AI Engineer

Salt Digital Recruitment; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 152,000 - 193,000; Full time

Job summary

Salt Digital Recruitment is seeking a Senior Software Engineer II in Amsterdam to design and operate AI-powered backend systems at scale. You will collaborate with AI practitioners and platform engineers to productionize AI solutions, ensuring reliability, performance, and scalability.

The role demands deep expertise in AI/ML, distributed systems, and cloud deployment, with a proven track record in mentoring developers and delivering enterprise-grade software.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, backend or platform focus.
• Expertise in AI and ML systems delivering meaningful business value.
• Proven track record coaching engineers.
• Hands-on experience building AI agents and components such as memory, context engineering, retrieval, and orchestration.
• Experience deploying AI/ML models in production with performance awareness.
• Experience with cross-functional teams including ML engineers, data scientists, and product stakeholders.
• Strong background building and operating distributed systems at scale with focus on performance and observability.
• Experience with scalable storage and caching technologies (MySQL, Redis).
• Proficiency in server-side languages (Java or Python).
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes and cloud deployment (AWS/GCP).
• Degree in CS/Engineering or equivalent industry experience.

Responsibilities

• Design AI workflow solutions and prototype ideas to validate direction.
• Evaluate, benchmark and integrate AI/ML tools and technologies to meet business needs.
• Build scalable workflows supporting real-time AI inference and decision-making.
• Collaborate with ML engineers, data engineers, and data scientists to productionize AI systems.
• Own system reliability, performance tuning, observability, and incident management.
• Mentor teammates and contribute to engineering culture.
• Pursue continuous learning and industry engagement.

Skills

Backend engineering

AI/ML systems

Mentoring engineers

Distributed systems

Java

Python

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in CS/Engineering

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

GCP

MySQL

Redis

Job description

alt is currently hiring a Software Engineer for a client of ours in Amsterdam.

The candidate would need to have kvk/zzp and it is paying around 118 euros per hour.

Role Overview

Our mission is to design and deliver intelligent, scalable, and personalized digital experiences through advanced AI-driven systems. As a Senior Software Engineer II on the AI Application Platform team, you will operate at the intersection of robust backend engineering and cutting‑edge artificial intelligence. In this role, you will help build and operate AI-powered applications that run at scale in production environments. You'll work closely with AI practitioners and platform engineers to solve complex performance, reliability, and orchestration challenges, and to turn AI innovation into real-world impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement AI workflow solutions, rapidly prototyping ideas to validate assumptions and inform technical direction.
• Evaluate, benchmark, and integrate emerging AI/ML tools and technologies to address evolving business needs.
• Build and maintain scalable, reusable workflows that support real-time AI inference and decision-making.
• Collaborate with ML engineers, data engineers, and data scientists to productionize AI systems and optimize end-to-end performance.
• Take end-to-end ownership of system reliability, including performance tuning, observability, operational readiness, and incident management.
• Contribute to a strong engineering culture through mentorship, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement.
• Continuously grow technical and interpersonal skills through hands‑on problem solving, internal learning sessions, and industry engagement.

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a strong focus on backend or platform development.
• Deep technical expertise in AI and ML systems that deliver meaningful business value.
• A proven track record of coaching and mentoring engineers.
• Hands‑on experience building AI agents and components such as memory, context engineering, retrieval, and orchestration.
• Experience integrating AI/ML models into production systems, with an understanding of model behavior, performance, and constraints.
• Experience working in cross‑functional teams with ML engineers, data scientists, and product stakeholders.
• Strong background in building and operating distributed systems at scale, with an emphasis on performance, observability, and reliability.
• Experience with scalable data storage and caching technologies (e.g., MySQL, Redis) for high‑throughput applications.
• Proficiency in at least one server‑side programming language such as Java or Python.
• Experience with containerization and orchestration technologies (Docker, Kubernetes) and deploying systems in cloud environments such as AWS or GCP.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity, take ownership of complex problems, and drive solutions to completion.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• Rates depend on experience and client requirements.