Applied AI Engineer

The D. E. Shaw Group; New York (NY); On-site; USD 225,000 - 275,000; Full time

Job summary

The D. E. Shaw Group is seeking exceptional software engineers to build and scale AI agents and agentic systems.

You will work directly with multiple groups on greenfield projects to design, implement, and deploy AI solutions that drive efficiency and accelerate decision-making across the firm. You will own key components, including agent frameworks and tooling, while collaborating across teams to advance internal AI strategy and adoption.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in any field with extensive software development background and hands-on AI scaling experience.
• Deep practical experience with AI agents and agentic frameworks, including orchestration, tool use, memory, and multi-step reasoning.
• Comfort with rapid prototyping and iterative experimentation in fast-moving environments.
• Track record of solving complex challenges and leading projects from inception to deployment.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with internal groups to build bespoke AI agents and user-facing applications for real-world business needs.
• Lead greenfield AI projects from concept through production with hands-on coding and deployment.
• Build, evaluate, and deploy AI coding agents and developer tooling to accelerate software development workflows.
• Prototype and integrate emerging AI tools across platforms, moving experiments to production.
• Scale adoption of AI tools by developing best practices, frameworks, and reusable components.
• Build foundational AI components like agent frameworks, skills, and large-scale retrieval systems.
• Design, develop, and maintain shared AI infrastructure and agentic applications with data integration.

Skills

AI agents

Agentic frameworks

Production deployment

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

OVERVIEW

The D. E. Shaw group seeks exceptional software engineers with expertise in applied AI, AI agents, and agentic systems to join the firm. This role offers the chance to work directly with a variety of groups at the firm on innovative, greenfield projects that transform how teams operate—leveraging quantitative and programming skills to design, build, and deploy AI solutions that drive efficiency, enhance analytical capabilities, and accelerate decision‑making across the firm.

WHAT YOU'LL DO DAY-TO-DAY

• Collaborate directly with internal groups and end users across various functions to build bespoke AI agents and user-facing applications tailored to nuanced, real‑world business needs.
• Lead and contribute to greenfield AI projects, taking full ownership from concept through production, including hands‑on coding, iteration, and deployment, while helping shape internal AI strategy and adoption.
• Build, evaluate, and deploy AI coding agents and developer tooling that meaningfully accelerate software development workflows across the firm.
• Rapidly prototype and integrate emerging AI tools and model capabilities across platforms, moving quickly from experiment to production to enhance usability, scalability, and effectiveness.
• Scale the adoption of AI tools firmwide by developing best practices, frameworks, and reusable components that drive innovation and productivity.
• Build foundational AI components, such as agent frameworks, reusable "skills," and large‑scale retrieval systems, to support AI tools and applications.
• Design, develop, and maintain shared AI infrastructure and agentic applications, ensuring firmwide data integration and enhancing software development efficiency.

WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• A bachelor's degree in any field, along with an extensive background in software development and hands‑on experience building and scaling AI solutions at the product, system, or company level.
• Deep, practical experience with AI agents and agentic frameworks, including orchestration, tool use, memory, and multi‑step reasoning in production environments.
• Solid understanding of AI technologies and a genuine interest in developing advanced AI applications and frameworks.
• Comfort working in fast‑moving environments where rapid prototyping and iterative experimentation are core parts of the job.
• Demonstrated ability to thrive in technical or entrepreneurial environments, along with the capability to solve complex challenges and lead projects from inception to deployment.
• An impressive record of academic or professional achievement, with analytical depth and creativity in AI‑related projects.
• The expected annual base salary for this position is $225,000 to $275,000. Our compensation and benefits package includes substantial variable compensation in the form of a year‑end bonus, guaranteed in the first year of hire, a sign‑on bonus, and benefits including medical and prescription drug coverage, 401(k) contribution matching, wellness reimbursement, family building benefits, and a charitable gift match program.