Senior Applied AI Software Engineer

MediaAlpha; Bellevue (WA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus program

Employer-paid health, dental, vision

401(k) with matching

Open PTO + 13 holidays + 5 recharge

LinkedIn Learning reimbursement

Wellness & internet stipend

Parental leave (22w primary, 12w other

Dog-friendly offices

Pet adoption reimbursement

Job summary

MediaAlpha, a data-driven ad-tech company, seeks a Senior Applied AI Engineer to build and deploy end-to-end LLM-powered features. You will design MCP servers, implement RAG pipelines, and integrate AI services into products and internal tools.

The role emphasizes close collaboration with engineers, product and business stakeholders, delivering high-quality, scalable AI capabilities and championing best practices in coding, testing, and deployment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years in software development with AI feature delivery.
• B.S. in CS or technical field required.
• Strong programming, testing, and deployment practices.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end development of LLM-powered features from integration to production.
• Design MCP servers exposing data/tools to LLM applications.
• Build and maintain retrieval-augmented generation pipelines.
• Integrate LLM services into MediaAlpha products and tools.
• Develop and iterate prompts; test and evaluate quality.
• Support live AI features in production and ensure reliability.
• Promote coding excellence and robust testing practices.
• Collaborate with engineers, product, and stakeholders on features.

Skills

LLM expertise

Python

Software engineering

SQL skills

Cloud AWS

API integration

Prompt engineering

Stakeholder communication

Education

B.S. in CS or related

Tools

MCP servers

RAG pipelines

Vector search

Function calling

Agent orchestration

Job description

MediaAlpha is a customer acquisition solutions provider powered by technology and data science. The company provides industry-leading solutions designed to reach consumers shopping within high-consideration categories such as property and casualty insurance, health insurance, life insurance, and more.

Hybrid role: 3 days/week in office

Role Overview

As a Senior Applied AI Engineer at MediaAlpha, you will be a key contributor building LLM-powered applications for our internal teams and ad serving platform. You will implement features end-to-end: integration, deployment, and operational health. You will work alongside engineering, product, and business stakeholders to deliver features that solve real business problems.

The ideal candidate is a strong software engineer with hands‑on experience building LLM-powered features in production, who works well across organizational boundaries and improves the conditions of any area they are in. We are an intentionally small organization, designed for agility, speed, and workability.

Responsibilities

• Own the full software development lifecycle of implementing LLM-powered features, from integration through production deployment and operational health.
• Design and build MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers that expose internal data and tools to LLM applications.
• Design, implement, and maintain retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines, including vector search, tool-use patterns, and multi-step agent workflows.
• Integrate LLM-based services into MediaAlpha's products, internal tools, and data ecosystem.
• Write and iterate on prompts, and build the harnesses needed to test and evaluate them.
• Be part of the team that maintains and supports our live production AI features.
• Be a champion of instilling excellence in coding, testing, and quality into the team and culture.
• Work directly with stakeholders in defining product capabilities and developing and testing new features and integrations.

Requirements

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in software development.
• B.S. required, preferably in a technical discipline (e.g., computer science).
• Strong programming skills, including software engineering methodologies and best practices.
• Strong SQL skills and understanding of database and query optimizations.
• Hands‑on experience building LLM-powered features in production.
• Familiarity with common AI implementation patterns: MCP server design, RAG, vector search, function calling/tool use, agent orchestration, and structured output extraction.
• Practical prompt engineering skills with demonstrated ability to iterate and evaluate quality.
• Experience integrating with APIs and building services that call external or internal LLM endpoints.
• Familiarity with cloud environments (AWS preferred: EC2, S3, Bedrock).
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• A self‑starter, comfortable with ambiguity and ability to problem solve while paying careful attention to detail.
• Experience working with engineers and non-technical stakeholders.Ability to articulate and communicate clearly, concisely, and thoughtfully.

We are excited to offer a total base compensation of $150,000 to $210,000 per year for this position based on experience and qualifications. But that's not all - as a valued member of our team, you will also have access to an array of top-notch benefits, including:

• Annual bonus program and participation in our Restricted Stock Unit program
• 100% Employer-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for you, your dependents, and spouse or registered domestic partner
• 100% Employer paid long term disability, and life insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with matching contributions to help you plan for your future
• Open Paid Time Off policy with a Birthday Hookie day off, 13 holidays, and 5 Recharge days
• Professional development reimbursement along with a subscription to LinkedIn Learning
• Cell Phone, Wellness, and Internet expense reimbursement, along with a subscription to the Calm App
• 100% fully paid parental leave for team members up to 22 weeks for the primary caregiver and 12 weeks for the secondary caregiver
• Dog-friendly offices (LA and AZ) along with a $300 pet adoption reimbursement

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

MediaAlpha is committed to fostering, cultivating, and maintaining a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our philosophy and actions are built on the premise that as an employer and citizens of our communities, we can create opportunities for lasting change.

MediaAlpha will consider qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with state and local "Fair Chance" laws. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans in our application process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at [e-mail] or [phone].