Senior Software Engineer - AI Enablement

Workiva Inc.; Ames (IA); On-site; USD 111,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

Restricted Stock Units

401(k) match

Job summary

Workiva is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to drive the AI Enablement program, owning a key technical domain while contributing across the stack. You will shape architecture, deploy MCP servers, and integrate tools like Jira, Splunk, and Datadog within FedRAMP boundaries.

You will collaborate with product teams, document best practices, and mentor peers, delivering sustainable software in a security-conscious, AI-augmented environment.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of related software development experience.
• 3-5 sentence summary of responsibilities.
• Experience with Python, Go, or TypeScript preferred.
• Experience using AI-augmented IDEs (Cursor, Claude Code) is a plus.
• Ability to translate complex technical implementations into clear docs.

Responsibilities

• Own a specific technical domain and be the primary maintainer.
• Architect and maintain internal MCP servers and deploy cloud-hosted autonomous agents within FedRAMP boundaries.
• Deliver software milestones with sustainable, reusable code.
• Conduct spikes on emerging AI tools to ensure compatibility with architecture and security standards.
• Create and share best-practice playbooks for AI-enabled development.
• Mentor engineers and promote AI adoption across teams.
• Monitor metrics to measure impact on velocity and code quality.

Skills

Software development

Backend services

API integration

Python/Go/TS

AI-augmented IDEs

Technical communication

Tools

Jira

Splunk

Datadog

Job description

As a Senior Software Engineer, you will be the technical engine of the AI Enablement team. Your mission is to bridge the gap between \"AI-adjacent\" and \"AI-native\" by building the tools and integrations that make AI indispensable to the PDLC. While you will contribute across our entire stack, you will be expected to own a specific domain—such as our Model Context Protocol (MCP) ecosystem, wk-ai-prototyping repo or our future automated testing agents—becoming the go-to expert for that area while maintaining the flexibility to support the broader team.

Key Responsibilities

Architecture & Technical Mastery (Primary Focus)

Domain Ownership: Take deep ownership of a specific technical domain (e.g., our MCP server infrastructure or wk-ai-prototyping repo). Be the primary maintainer and visionary for this component.

Build & Deploy: Architect and maintain internal MCP servers (integrating Jira, Splunk, Datadog, etc.) and deploy cloud-hosted autonomous agents within FedRAMP boundaries.

Resilient Implementation: Independently deliver software solutions through a set of milestones, ensuring code is sustainable, reusable, and optimized for an AI-augmented environment.

Tooling Evaluation: Conduct deep technical spikes on emerging AI tools (e.g., Qodo, Cursor, Claude Code) to ensure compatibility with Workiva’s architecture and security standards.

Process Integration & Consulting (Growth Path)

Best Practice Documentation: Actively surface and document \"Golden Paths\"—creating playbooks that standardize how engineers utilize AI to reduce KTLO (Bugfixes, CVEs, Migrations).

Light Consulting: Serve as a tactical consultant for product teams, helping them integrate AI agents into their specific workflows and troubleshooting technical blockers.

Data-Driven Quality: Implement and monitor metrics (using tools like Mstone) to measure the impact of AI on team velocity and code quality.

Evangelism & Mentorship Skill Mastery

Level up team members by providing guidance on AI-augmented development techniques and conducting \"Review-First\" code reviews.

Cultural Catalyst: Showcase successful use cases and strategic wins in engineering syncs to encourage organic AI adoption.

Minimum Qualifications

Experience: 4+ years of related software development experience.

Technical Stack: Strong proficiency in back-end services, proxy servers, and API integrations. Experience with Python, Go, or TypeScript is preferred.

AI Literacy: Extensive experience using AI-augmented IDEs (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code) to maintain high throughput and quality.

Communication: Ability to translate complex technical implementations into clear, actionable documentation for the broader engineering org.

How You’ll Be Rewarded

• Salary range in the US: $111,000.00 - $180,000.00
• A discretionary bonus typically paid annually
• Restricted Stock Units granted at time of hire
• 401(k) match and comprehensive employee benefits package

The salary range represents the low and high end of the salary range for this job in the US. Minimums and maximums may vary based on location. The actual salary offer will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience and other relevant factors.

Why Join Workiva

Workiva is the platform designed to bring confidence, control, and a competitive edge to the world’s most complex organizations. Our AI-powered platform unifies finance, risk, and sustainability on a single, secure foundation—ensuring data is trusted, traceable, and ready to act on. With an unbroken path from source to output, leaders gain confidence in their numbers, visibility into current and emerging risks, and the ability to move with speed and precision in a constantly changing world. At Workiva, you’ll bring technology to market that executives, boards, and regulators depend on. The work you do here helps organizations navigate uncertainty, maintain trust, and make decisions that stand up to scrutiny. If you’re energized by meaningful challenges, inspired by collaborative teams, and motivated to help organizations turn uncertainty into advantage, we’d love to meet you.

Employment decisions are made without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other protected characteristic. Workiva is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.

Workiva employees are required to undergo comprehensive security and privacy training tailored to their roles, ensuring adherence to company policies and regulatory standards.

Workiva supports employees in working where they work best - either from an office or remotely from any location within their country of employment.

#LI-EH1

About Workiva Life at Workiva Benefits & Perks People & Culture at Workiva Workiva Newsroom Leadership Team