Senior AI Platform Backend Engineer

KellyMitchell Group; St. Louis (MO); Hybrid; USD 77,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

ESOP 401K

Profit Sharing

Job summary

KellyMitchell Group is seeking a Senior AI Platform Backend Engineer to design, build, and support backend services powering enterprise AI and knowledge management platforms.

This role emphasizes API development, cloud-native services, production support, and platform scalability, with exposure to AI-enabled applications. Strong Node.js, TypeScript, and backend service experience is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• Enterprise-grade software experience in production environments.
• Strong API development with Node.js, JavaScript, and TypeScript.
• Experience with AWS in production environments.
• Willingness to contribute to Python services as needed.
• Understanding of software architecture, system design, and distributed systems.
• Experience with Git, code reviews, and modern development practices.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automated deployments.
• Knowledge of secure coding practices and OWASP principles.
• Experience working in Agile teams.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, deploy, monitor, and support production backend services.
• Develop and maintain REST APIs for content management, retrieval, and integrations.
• Enhance a CMS built with Node.js and TypeScript.
• Contribute to Python-based services that support AI applications.
• Build reusable services, patterns, and frameworks for scalability.
• Review code and promote software engineering best practices.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and resolve production issues.
• Implement logging, monitoring, and observability solutions.
• Partner with AI engineers, architects, and product teams to deliver secure solutions.
• Create and maintain API specifications and technical docs.
• Support existing applications while developing new platform features.

Skills

API development

Backend service design

Distributed systems

Agile development

Code reviews

Production support

Logging & observability

Security best practices (OWASP)

Team collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering or related field

Tools

Node.js

TypeScript

JavaScript

AWS

Git

CI/CD pipelines

OpenTelemetry / Observability tools

Job description

Job Summary

Our client is seeking a Senior AI Platform Backend Engineer to design, build, and support the backend services powering enterprise AI and knowledge management platforms. This role focuses primarily on backend engineering, including API development, cloud-native services, production support, and platform scalability, while providing exposure to AI-enabled applications and technologies.

The ideal candidate will bring strong expertise in Node.js, TypeScript, and backend service development, with a proven ability to build and maintain reliable production systems in enterprise environments.

This position is W-2 only. We do not work with third-party firms or C2C arrangements for this role.

Core Responsibilities

• Design, build, deploy, monitor, and support production backend services
• Develop and maintain REST APIs supporting content management, retrieval, and system integrations
• Enhance and support a proprietary Content Management System (CMS) built with Node.js and TypeScript
• Contribute to Python-based services that support AI applications and platform capabilities
• Build reusable services, frameworks, and patterns that improve scalability and developer productivity
• Review code and promote software engineering best practices
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and resolve production issues
• Implement effective logging, monitoring, and observability strategies
• Partner with AI engineers, architects, and product teams to deliver secure and reliable solutions
• Create and maintain technical documentation and API specifications
• Support existing applications while developing new platform features and enhancements

Required Skills/Experience (Must-Haves)

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience
• Proven track record delivering enterprise-grade software in production environments
• Strong API development experience using Node.js, JavaScript, and TypeScript
• Expertise in implementing robust error handling and communicating backend issues effectively across engineering teams
• Strong experience with Node.js and TypeScript
• Experience designing, developing, and supporting REST APIs and backend services
• Experience with AWS in production environments
• Working knowledge of Python and willingness to contribute as needed
• Strong understanding of software architecture, system design, and distributed systems
• Experience with Git, code reviews, and modern development practices
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment processes
• Experience implementing logging, monitoring, and observability solutions
• Knowledge of secure coding practices, API security, authentication, and OWASP principles
• Experience working within Agile development teams

Preferred Skills/Experience (Nice-to-Haves)

• Experience with content management, document processing, or knowledge management platforms
• Experience supporting Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) or AI-enabled applications
• Experience with AWS services such as Lambda, ECS, SQS, and S3
• Experience with Terraform and Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
• Experience with OpenTelemetry, Grafana, or similar observability platforms
• Experience designing event-driven architectures
• Familiarity with OAuth, IAM, and modern authentication patterns
• Experience working in highly regulated or security-focused environments
• AWS certifications
• Experience collaborating with AI-focused engineering teams

Key Competencies & Behaviors

• Passionate about software quality, reliability, and maintainability
• Takes ownership of production systems and business outcomes
• Focuses on building scalable, sustainable, long-term solutions
• Pragmatic problem solver who balances quality with execution and delivery timelinesStrong collaborator who works effectively across engineering disciplines
• Continuously learns and adapts to new technologies and evolving business requirements
• Proactively identifies and implements improvements to systems, processes, and developer experience
• Demonstrates strong communication and teamwork skills

Work Environment

• Employment Type: Contract
• Work Arrangement: Hybrid
• Onsite Requirement: Three days per week in office
• Scheduling Requirement: One onsite day must be either Monday or Friday
• Extension Potential: Possible; conversion is not currently anticipated

Interview Process

• First-round interview via Microsoft Teams followed by an onsite interview onsite.

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay Range: The approximate pay range for this position is between $56.00 and $80.00. Please note that the pay range provided is a good faith estimate. Final compensation may vary based on factors including but not limited to background, knowledge, skills, and location. We comply with local wage minimums.
• Medical, Dental, & Vision Insurance Plans
• Employee-Owned Profit Sharing (ESOP) 401K offered

About KellyMitchell

At KellyMitchell, our culture is world class. We’re movers and shakers! We don’t mind a bit of friendly competition, and we reward hard work with unlimited potential for growth. This is an exciting opportunity to join a company known for innovative solutions and unsurpassed customer service. We're passionate about helping companies solve their biggest IT staffing & project solutions challenges. As an employee-owned, women-led organization serving Fortune 500 companies nationwide, we deliver expert service at a moment's notice.