Founding AI Engineer

Prime Team Partners; Bellevue (WA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading early-stage startup as a Founding Senior AI Engineer, where you'll create cutting-edge AI solutions that transform organizational workflows. Collaborate with visionary founders, mentor junior engineers, and take ownership of impactful projects in a hybrid work environment.

Benefits

Medical insurance

Vision insurance

401(k)

Significant equity potential

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on engineering experience in full-stack development.
• Experience integrating Generative AI and LLMs into production systems.
• Ability to build full-stack solutions, including front-end and backend.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of advanced AI applications.
• Collaborate closely with founders on architectural decisions.
• Mentor junior engineers and drive technical excellence.

Skills

Python

FastAPI

React/Next.js

Generative AI

Problem Solving

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science

Tools

LangChain

Crew.ai

Job description

Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features.

This range is provided by Prime Team Partners. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$180,000.00/yr - $220,000.00/yr

Location: Bellevue, WA or Bay Area, CA

About the Role:

Join an innovative early-stage startup on a mission to build a next-generation AI platform designed to transform how organizations operate. As a Founding Senior AI Engineer, you'll play a pivotal role in creating cutting-edge AI solutions that streamline complex workflows, automate critical business processes, and enhance team productivity. This is an opportunity to work alongside visionary founders with a track record of successful exits, contributing to the development of a transformative technology platform.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the design and development of advanced AI applications, pushing the boundaries of what intelligent systems can achieve.
• Build full-stack applications, integrating AI capabilities into scalable, production-ready solutions that drive user impact.
• Own the end-to-end product lifecycle, from architecture to deployment, including data pipelines, backend logic, and frontend interfaces.
• Collaborate closely with founders and technical leaders, contributing to high-stakes architectural decisions and long-term product strategy.
• Continuously innovate, experiment, and iterate quickly based on user feedback, delivering high-quality, efficient code.
• Mentor junior engineers, providing hands-on technical guidance without formal management responsibilities.
• Drive technical excellence, ensuring the platform is fast, secure, and capable of scaling to support diverse enterprise needs.

What We're Looking For:

• 5+ years of hands-on engineering experience in full-stack development, ideally within startups or fast-paced environments.
• Strong proficiency in Python, FastAPI, React/Next.js, or similar frameworks for building scalable, production-level applications.
• Deep experience integrating Generative AI and LLMs (e.g., GPT, Claude) into production systems, including prompt engineering, fine-tuning, and leveraging agentic frameworks.
• Ability to build full-stack solutions, including front-end interfaces, backend logic, and data processing pipelines.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a bias for action and a willingness to take ownership of projects from concept to launch.
• Technical leadership skills, with the ability to inspire and guide junior engineers.
• Familiarity with AI tools like LangChain, Crew.ai, and emerging frameworks for building intelligent, autonomous agents.
• Strong problem-solving skills and an eagerness to learn and adapt to new technologies.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, or a related field from a top-tier university.
• Prior experience in a founding or early engineering role at a high-growth startup.
• Proven track record of building scalable, production-ready AI systems.
• Strong technical communication skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts to non-technical stakeholders.

Why You Should Join:

• Impact: Be part of a small, elite team building the future of work with AI.
• Growth: Learn from successful entrepreneurs and industry leaders.
• Flexibility: Hybrid work environment with offices in key tech hubs.
• Ownership: Significant equity potential as part of a well-funded, early-stage startup.
• Learning: Hands-on experience with cutting-edge AI tools and technologies.

Prime Team Partners is an equal opportunity employer. Prime Team Partners does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, pregnancy status, gender, age, marital status, disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected by applicable state or federal civil rights laws. For contract positions, hired candidates will be employed by Prime Team for the duration of the contract period and be eligible for our company benefits. Benefits include medical, dental and vision. Employees are covered at 75%. We offer a 401K after 6 months, we do not provide paid holidays or PTO, sick time is offered in accordance with local laws.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at Prime Team Partners by 2x

Inferred from the description for this job

Medical insurance

Vision insurance

401(k)

Get notified when a new job is posted.

Sign in to set job alerts for “Artificial Intelligence Engineer” roles.

Software Engineer - AI/ML, Multiple Locations

Redmond, WA $81,900.00-$174,600.00 4 days ago

Machine Learning Engineer, AI Platform (FULLY REMOTE, USA ONLY)

United States $145,000.00-$204,000.00 1 week ago

Seattle, WA $198,000.00-$230,000.00 2 weeks ago

United States $85.10-$251,000.00 1 week ago

Seattle, WA $170,000.00-$195,000.00 2 weeks ago

Machine Learning Engineer, Core Engineering

Bellevue, WA $155,000.00-$205,000.00 9 months ago

Python and Kubernetes Software Engineer - Data, AI/ML & Analytics

Seattle, WA $150,000.00-$220,000.00 1 week ago

Seattle, WA $175,000.00-$300,000.00 4 days ago

Seattle, WA $175,000.00-$300,000.00 3 days ago

REMOTE AI Systems Engineer - High-Performance Computing

Seattle, WA $175,000.00-$300,000.00 1 week ago

Greater Seattle Area $200,000.00-$250,000.00 4 days ago

We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.