Jr. Software Engineer - AI & Prompt Engineering (Contract to Perm)

Locality; City of Albany (NY); On-site; USD 55,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Retirement benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

Locality is seeking an entry-level Computer Science graduate for a contract-to-perm role focused on building software in an AI augmented world. You will design prompts, test AI outputs, and develop small services that integrate AI models via APIs, with emphasis on reliability and scalability.

This role targets early-career engineers with a solid CS foundation, strong problem-solving skills, and enthusiasm for applying AI techniques to real production systems.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong foundation in core CS concepts, including data structures, algorithms, and basic system design.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g., Python, JavaScript, Java).
• Familiarity with debugging, testing, and version control (Git).
• Basic understanding of APIs and experience making HTTP requests or integrating external services.
• Exposure to AI tools or prompt engineering concepts with interest in real-world use.
• Strong problem-solving ability to break down ambiguous problems into structured solutions.
• Attention to detail when evaluating outputs for correctness and edge cases.

Responsibilities

• Design and refine prompts to support software development, data analysis, and automation workflows.
• Test, evaluate, and validate AI-generated outputs for correctness, security, and reliability.
• Assist in building and maintaining small services, scripts, and internal tools that integrate AI models via APIs.
• Write clean, maintainable code and contribute to unit/integration testing.
• Debug and troubleshoot issues across the stack, including AI outputs and API integrations.
• Participate in code reviews to improve code quality and team standards.
• Contribute to system design discussions and break down tasks into components.
• Monitor AI-driven features in production and suggest improvements based on metrics.
• Learn and apply best practices related to AI safety and hallucination detection.

Skills

CS fundamentals

Prompt engineering

AI-assisted development

Python/JS/Java

Git

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related

Tools

APIs

HTTP requests

Job description

We are seeking an entry-level Computer Science graduate for a contract to perm role, who is excited about building software in an AI augmented world. This role is ideal for someone early in their career who understands core CS fundamentals and is eager to apply prompt engineering and AI assisted development techniques to real production systems.

• Design and refine prompts to support software development, data analysis, and automation workflows, with a focus on consistency, reusability, and performance
• Test, evaluate, and validate AI-generated outputs (code, text, summaries) for correctness, security, and reliability; identify edge cases and implement safeguards where needed
• Assist in building and maintaining small services, scripts, and internal tools that integrate AI models via APIs, ensuring they are scalable and production-ready
• Write clean, maintainable, and well-documented code following established coding standards; contribute to unit and integration testing to ensure software quality
• Debug and troubleshoot issues across the stack, including AI-generated outputs, application logic, and API integrations
• Participate in code reviews by providing and incorporating feedback to improve code quality and team standards
• Contribute to system design discussions and help break down tasks into manageable components
• Monitor and evaluate the performance of AI-driven features in production; suggest improvements based on observed behavior and metrics
• Learn and apply best practices related to AI safety, hallucination detection, and output evaluation, and incorporate them into development workflows
• Work with version control systems (e.g., Git) to manage code changes, branches, and collaboration workflows

What We Look For

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience)
• Strong foundation in core computer science concepts, including data structures, algorithms, and basic system design
• Proficiency in at least one programming language (e.g., Python, JavaScript, Java, or similar), with the ability to write clean, maintainable code
• Familiarity with software development fundamentals, including debugging, testing, and version control (e.g., Git)
• Basic understanding of APIs and experience making HTTP requests or integrating external services
• Exposure to AI tools, large language models, or prompt engineering concepts, with an interest in applying them to real-world problems
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to break down ambiguous problems into structured solutions
• Attention to detail, particularly when evaluating outputs for correctness and edge cases

Compensation for the role includes a competitive salary of $40-$60/hr (dependent on years of experience, level of education obtained, as well as applicable skillset) and an excellent benefits package (including but not limited to health care benefits, retirement benefits and paid days off).

At Locality, we believe our biggest asset is our people. We are proud to be an equal-opportunity employer, hiring and developing individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences to add to our collaborative culture. Locality values and solicits applications from all qualified candidates without regard to actual or perceived race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, alienage or national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law.