Staff AI Engineer- Developer Tools

Vacaturebank; Netherlands; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work option

Relocation support

Meal allowance

Gym access or stipend

Learning & development budget

Company events

Job summary

Vacaturebank is listing a Staff AI Engineer - Developer Tools in the Netherlands. You will lead AI-powered developer experiences at scale, shaping workflows for C++ development and integrating AI agents with IDEs and tooling.

This role emphasizes hands-on engineering leadership, architectural direction, and collaboration across product and ML teams to drive strategic AI initiatives in a mature codebase.

Qualifications

• Significant software engineering experience at Staff Engineer, Principal Engineer, Technical Lead, or comparable senior level.
• Strong experience with Kotlin, Java, or other JVM technologies, or ability to quickly become productive in a JVM-based codebase.
• Experience building AI-powered products, developer tools, coding assistants, agents, or LLM-based workflows.
• Strong understanding of modern coding agents, tool calling, context management, MCP, and AI evaluation techniques.

Responsibilities

• Provide hands-on technical leadership for AI-powered developer experiences.
• Shape and deliver AI-powered features for C++ development workflows and developer tools.
• Design architectures for AI integrations, coding agents, agent tools, and C++-specific AI capabilities.
• Prototype and validate AI-assisted workflows covering debugging, code understanding, refactoring, and project navigation.
• Collaborate with product managers, ML engineers, QA engineers, senior developers, and other stakeholders to define and deliver the roadmap.

Skills

Kotlin

Java

JVM familiarity

AI-powered products

Tools

IDE Internals

Language tooling

Static analysis

Job description

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Staff AI Engineer - Developer Tools based in Netherlands.

Help shape the future of AI-native software development by building intelligent workflows for C++ developers and modern developer tools. In this highly hands-on role, you will work at the intersection of AI agents, IDE architecture, developer productivity, and product strategy. You will design and implement AI-powered capabilities that enhance debugging, code understanding, refactoring, and project navigation. Your work will include prototyping new workflows, developing evaluation frameworks, and defining how AI agents interact with development environments. You will provide technical leadership without direct people management, influencing direction through engineering expertise and strong product judgment. This is an opportunity to shape developer experiences that could redefine how millions of developers work with AI.

Accountabilities:

As a Staff AI Engineer, you will provide hands-on technical leadership for AI-powered developer experiences, translating emerging AI capabilities into practical, scalable workflows for C++ development.

• Shape and deliver AI-powered features for C++ development workflows and developer tools.
• Design architectures for AI integrations, coding agents, agent tools, and C++-specific AI capabilities.
• Prototype and validate AI-assisted workflows covering debugging, code understanding, refactoring, and project navigation.
• Build practical benchmarks and evaluation frameworks for AI-assisted software development scenarios.
• Collaborate with product managers, ML engineers, QA engineers, senior developers, and other stakeholders to define and deliver the roadmap.
• Partner with AI, ML, and product teams to help shape the broader AI strategy for the C++ ecosystem.
• Evaluate and prioritize AI initiatives while proposing new ideas aligned with strategic objectives.
• Contribute directly to technical design, software architecture, and implementation within a large, mature codebase.
• Define the technical roadmap for AI agent and tool integrations in C++ development workflows.
• Help establish alignment and trust across engineering, AI, Product, QA, ML, and broader ecosystem teams.
• Explore how coding agents can leverage IDE capabilities, development context, and specialized tools to work more effectively with complex codebases.

Requirements:

The ideal candidate is a highly experienced technical leader who combines strong software engineering expertise with hands-on experience building AI-powered products and the ability to influence technical direction in rapidly evolving environments.

• Significant software engineering experience at Staff Engineer, Principal Engineer, Technical Lead, or a comparable senior technical level.
• Strong experience with Kotlin, Java, or other JVM technologies, or the ability to quickly become productive in a JVM-based codebase.
• Experience building AI-powered products, developer tools, coding assistants, agents, or LLM-based workflows.
• Strong understanding of modern coding agents, including tool calling, context management, MCP, and AI evaluation techniques.
• Proven ability to drive technical direction in ambiguous, complex, and rapidly evolving areas.
• Strong product judgment and the ability to balance experimentation and innovation with practical delivery.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders without formal authority.
• Experience with C++ development workflows, compilers, debuggers, language tooling, or developer productivity products is a strong advantage.
• Experience with IDE internals, language servers, code analysis, refactoring systems, or static analysis is a plus.
• Experience leading small teams or operating as a technical lead is advantageous.
• Experience developing AI-native developer products is a plus.

Benefits:

• Competitive base salary reflecting skills and experience.
• Flexible work location, with the option to work remotely or from an office.
• Ability to work remotely from abroad for up to 30 days per year.
• Additional paid time off to support rest and work-life balance.
• Medical insurance allowance for employees and their families.
• Learning and development opportunities, including conferences, courses, and language classes.
• Relocation support to help facilitate an international move where applicable.
• Language learning opportunities, including local language and English classes.
• Hot meals or a lunch allowance on workdays.
• Professional mental health support.
• On-site gym access or a sports club stipend.
• Internal company events, celebrations, and team gatherings.
• Opportunity to work on AI-native developer experiences with global impact.
• Benefits may vary depending on location.