AI Engineer

About this role

AI Engineer Who we are Makai Labs builds software that automates entire companies. We work across a diversified portfolio, which means our systems touch a wide range of domains, processes, and operational constraints. Our engineering team is small, senior, and high-output. We move fast, hold high standards, and trust each other to take ownership without being managed. What we're looking for Makai Labs is hiring a AI Engineer to help build AI systems for enterprise automation. This is a hands-on builder role where you’ll work closely with our engineering and design teams to prototype, ship, and improve AI-powered products and internal tools. You’ll have the opportunity to own smaller projects end to end while contributing to larger client and platform initiatives. Responsibilities will include - Build and improve AI-powered applications and internal tools - Rapidly prototype, experiment, and iterate across client and internal projects - Implement workflows that use LLMs, retrieval systems, agents, and structured outputs - Contribute to shared platform work and reusable tooling - Turn prototypes into reliable, client-ready systems - Conduct research, benchmarking, testing, and evaluation of new approaches - Own smaller projects or sub-projects with guidance from the team - Take ownership of deliverables and help deliver work that meets client needs - Write and maintain clear internal documentation Ideal Experience - Senior in college, recent graduate, or early-career engineer - Background in computer science (bonus if you also have business exposure) - Experience building AI applications through internships, coursework, research, or personal projects - Experience running AI experiments and iterating quickly - Strong Python skills What we value - Initiative and willingness to learn quickly on the job - Bias toward action and comfort with fast iteration - Interest in staying current with AI advancements and applying them in practical systems - Wants to solve hard problems Nice To Haves - Experience with APIs, backend services, or workflow automation - Familiarity with FastAPI, Flask, or similar backend frameworks - Familiarity with React and TypeScript - Familiarity with Docker and local development environments - Familiarity with testing in Python or TypeScript - Experience working with retrieval systems, embeddings, or search - Experience working with OCR, document processing, or PDF workflows - Experience with fine-tuning, benchmarking, or serving LLMs - Experience in fast-paced, high-accountability team settings Core values for Makai employees - Have a strong work ethic - Be self-sufficient and self-driven with an ownership mentality, no matter your role - Be a flexible thinker - Be congenial and a team player - Always be of service to each other and our clients, partners, and neighbors Benefits - Fully remote role, Eastern time zone - Opportunities to work in-person with local colleagues - Generous PTO - Full health insurance premium reimbursement - 401(k) matching - Career growth & development opportunities