AI Engineer

Goodwin Recruiting; San Bruno (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Full Health Benefits

401k

Job summary

Goodwin Recruiting is seeking an AI Engineer for an early-stage startup focused on AI-native software for defense applications. The role involves hands-on ML model development, data engineering, and deploying systems for high-stakes environments.

You will work across the full ML lifecycle, from data preparation to monitoring, with opportunities to prototype LLMs and multimodal approaches. Travel up to 15% and clearance eligibility are expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS or related field.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals.
• Hands-on ML with production rollout.
• Experience with ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face).
• Experience deploying ML systems in production.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Willingness to travel up to 15% to engage with DoD partners.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.

Responsibilities

• AI/ML Development: Design, train, fine-tune, and deploy state-of-the-art ML models; manage lifecycle from data exploration to production monitoring.
• Data & Systems Engineering: Build scalable data pipelines for structured and unstructured data; optimize training and inference systems for edge deployment.
• Engineering Excellence: Integrate models into robust production systems with testing, observability, and CI/CD practices.
• Research & Experimentation: Prototype and benchmark new modeling approaches (LLMs, multimodal systems, RAG) to improve performance and mission impact.

Skills

Strong software engineering

ML principles

PyTorch TensorFlow HuggingFace

Data pipelines

Cloud platforms

Security clearance eligibility

Travel up to 15%

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Hugging Face

Job description

A growing early-stage startup are looking for an AI Engineer.

The startup uses AI to Draft and Develop war plans for their Aerospace/Defense partners. They're on a mission to ensure warfighters are prepared for every challenge they face. They build AI-native software for mission-critical workflows — empowering warfighters with adaptive, intelligent technology designed for the pace and complexity of modern conflict.

This is an opportunity to join at the earliest stage and build systems that matter. This role is ideal for someone who thrives in a hands-onenvironment, enjoys solving complex data problems, and wants to push the state-of-the-art in applied AI for defense. You will work across the full ML lifecycle — transforming messy, real-world data into production-grade models deployed in high-stakes environments.

Key Responsibilities:

AI/ML Development: Design, train, fine-tune, and deploy state-of-the-art ML models to solve real-world operational problems. Own the lifecycle from data exploration and feature engineering to evaluation and production monitoring.

Data & Systems Engineering: Build scalable data pipelines for structured and unstructured data (text, imagery, geospatial, sensor data). Develop reliable training and inference systems optimized for performance and edge deployment.

Engineering Excellence: Integrate models into robust, scalable production systems with strong testing, observability, and CI/CD practices.

Research & Experimentation: Prototype and benchmark new modeling approaches (LLMs, multimodal systems, RAG) to improve performance, robustness, and mission impact.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree (B.Sc.) in Computer Science or related field.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals.
• Solid understanding of machine learning principles (model evaluation, optimization, bias/variance tradeoffs).
• Hands-on experience with ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face).
• Experience working with real-world datasets — cleaning, feature engineering, experimentation, and performance analysis.
• Experience deploying ML systems into production environments.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and modern deployment workflows.
• Strong problem-solving ability and comfort operating in ambiguity.
• Willingness to travel up to 15% to engage with DoD partners.
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance

Salary: 150-200k base + Equity

Full Health Benefits + 401k

In office at least 2-days a week in San Mateo***