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

Compensation Range: $115K - $130K