Senior AI Software Engineer

Gradient Financial Group; Shoreview (MN); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

4 weeks PTO + 9 holidays

Medical, dental, vision, life, 401(k)

Volunteer Time Off

Hybrid in-office 4 days + 1 remote

AI training opportunities

Collaborative team

Job summary

Nextek, LLC in Minnesota seeks a Senior AI Software Engineer to own complex AI initiatives, shape architecture, and stay hands-on in delivery of intelligent, production-ready applications.

You will mentor engineers, evaluate new AI technologies, and implement AI capabilities across Laravel, Next.js, and React-based web apps using OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Anthropic, and cloud platforms such as AWS/Azure.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional software development
• Production AI-powered applications experience
• Hands-on with Laravel, Next.js and React
• Experience with OpenAI/Azure OpenAI/Anthropic or similar
• Strong prompt engineering, RAG, embeddings
• Production integration of AI/LLM in web apps
• Designing architecture for complex apps
• .NET/C# proficiency
• SQL Server and/or MySQL
• AWS or Azure cloud experience
• Strong problem solving and communication
• Independent, ownership minded, capable of mentoring

Responsibilities

• Own complex AI initiatives and drive delivery
• Shape architecture and technical direction
• Mentor and support engineers while remaining hands-on
• Evaluate new technologies and apply them to business problems
• Collaborate with stakeholders to deliver production AI features

Tools

OpenAI

Azure OpenAI

Anthropic

Laravel

Next.js

React

.NET / C#

SQL Server

MySQL

AWS

Azure

LLM platforms

Prompt engineering

RAG & embeddings

AI workflows

Job description

Are you a senior software engineer with proven experience building and delivering intelligent, production-ready applications? Do you have a strong background in modern web development and hands‑on experience applying AI technologies to solve complex business problems? If you're looking for an opportunity to combine deep software engineering expertise with advanced AI development, this may be an excellent fit.

As our platform continues to evolve, we are looking for a Senior AI Software Engineer who can take ownership of complex technical initiatives, help shape architecture and technical direction, and turn emerging AI capabilities into reliable solutions. This role requires someone who can work independently, evaluate new technologies, make sound technical decisions, and mentor and support other engineers while remaining hands‑on in development.

Nextek, LLC is a fully functioning software development company in the financial services industry. Nextek creates software applications and solutions to serve the needs of Financial Services Professionals.

What You Bring

• 7+ years of professional software development experience
• Significant hands‑on experience designing, building, and deploying production AI-powered applications
• Strong, hands‑on experience with Laravel, Next.js, and React
• Experience with OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Anthropic, or similar LLM platforms
• Strong experience with prompt engineering, RAG, embeddings, and AI workflows
• Experience integrating AI/LLM capabilities into production web applications
• Experience designing software architecture and making technical decisions for complex applications
• Experience with .NET / C#
• Experience working with SQL Server and/or MySQL
• Experience building and deploying applications in AWS and/or Microsoft Azure
• Strong problem‑solving and troubleshooting skills
• Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders
• Ability to work independently, take ownership of projects, and drive initiatives through completion

Preferred

• Experience architecting relational databases
• Experience with both AWS and Azure
• Experience with both SQL Server and MySQL
• Experience with AI agents, tool/function calling, vector databases, LLM orchestration, or AI evaluation
• Experience mentoring engineers and providing technical leadership
• Experience establishing or improving AI development standards, architecture, or best practices

Beyond Technical Skills, We Value Engineers Who

• Handle change well and adapt quickly
• Take initiative and ownership
• Communicate clearly with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders
• Lead by example and support team success
• Stay curious and continuously learn emerging AI technologies
• Are comfortable evaluating new technologies and determining where they can provide meaningful business value
• Think strategically while remaining hands‑on and execution‑focused
• Are motivated by building intelligent systems that real businesses depend on

Our Benefits

• Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits
• 4 weeks of accrued PTO, plus 9 paid holidays
• Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and 401(k)
• 8 hours of paid Volunteer Time Off (VTO)
• Ability to work in‑office four days per week with one remote workday
• Ongoing professional development and AI training opportunities
• A collaborative team that values expertise, initiative, and growth

Why You'll Love Working Here

• Opportunity to build AI solutions that solve real business problems
• Collaborative environment where ideas and innovation are valued
• Ability to influence architecture, AI strategy, and technical direction
• Opportunity to mentor and help develop other engineers
• Fast‑moving organization where your work has visible impact
• Opportunity to grow alongside a rapidly expanding AI platform

At Nextek, we set high expectations, but we back them with support, collaboration, and opportunities to grow.