
• Strong Python programming skills
• Experience building generative AI applications using LangChain, LangGraph, or similar frameworks
• Experience with RAG systems, prompt engineering, and AI application development
• Experience using at least one major AI platform such as Azure AI Foundry, AWS Bedrock, Google Vertex AI, or Databricks
• Familiarity with SQL and enterprise data systems
• Strong communication and problem-solving skills
• Ability to obtain or hold a U.S. Security Clearance

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with multiple AI frameworks, cloud platforms, or agent SDKs
• Experience deploying open-source models with Hugging Face or Ollama
• Familiarity with FastAPI, Docker, Kubernetes, MLflow, and MLOps/LLMOps
• Experience evaluating and monitoring AI systems in production
• Knowledge of Power BI, Tableau, Microsoft Copilot Studio, or Power Platform
• Data engineering experience with Azure Data Factory, AWS Glue, or Databricks
• Experience with deep learning (PyTorch or TensorFlow) and traditional machine learning (scikit-learn, XGBoost)
• Experience working in regulated or security-sensitive environments

Preferred Certifications

• Microsoft Azure AI certifications (AI-103, AI-200, AI-300)
• AWS Certified Generative AI Developer – Professional
• Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer
• Databricks Certified Generative AI Engineer Associate

The total compensation for this role can vary from $133,000 to $166,000 a year based on individual qualifications. Eligibility for yearly discretionary bonus. Persistent Systems, LLC offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; paid time off (sick time and vacation time); flexible spending accounts; 401(k) plan with company match; fitness membership reimbursement; tuition assistance; mental health benefits; and pet discounts. We will accept applications on a rolling basis until the role is filled.

Company Overview

Headquartered in New York City since 2007, Persistent Systems, LLC is a global communications technology company which develops, manufactures, and integrates a patented and secure Mobile Ad Hoc Networking (MANET) system: Wave Relay®. The company’s industry leading R&D team has designed wireless networking protocols to support their cutting-edge Wave Relay® system and technology. Wave Relay® is capable of running data, video, voice and other applications under the most difficult and unpredictable conditions. Their suite of products is field proven and utilized in Commercial, Military, Government, Industrial, Agriculture, Robotics, and Unmanned System markets.