Software Engineer

Gray Swan; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 115,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days off between holidays & PTO

401(k) with up to 4% matching

Flexible work arrangements

Professional development support

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Catered lunches (Pittsburgh office)

Visa sponsorship

Job summary

An emerging AI safety company in Pittsburgh is seeking a software engineer to develop end-to-end solutions across the stack. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in TypeScript or JavaScript and familiarity with frontend frameworks like Svelte, coupled with backend API development skills. This role offers a unique opportunity to work on high-impact projects with real-world consequences. The company supports flexible work arrangements and provides comprehensive benefits including a competitive salary, equity options, and extensive paid time off.

Qualifications

• Proficiency in TypeScript or JavaScript.
• Hands-on experience building backend APIs.
• Solid understanding of HTML and CSS.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop web applications using modern frontend frameworks.
• Build intuitive and user‑friendly interfaces.
• Collaborate with the ML research team to integrate AI experiences into products.

Skills

TypeScript or JavaScript

Frontend frameworks (React, Vue, or Svelte)

HTML and CSS

Backend API development

Database systems (SQL or NoSQL; MongoDB)

Tools

Svelte

FastAPI

AWS

Google Cloud

Azure

Job description

Join the Arena Careers

Making AI Safe to Ship

Real stakes. Real-world impact.

View open positions

Gray Swan has made a habit of being first in line. We’re often the first to spot new failure modes, and, by extension, the first to defend against them. Being research-first isn’t a tagline. It’s how we build our products, our playbooks, and our culture of thinking three steps ahead.

Whether it’s stress-testing the latest agentic AI in a lab or helping enterprises deploy at full speed, our goal is the same: uncover the hard problems before anyone else does, then turn that insight into real-world solutions that let innovation happen, safely and without slowing down.

Trusted at the Frontier

Our research has directly informed the safety evaluations of some of the most advanced AI models in the world.

Your work helps shape how AI is deployed, evaluated, and trusted; from enterprises shipping to production, to researchers pushing new capabilities, to organizations responsible for safety at scale.

This is work with real consequences. Looking for a place where your thinking carries weight and where progress is measured in outcomes, not meetings? You’ll find it here.

Support That Lets You Do Your Best Work

Our benefits are designed to support real life, sustained curiosity, and the kind of deep work that meaningful impact requires.

• 28 days off between holidays & PTO:Time off that actually feels like time off.
• 401(k) with up to 4% matching:We invest in the long term; yours included.
• Flexible work arrangements:We care about outcomes, not where your laptop happens to be.
• Professional development support:Learning isn’t optional here. We make room for it.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage:Comprehensive coverage, because your health isn’t a side project.
• Catered lunches (Pittsburgh office):Good food, fewer decisions, better afternoons.
• Visa sponsorship:Great work knows no borders. We’ll help with the paperwork.
• Short-term disability & parental support:100% paid, including parental leave, with up to 14 weeks of paid birthing leave. So you can focus on what matters most.

Do the Work That Matters

If you’re excited by meaningful problems, real responsibility, and work that shows up in the world, you’ll fit right in. Take a look at our open roles below.

Software Engineer

Location

Pittsburgh

Employment Type

Full time

Location Type

On-site

Department

Software Engineering

About Gray Swan

Gray Swan protects organizations from emerging AI security threats. We build real-time threat detection, automated validation, and adaptive defenses for AI labs and enterprises. We’re a team of ~25 people, well-funded, and growing fast.

We have strong traction and globally recognized customers, which means employees here take on real responsibility and meaningful equity from day one. This is a high-ownership environment where you’ll work on hard problems, move quickly, and help shape both the product and the company.

Many people join Gray Swan because our mission matters. We’re doing practical, high-impact work in AI safety, that sense of purpose is a core reason why engineers and researchers choose us.

The Role

We’re looking for a software engineer who wants to build things end to end and doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty. You’ll work across the stack—frontend, backend APIs, and databases—helping us turn ideas into real product and improve what’s already in production.

You don’t need to have used every tool we use– what matters is that you have solid full-stack experience, pick up new technologies quickly, and are comfortable owning work without a lot of process or hand‑holding. We are still in the early stages of our growth, so if you like autonomy, responsibility, and moving fast, then please apply for this opportunity!

What You’ll Do:

• Design and develop web applications using modern frontend frameworks like Svelte
• Build intuitive and user‑friendly interfaces that delight users
• Develop and maintain backend APIs using tools like FastAPI
• Manage and optimize database systems like MongoDB
• Collaborate with our ML research team to integrate AI experiences into our products

Who You Are:

• Proficiency in TypeScript or JavaScript
• Experience with frontend frameworks such as React, Vue, or Svelte
• Solid understanding of HTML and CSS
• Hands‑on experience building backend APIs
• Knowledge of database systems (SQL or NoSQL; MongoDB is a plus)

Bonus Points If You Have:

• SvelteKit experience
• Python proficiency and AI/ML framework exposure
• Experience in creating AI‑driven applications
• Experience deploying and scaling applications on cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud, Azure)
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices to streamline development workflows
• Knowledge of secure coding practices and mitigating vulnerabilities in web applications
• Contributions to open‑source projects or an active GitHub/portfolio showcasing relevant work
• Experience with testing frameworks (e.g., Jest, Playwright) to ensure code quality
• Understanding of AI safety principles or ethical considerations in AI systems

If you don’t have 100% of these, you should still seriously consider applying. We care more about what you can do than your credentials.

You’ll Thrive Here If You:

• You’ve learned things about your code only production traffic can teach
• You’re comfortable debugging across the stack – from browser devtools to database query plans.
• You’ve worked in environments where moving fast matters and you know how to balance speed with sustainability.
• You’re interested in applying your security mindset to AI, where the threat model is still being written

What We Offer:

We offer a competitive compensation package designed to reward impact and incentivize growth. Our compensation philosophy is informed by our current valuation and recent industry data.

Salary: $115,00-$165,000

Equity: Competitive equity package

Benefits:

• 401k with up to 4% matching
• 28 days annual leave (vacation + holidays)
• Health, dental, and vision coverage
• Catered lunches (Pittsburgh office)
• Flexible work arrangements
• Visa sponsorship available for exceptional candidates

Interview Process:

🔎 Application review. We read everything; we’ll respond within 10 days.

✏️ Online technical screen (15 min). Complete a simple, job-relevant exercise.

🗣 Intro call (30 min). We learn about you; you learn about us.

🧑💻 Technical interview (90 min). Live coding with some tasks requiring AI and others not.

🗣 Experience & culture interview (60 min). Conversational exploration of the skills fit.

😇 Reference checks. We’ll reach out to 3-5 references that you provide.

📃 Offer. If it’s mutual, we move fast.

How to Apply:

Submit your resume, link to your portfolio, and answer the questions on the application.

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