AI Engineer - NY

Scope; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Scope Labs in New York City is hiring an AI Engineer to join our in-person team. You will be embedded with startup customers, designing and delivering AI systems that power their products from day one.

We seek someone who thrives at the intersection of applied ML, systems thinking, and customer partnership, able to take an ambiguous challenge and ship a working prototype fast. Expect autonomy, strong judgment, and a focus on outcomes as you help shape the roadmap with engineering and product

Qualifications

• 3+ years building and shipping ML/AI systems in production.
• Strong proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript, with hands-on experience building and deploying LLM-based applications, agents, or AI pipelines.
• Deep familiarity with the modern AI stack - including model APIs, RAG, fine-tuning, evals, and orchestration frameworks.
• Experience in a customer-facing or client-embedded role, such as Forward Deployed Engineer, Solutions Engineer, or consulting, is a plus.
• High agency with comfort operating in ambiguous environments and limited direction.
• Strong communication skills across audiences, from senior engineers to non-technical founders.
• Team-first attitude with the ability to juggle multiple customer engagements simultaneously.

Responsibilities

• Own the full technical customer lifecycle. From initial deployment through activation and ongoing utilization, you are the person who makes sure our customers are actually getting value, not just access.
• Identify and champion high-impact use cases. Work closely with startup engineering teams to understand their workflows, identify where AI can meaningfully accelerate them, and get those integrations shipped.
• Be the voice of the customer internally. Bring patterns, friction points, and product insights back to our Product and Engineering teams, helping shape the roadmap based on what you're seeing in the field.

Skills

Python

TypeScript

LLM deployments

AI systems design

Customer-facing

Communication

Ambiguity tolerance

Job description

Company Overview

Scope Labs provides a full-service startup ecosystem focused on design and development of digital platforms and experiences. We are a team of founders consisting of experienced product managers, designers, and developers. Our expertise lies in challenging fundamental assumptions, dissecting legacy behaviors, simplifying intricate processes, and delivering experiences that leave a lasting impact. We are a small, but driven team and are looking to expand!

Our Team

We're currently a small team passionate about developing the next generation of digital products.

Our founding team has spent time building, designing, and scaling products at places like Google, Tesla, Palantir, Peloton, Scale AI, MIT, Yale, Columbia, Y Combinator, and more.

We're currently hiring for an in-person role working from warm and sunny New York City.

What We're Looking For

As an AI Engineer at Scope Labs, you won't just be fine-tuning models in isolation. You'll be embedded directly with our startup customers, designing and shipping the AI systems that power their products from day one. We're looking for someone who thrives at the intersection of applied ML, systems thinking, and customer partnership; someone who can take an ambiguous problem on Monday and have a working prototype in production by Friday.

This role is for a builder who is equally comfortable digging into a customer's production environment and whiteboarding a new AI workflow with their engineering lead. The specifics of what we're building are still under wraps, but if you're excited by the idea of being one of the first people to bring genuinely new technology into the hands of fast-moving teams, this is that role. You'll represent Scope Labs in the field, which means operating with autonomy, exercising strong judgment under ambiguity, and holding yourself accountable for outcomes, not just outputs.

Responsibilities

• Own the full technical customer lifecycle. From initial deployment through activation and ongoing utilization, you are the person who makes sure our customers are actually getting value, not just access.

• Identify and champion high-impact use cases. Work closely with startup engineering teams to understand their workflows, identify where AI can meaningfully accelerate them, and get those integrations shipped.

• Be the voice of the customer internally. Bring patterns, friction points, and product insights back to our Product and Engineering teams, helping shape the roadmap based on what you're seeing in the field.

Preferred Qualifications

• 3+ years building and shipping ML/AI systems in production, whether as an ML Engineer, AI Engineer, or Software Engineer with applied AI experience. Former technical founders are strongly encouraged to apply.

• Strong proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript, with hands-on experience building and deploying LLM-based applications, agents, or AI pipelines.

• Deep familiarity with the modern AI stack - including model APIs, RAG, fine-tuning, evals, and orchestration frameworks - and a track record of turning that into working products.

• Experience in a customer-facing or client-embedded role, such as Forward Deployed Engineer, Solutions Engineer, or consulting, is a plus.

• High agency with comfort operating in ambiguous environments and limited direction.

• Strong communication skills across audiences, from senior engineers to non-technical founders.

• Team-first attitude with the ability to juggle multiple customer engagements simultaneously.

Bonus Points

• Experience with AI agent frameworks, MCP servers, or autonomous coding tools in production.

• Background in a specific startup or enterprise vertical such as fintech, developer tools, or healthcare.

• Direct UX/UI experience or strong product sense.

• A portfolio of passion projects or initiatives you've directly built or majority-contributed to.

If you possess some of these skills but not all of them, we still encourage you to apply!

Salary and Benefits

The expected salary range for this role is based on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Salary Range: $150,000-$200,000 or monthly contract equivalent.

This position is based in New York, NY, and requires candidates to reside in or be willing to relocate to the area.

Equal Opportunity Employer

At Scope we take pride in our best asset, our people! We focus on ensuring that our culture makes life better for the team!

Scope Labs is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity in its workforce. We actively encourage applications from all qualified individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workplace fosters innovation and creativity, and we welcome candidates who share our values of respect, collaboration, and excellence.

To perform this job successfully, the employee(s) will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an at will relationship.