AI Engineer

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