Cognition Software Engineer – New York City Career

Neolife Updates; New York (NY); On-site; USD 260,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Equity in company

401(k) plan with matching

Private chef dining

Daily catered refreshments

Job summary

Cognition in the New York City Metropolitan Area is seeking a Software Engineer to build autonomous development tooling and scalable infrastructure. You will design systems that plan, execute, and debug code alongside human developers.

You will work on agent infrastructure, Windsurf IDE innovations, and production pipelines with a focus on reliability and low-latency performance. A strong background in distributed systems, Python, and frontier AI is required.

Qualifications

• Experience building distributed, fault-tolerant systems.
• Strong Python production coding skills.
• Track record shipping developer tools or complex software.
• Ability to progress on complex problems with incomplete specs.
• Knowledge of large language model capabilities and failure patterns.
• Background in high-velocity developer tool or AI infra teams.
• BS/MS in CS, Math, or related field from a rigorous program.

Responsibilities

• Architect and deploy core execution systems for autonomous agents.
• Advance Windsurf IDE real-time code comprehension and editor intelligence.
• Translate model capabilities into production software with AI researchers.
• Ensure low-latency performance and high fault tolerance.
• Contribute to strategic product architecture for autonomous development tooling.

Skills

Distributed systems

Python

Product execution

Ambiguity handling

Frontier AI awareness

Industry background

Academic foundation

Education

BS/MS in CS/Math or related

Job description

Applied artificial intelligence is transforming the developer landscape, and Cognition stands at the forefront of this evolution. The team behind Devin—the world's first autonomous AI software engineer—and the Windsurf AI-native editor is seeking a high-caliber Software Engineer in the New York City Metropolitan Area, ID. In this full-time role, you will tackle frontier engineering challenges, designing autonomous systems that plan, execute, and debug code alongside human developers.

Software Engineer at Cognition in New York City Metropolitan Area

Engineers at Cognition solve open-ended problems that blend distributed systems engineering with model interaction. Rather than assembling standard features, you will create resilient infrastructure that allows autonomous agents to operate reliably over long-horizon workflows.

Core Responsibilities

• Agent Infrastructure: Architect and deploy core execution systems, including subagent orchestration, tool usage, context window management, and secure sandbox code environments.
• Windsurf IDE Innovation: Advance real-time code comprehension, agent-in-the-loop developer interfaces, and editor intelligence.
• Model-to-Product Pipeline: Partner closely with AI researchers to translate emerging model capabilities into production software.
• Scalability and Reliability: Ensure low-latency performance and high fault tolerance across millions of agentic queries.
• Technical Direction: Contribute directly to strategic product architecture shaping the future of autonomous development tooling.

Candidate Background and Qualifications

• Distributed Systems Depth: Demonstrated mastery of concurrent, distributed architectures with clear attention to failure modes and correctness.
• Strong Python Proficiency: Deep expertise in writing and maintaining clean, high-performance, modular Python code in production.
• Product Execution: Track record of shipping developer tools or complex software products that prioritize user experience.
• Navigating Ambiguity: Capacity to make meaningful progress on complex technical problems with incomplete specifications.
• Frontier AI Awareness: Clear understanding of large language model capabilities, common failure patterns, and agentic reasoning loops.
• Relevant Industry Background: Experience working at high-velocity developer tool startups, applied AI labs, or high-performance infrastructure teams.
• Academic Foundation: BS, MS, or equivalent technical credential in Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related discipline from a rigorous program.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base Salary: $260,000 – $300,000 per year.
• Equity: Significant early-stage ownership packages.
• Health Coverage: 100% employer-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and eligible dependents.
• Retirement: 401(k) plan with matching company contributions.
• Office Perks: Private chef dining, casual workplace amenities, and daily catered refreshments.

Tips for Prospective Candidates

• Highlight Systems-Level Agent Work: When presenting prior projects, emphasize how you handled state management, async execution, sandboxing, and latency bottlenecks.
• Demonstrate Code Pragmatism: Highlight your public open-source contributions, GitHub repositories, or technical writing that reflect deep familiarity with modern developer workflows.
• Discuss Model Failure Modes: Prepare to articulate concrete strategies for handling non-deterministic LLM behavior within deterministic production software stacks.