Founding Applied AI Engineer

Atlas; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Meaningful equity

Early-stage startup environment

Job summary

A prominent technology company in San Francisco is seeking an applied AI engineer to build an AI-powered concierge service for luxury travel. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in software development and AI integration, working alongside a high-performing team to define the future of luxury experiences. This role offers a competitive salary, meaningful equity, and the chance to make a real impact in a fast-growing startup environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience developing software in modern environments.
• 3+ years experience deploying cloud-based applications.
• Deep experience integrating large language models and building production AI systems.
• Knowledge of retrieval-augmented generation, embeddings, and vector search.
• Strong understanding of database design (Postgres, Redis).

Responsibilities

• Design and ship real-world AI systems that personalize recommendations.
• Build AI recommendation and booking flows for hotels, dining, flights.
• Develop retrieval-augmented generation systems for dynamic searches.

Skills

Software Development

Cloud Applications

AI Integration

Database Design

Optimization Skills

Collaboration

RAG

Embeddings

Vector search

Postgres

Redis

Low-latency systems

Product instincts

Collaboration

Tools

Python

Node.js

AWS

GCP

Postgres

Job description

About Atlas

Atlas is the concierge and credit card built for those who expect more — unlocking coveted access across dining, travel, and lifestyle while making spending seamless and effortless.

Our members are discerning, busy individuals who rely on Atlas to deliver insider access, curated service, and unmatched reliability.

In just 12 months, we've scaled to over $X00,000,000 in spending volume, growing double digits month-over-month — organically, without paid marketing.

We're backed by world-class investors and have multiple years of runway ahead. Our team brings deep experience from building and scaling iconic products at companies like Apple, Robinhood, and DoorDash.

Today, we're a small, high-performing team of around 35 people based between New York and San Francisco. We value in-person collaboration and expect you to join us in our SF office (FiDi) at least three days a week.

The Role

We’re looking for an applied AI engineer to help us build the next generation of Atlas — starting with an AI-powered travel and hotel concierge used by some of the most influential people in the world.

You’ll design and ship real-world AI systems that personalize recommendations, automate complex requests, and rethink how payments, dining, and travel can work at the highest level.

This is a rare opportunity to work on meaningful, user-facing AI products inside a small, world-class team.

What You'll Build

• AI recommendation and booking flows (hotels, dining, flights)

• Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems for dynamic hotel and travel searches

• Preference engines that learn and evolve from member interactions

• Lightweight AI orchestration layers integrated with Zendesk, Slack, and our internal tools
  

What We’re Looking For

We believe determined and passionate people can adapt to any tech stack. Ideally, you have:

• 5+ years experience developing software in modern environments (Python, Node.js, Go, or similar)

• 3+ years experience deploying and scaling cloud-based applications (AWS, GCP, or similar)

• Deep experience integrating LLMs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Hugging Face) and building production AI systems

• Knowledge of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), embeddings, and vector search (Pinecone, FAISS, or similar)

• Solid understanding of database design (Postgres, Redis, vector DBs)

• Strong optimization skills, especially for low-latency, high-availability systems

• Product instincts — you think about the end experience, not just the technical specs

• Collaboration skills and a desire to work tightly with product, design, and operations
  

Why You’ll Love Working Here

• Real impact: You’ll help define how AI changes luxury travel, payments, and experiences for the most discerning customers in the world.

• Early stage, no bureaucracy: We’re lean, well funded, growing fast, and moving faster.

• Creative, high-caliber teammates: Our team comes from places like Shopify, Apple, Y Combinator startups — but what matters most here is what you build.

• Solid compensation: Competitive salary and meaningful equity — you’re helping build the foundation of Atlas.

• Fun problem space: Every day involves designing tech that makes luxury travel, dining, and payments feel seamless.