Senior AI-First Python Engineer (Production & AWS)

Needl; Los Angeles, California (CA, MO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Needl is seeking a high-agency, AI-first Software Engineer to own software from prototype to production. You will build AI-native internal applications, deploy on AWS, and manage the full lifecycle with observability, security, and rapid iteration.

You’ll work with a distributed remote team, translating business goals into working software, taking ownership of infrastructure and processes, and delivering reliable, scalable solutions in production.

Qualifications

• 5–8 years of backend (python) engineering experience.
• Strong production experience deploying and operating services on AWS or comparable cloud platforms.
• Hands-on experience with containers, CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, secrets management and observability.
• Deep familiarity with at least one backend programming language.
• Significant experience using AI coding tools as part of development workflow.
• Experience designing and building applications that incorporate LLMs and understanding failure modes.
• Track record of taking applications from prototype through production and maintenance.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently in a remote environment.

Responsibilities

• Turn prototypes into reliable production applications on AWS.
• Translate business goals into working software without detailed specs.
• Build and maintain internal business applications, including AI-native products.
• Own the full production lifecycle: infrastructure, deployment, CI/CD, monitoring, security, secrets management and alerting.
• Ship updates daily and iterate with a distributed remote team.
• Take end-to-end ownership: identify problems, decide, ship, and maintain production reliability.

Skills

Backend Python

AWS

AI coding tools

LLMs

Prototype to production

Independent work

Remote collaboration

Backend language

Tools

Containers

CI/CD

IaC

Secrets management

Observability

Job description

Needl is seeking a high-agency, AI-first Software Engineer to own software from prototype to production. You will build AI-native internal applications, deploy on AWS, and manage the full lifecycle with observability, security, and rapid iteration.

You’ll work with a distributed remote team, translating business goals into working software, taking ownership of infrastructure and processes, and delivering reliable, scalable solutions in production.