Software Engineer I – AI Generalist

Zello; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity with upside

Flexible schedules

Time off

Sabbatical after 5 years

Ping-pong table

Free snacks

Job summary

Zello is hiring an entry-level Software Engineer I - AI Generalist to join the Quality Engineering team in Austin. You will apply AI to raise quality, perform automation where feasible, and rotate across iOS, Android, Web, and backend squads to contribute code with agent assistance.

Ideal candidates have 0–3 years of experience, write in Python/JS/Java, and are eager to learn multiple stacks while accelerating test creation and triage with AI tools.

Qualifications

• 0-3 years of experience in software development or QA roles.
• Demonstrated ability to write clean, maintainable code and learn new stacks quickly.
• Familiarity with AI coding tools as force multipliers is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Use AI tools to accelerate test creation, execution, and triage across Zello's services.
• Perform targeted manual testing where it matters and automate repetitive checks.
• Build lightweight AI harnesses and tools to speed up the engineering org.
• Rotate into engineering squads (iOS, Android, Web, backend) and contribute code with agent assistance.
• Identify quality gaps before shipping and propose fixes, not just log issues.
• Communicate clearly with a distributed team and surface blockers early.

Skills

Python

JavaScript/TypeScript

Java

Swift

Kotlin

Go

Job description

About Zello

Zello is a voice-first communication platform, powered by our industry-leading push-to-talk technology, to improve collaboration and productivity for desk-less workers. With over 175+ million users, we’re the #1 rated push-to-talk app in the world, delivering 9 billion (yes, with a B) messages a month.

At Zello, our company values are at the heart of what we do everyday. We’re proud to serve the frontline, we’re privileged to connect people in times of crisis across the globe, and we’re honored to support first responders.

And this is where you come in.

Zello keeps frontline workers connected with instant, voice-first communication and the quality of that experience is everything. We're adding a Software Engineer I - AI Generalist to our Quality Engineering team to use AI to raise our overall quality posture and then flex across the engineering org wherever the leverage is highest. This is a rare entry point: you'll get exposure across testing, tooling, and product engineering, and use what you learn to shape where your career goes next.

After a successful first year, you will have

• Stood up AI-assisted testing that measurably improved coverage or cycle time on workflows that used to be manual-only.
• Built at least one AI harness or tool that the QE or broader engineering teams actually adopted into their daily work.
• Shipped real code across more than one part of the stack, embedded with an engineering squad and trusted by it.
• Developed a clear sense of the domains that energize you and grounding a concrete conversation about your next step.

What you'll do

• Use AI tools and agents to accelerate test creation, execution, and triage across Zello's clients and services.
• Do targeted manual testing where it matters, and turn repetitive manual checks into durable automation.
• Build small tools and AI harnesses that make the whole engineering org faster.
• Rotate into engineering squads (iOS, Android, Web, backend) to contribute code with agent assistance.
• Find quality gaps before they ship, and propose the fix rather than just filing the bug.
• Communicate clearly and concisely with a distributed team, surfacing blockers early.

Who you are

• You've built something real — a project, internship, hackathon entry, or open-source contribution — and can walk through what you made and why.
• You already use AI coding tools as a force multiplier and are eager to push how far they go.
• You write code in at least one language (Python, JS/TS, Java, Swift, Kotlin, or Go) and pick up new stacks fast.
• You go broad willingly and you'd rather touch four parts of the system than specialize in one on day one.
• You spot problems and move them toward done without waiting to be told each step.
• You make the people around you faster, and your writing is clear enough that others can act on it.
• You have 0-3 years of experience and are early in your career.

This Role Is Not

• A manual-only QA seat and automation and building are core to the job.
• A deep specialist track in one platform or one test framework.
• A senior or lateral hire and this is deliberately an entry point with room to grow fast.
• A role where you wait for a spec and you'll be trusted to find leverage and act on it.

We hire for potential, passion for our mission, and a knack for solving difficult problems over checking every qualification box. We have competitive pay, equity with significant upside, and intentionally design our benefits to encourage healthy and well-balanced employees, flexible schedules and time off. We even offer a sabbatical after every five years of service so you’re able to pursue and enjoy what matters most to you. And of course, we wouldn’t be a technology company without a ping-pong table and free snacks in our break room. Join us!

Zello provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. All Zello personnel are required to comply with defined security, privacy, and compliance requirements applicable to their role along with requirements that are applicable to all Zello personnel.