Software Engineer I

Citizens Financial; Johnston (RI); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Citizens Financial seeks a Software Engineer 1 to help design, develop, and test AI-powered applications and intelligent workflows in a collaborative, fast‑paced environment.

You will build APIs, integrate data sources, and develop AI agents using LLMs, while learning modern AI engineering practices and contributing to cloud-based services.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
• Internship, research, academic, or personal project experience developing software applications.
• Familiarity with Python and an interest in learning additional programming languages as needed.
• Basic understanding of REST APIs, object-oriented programming, and software development fundamentals.
• Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud) through coursework or projects is a plus.
• Coursework or hands-on experience with machine learning, generative AI, or large language models is preferred.
• Familiarity with Git and collaborative software development practices.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Eagerness to learn new technologies and grow in a collaborative environment.
• Experience with Python AI frameworks such as Lang Chain, Llama Index, or similar tools
• Prompt engineering or LLM application development
• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
• Docker or containerization
• SQL and relational databases
• JavaScript, Java, or Go
• GitHub Actions or CI/CD concepts
• AI coding assistants such as GitHub Copilot or Cursor

Responsibilities

• Assist in designing, developing, and testing AI-powered applications and intelligent workflows.
• Build and integrate APIs, internal services, and data sources that support AI solutions.
• Help develop AI agents capable of completing business tasks using large language models (LLMs) and workflow orchestration tools.
• Participate in improving the reliability, quality, and performance of AI applications.
• Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested code using modern software engineering practices.
• Contribute to cloud-based applications and backend services.
• Support CI/CD pipelines, testing, monitoring, and deployment activities.
• Troubleshoot issues and participate in debugging and performance improvements.
• Learn emerging AI technologies, including LLMs, RAG, and prompt engineering.
• Experiment with new tools and techniques to improve AI capabilities.
• Participate in code reviews, design discussions, and team knowledge sharing.
• Work closely with software engineers, product managers, architects, and data teams to deliver AI solutions.
• Help translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Contribute ideas and continuously improve development processes.
• Follow secure coding practices and organizational security standards.
• Help ensure AI applications protect sensitive information and comply with company policies.
• Learn and apply responsible AI principles when developing AI solutions.

Skills

Python

REST APIs

Git

CI/CD

Problem-solving

Communication

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

AWS

Azure

GCP

LangChain

LlamaIndex

RAG

SQL

JavaScript

Java

Go

Job description

Software Engineer 1

We are seeking a motivated and curious Software Engineer to help build and support next-generation AI solutions, including Agentic AI capabilities that can plan, reason, and complete tasks using tools and workflows. This is an excellent opportunity for a recent college graduate or early-career engineer with a passion for artificial intelligence, software development, and solving real-world business problems.

Working alongside experienced engineers and AI specialists, you will contribute to the design, development, testing, and deployment of AI-powered applications that improve customer experiences and business operations while learning modern AI engineering practices.

This is not a Remote position but 4 days in the office and 1 Hybrid

Key Responsibilities

AI Application Development

• Assist in designing, developing, and testing AI-powered applications and intelligent workflows.
• Build and integrate APIs, internal services, and data sources that support AI solutions.
• Help develop AI agents capable of completing business tasks using large language models (LLMs) and workflow orchestration tools.
• Participate in improving the reliability, quality, and performance of AI applications.

Software Engineering

• Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested code using modern software engineering practices.
• Contribute to cloud-based applications and backend services.
• Support CI/CD pipelines, testing, monitoring, and deployment activities.
• Troubleshoot issues and participate in debugging and performance improvements.

Learning & Innovation

• Learn emerging AI technologies, including large language models, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), prompt engineering, and AI agent frameworks.
• Experiment with new tools and techniques to improve AI capabilities.
• Participate in code reviews, design discussions, and team knowledge sharing.

Collaboration

• Work closely with software engineers, product managers, architects, and data teams to deliver AI solutions.
• Help translate business requirements into technical solutions.
• Contribute ideas and continuously improve development processes.

Security & Responsible AI

• Follow secure coding practices and organizational security standards.
• Help ensure AI applications protect sensitive information and comply with company policies.
• Learn and apply responsible AI principles when developing AI solutions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Software Engineering, Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
• Internship, research, academic, or personal project experience developing software applications.
• Familiarity with Python and an interest in learning additional programming languages as needed.
• Basic understanding of REST APIs, object-oriented programming, and software development fundamentals.
• Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud) through coursework or projects is a plus.
• Coursework or hands-on experience with machine learning, generative AI, or large language models is preferred.
• Familiarity with Git and collaborative software development practices.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Eagerness to learn new technologies and grow in a collaborative environment.
• Experience with any of the following through coursework, internships, research, hackathons, or personal projects:
• Python AI frameworks such as Lang Chain, Llama Index, or similar tools
• Prompt engineering or LLM application development
• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
• Docker or containerization
• SQL and relational databases
• JavaScript, Java, or Go
• GitHub Actions or CI/CD concepts
• AI coding assistants such as GitHub Copilot or Cursor

What Success Looks Like

• Successfully contributes to AI projects while growing technical expertise.
• Delivers reliable, well-tested code and collaborates effectively with teammates.
• Continuously learns new AI technologies and applies them to solve business problems.
• Demonstrates curiosity, initiative, and a willingness to take on new challenges.
• Helps build AI solutions that improve customer experience and business operations.

Pay Transparency

The salary range for this position is $75,000 - $90,000per year, plus an opportunity to earn an annual discretionary bonus. Actual pay is based on various factors including but not limited to, the budget, work location, relevant skills, and experience.

We offer competitive pay, comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, retirement benefits, maternity and paternity leave, flexible work arrangements, education reimbursement, wellness programs, and more. Citizens' paid time off policy exceeds the mandatory paid sick or paid time away policies of local and state jurisdictions in the United States.

For an overview of our benefits, visit our Careers site - https://jobs.citizensbank.com/benefits