AI Engineer

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.

About Makai Labs

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.

Always be of service to each other and our clients, partners, and neighbors

Responsibilities

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
• Experience running AI experiments and iterating quickly

Requirements

• Senior in college, recent graduate, or early-career engineer
• Experience building AI applications through internships, coursework, research, or personal projects
• Strong Python skills
• Initiative and willingness to learn quickly on the job
• Have a strong work ethic
• Be self-sufficient and self-driven with an ownership mentality, no matter your role

Preferred

• Background in computer science (bonus if you also have business exposure)
• Bias toward action and comfort with fast iteration
• Wants to solve hard problems
• Experience with APIs, backend services, or workflow automation
• Familiarity with FastAPI, Flask, or similar backend frameworks
• Familiarity with Docker and local development environments
• 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

Benefits

• Be congenial and a team player
• Fully remote role, Eastern time zone
• Opportunities to work in-person with local colleagues
• Generous PTO
• Full health insurance premium reimbursement
• 401(k) matching

What we value

Interest in staying current with AI advancements and applying them in practical systems

Familiarity with testing in Python or TypeScript

Be a flexible thinker