Sr. Staff AI Engineer - Applied AI (Remote)

Rula; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% remote work environment

Comprehensive health benefits

401(k) plan access

Generous time-off policies

Paid parental leave

Employee Assistance Program

New hire home office stipend

Quarterly department stipend

Wellness events

Job summary

Rula is searching for a software engineer to lead the AI foundation in mental healthcare. This role focuses on the practical implementation of durable, production-grade AI systems to support patient engagement and clinical operations. Candidates should have extensive software engineering experience, particularly with public clouds and AI-powered product development. This is a remote position open to most U.S. states, offering a healthy work-life balance, competitive salary, and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering.
• 7+ years with Public Cloud (AWS, GCP, etc.).
• 5+ years designing and scaling distributed systems.
• 2+ years building AI-powered products.
• 3+ years working with MLOps and data pipeline systems.

Responsibilities

• Define system architecture for AI in mental healthcare.
• Create durable, production-grade AI systems.
• Act as a technical multiplier for engineering teams.

Skills

Software Engineering

Python

Distributed Systems

Public Cloud (AWS, GCP)

MLOps

AI-Powered Products

Job description

We believe that mental health is just as important as physical health. We recognize that mental health issues can be complex and multifaceted, and we are dedicated to treating the whole person, not just the symptoms.

We aim to create a world where mental health is no longer stigmatized or marginalized, but rather is embraced as an integral part of one's overall well‑being.

We believe that by providing quality care that is both evidence‑based and compassionate, we can empower individuals to take charge of their mental health and achieve their full potential. We are passionate about making a positive impact on the lives of those struggling with mental health issues and we strive to be a force for positive change in the field of mental healthcare.

Rula is a remote‑first company. We currently hire in most U.S. states, with the exception of Hawaii.

About The Role

At Rula, this role owns the AI foundation that determines how, and how well, AI shows up across mental healthcare. The focus isn’t on prototypes or isolated features, but on building durable, production‑grade generative AI systems that directly power patient engagement, provider workflows, and clinical operations at scale.

You’ll operate where architecture, applied research, and real‑world constraints meet. The work includes designing core AI platforms, setting technical standards for safety, reliability, and performance, and making principled decisions about how advanced AI is introduced into a regulated, high‑stakes care environment. The goal is simple but hard: make AI genuinely useful in clinical contexts, without compromising trust or outcomes.

This is a deeply hands‑on role with real technical ownership. You’ll define system architecture, unblock complex engineering problems, and act as a technical multiplier for other engineers working across product surfaces. Success here means creating foundations that others can build on confidently and that hold up under scale, scrutiny, and real patient impact.

The opportunity is less about chasing the frontier for its own sake and more about shaping how AI responsibly becomes part of everyday mental healthcare, setting direction not just for what we build next, but for how AI evolves inside the care ecosystem over time.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering, including 7+ years of experience with Public Cloud (AWS, GCP, etc.), 5+ years designing and scaling distributed systems.
• 5+ years of deep experience in Python and at least one backend language (preferably JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, or Go).
• 2+ years of proven track record building AI‑powered products at scale, including hands‑on experience with foundation models (OpenAI, Anthropic, Bedrock, Gemini, etc.).
• 2+ years of strong experience in LLM integration patterns (RAG, function calling, agents, memory routing, etc.), or AI orchestration frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex, DSPy, Haystack), or vector databases (e.g., Pinecone, Weaviate, FAISS, Milvus).
• 3+ years in working with MLOps, data pipelines, evaluation, and observability systems for continuous model improvement.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience architecting secure and compliant AI solutions in regulated environments (HIPAA, GDPR, etc.).
• Familiarity with human‑in‑the‑loop systems and clinical decision support frameworks.
• Experience designing evaluation pipelines for human alignment, factual accuracy, or model interpretability.
• Contributions to open‑source AI frameworks or applied research in NLP, healthcare AI, or GenAI safety.
• Experience contributing to early‑stage team growth (0 → 1).
• Experience leading or mentoring engineering teams in AI, ML platform, or applied research domains.

Benefits

• 100% remote work environment: Working hours to support a healthy work‑life balance, ensuring you can meet both professional and personal commitments (must be based in United States, currently not hiring in Hawaii).
• Attractive pay and benefits: Full transparency of pay ranges regardless of where you live in the United States.
• Comprehensive health benefits: Medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and FSA/HSA.
• 401(k) plan access: Start saving for your future.
• Generous time‑off policies: Including 2 company‑wide shutdown weeks each year for self‑care (for most employees).
• Paid parental leave: Available for all parents, including birthing, non‑birthing, adopting, and fostering.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Support for your mental and physical health.
• New hire home office stipend: Set up your workspace for success.
• Quarterly department stipend: Fun team‑building activities or in‑person gatherings.
• Wellness events and lunch & learns: Explore a variety of engaging topics.
• Community and employee resource groups: Participate in groups that celebrate employee identity and lived experiences, fostering a sense of community and belonging for all.

Our Team

We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are fundamental to our mission of making mental healthcare work for everyone. We are dedicated to having a culture of inclusion that will support our employees in feeling safe, seen, heard, and valued.