Staff AI Engineer

Gugu Robotics

Staff AI Engineer leading design and delivery of AI/ML systems at Robots and Pencils. Focused on technical leadership and AI strategy alignment across teams.

Posted 7/14/2026full-timeRemote • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $177,375 - $209,625 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in leading the design and implementation of scalable ML/AI systems, with a strong focus on architecture, responsible AI practices, and mentoring engineering teams. Proficient in translating complex AI concepts into actionable strategies that align with business objectives.

Highest-signal resume keywords

AI/ML Systems DevelopmentPython ProgrammingAWS Cloud PlatformsGenerative AI DevelopmentAI Frameworks Mastery

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Software EngineeringAI Safety PrinciplesAPI DesignCost OptimizationRAG Pipeline DevelopmentEvaluation FrameworksObservability ToolsContainerization with DockerKubernetes DeploymentPrompt Injection Defenses

Soft Skills

MentoringTechnical LeadershipCross-Functional CollaborationEffective CommunicationProblem-Solving

Tools & Technologies

Claude CodeCursorLLM ApplicationsVector DatabasesEmbedding Models

Industry Keywords

AI StrategyEngineering StandardsModel DevelopmentProduction EnvironmentsAgentic Systems

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSCloudDockerKubernetesPython

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead the design and implementation of complex ML/AI systems end-to-end, owning architecture decisions and driving solutions from research through production at scale
Build and evolve scalable ML platforms, pipelines, and infrastructure that support reliable, repeatable model development and deployment across teams
Set the standard for AI-forward engineering, using tools like Claude and Cursor with sophistication and helping the team adopt them effectively
Partner with product, engineering, and leadership to shape AI strategy and align technical direction with business outcomes
Translate complex AI tradeoffs, risks, and opportunities into clear narratives that drive decision-making across technical and non-technical stakeholders
Lead design reviews and technical discussions, raising the bar for engineering rigor and constructive challenge across the team
Define AI architecture and engineering standards, bringing depth on tradeoffs, long-term implications, and responsible AI practices
Mentor and grow junior and mid-level engineers, multiplying impact through coaching, code reviews, and pairing on hard problems
Take ownership of the most ambiguous and highest-stakes pieces of work, driving them through to production with care for reliability, cost, and safety.

Requirements

What you’ll need

7+ years professional software engineering experience, with 4+ years focused on AI/ML systems in production and deep hands-on experience with generative AI development
Expert software engineering background (Python or similar) with strong design sensibilities for scalable, maintainable systems
Deep expertise with cloud platforms, including in-depth understanding of AWS services and AWS GenAI offerings
Proven track record designing and shipping complex agentic systems in production environments
Mastery of AI frameworks and orchestration tools
Strong experience with evaluation frameworks and observability tools for LLM apps, including building these capabilities where they don't yet exist
Deep understanding of AI safety, responsible AI principles, prompt injection defenses, and PII handling
Extensive experience building RAG pipelines: chunking strategies, embedding models, vector databases, and advanced retrieval techniques
API design experience, including architecting and integrating with internal and third-party services at scale
Advanced cost optimization expertise: token economics, caching strategies, model routing, quantization
Strong working knowledge of Docker and Kubernetes for containerized deployments
Demonstrable, day-to-day usage and expert knowledge of AI-forward coding tools such as Claude Code and Cursor.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Health insurance
401(k) matching
Flexible work hours
Paid time off
Remote work options