Staff Software Engineer - AI/Agent Engineer, Care Automation

Toast; United States; Hybrid; USD 151,000 - 309,000; Full time

Job summary

Toast is seeking an AI/Agent Engineer to design and build AI-powered automations for its Care Automation team. You will integrate large language models and agentic frameworks across our care tools, including Salesforce Service Cloud and Amazon Connect, partnering with engineers and operations to ship production-grade AI systems.

You will design, implement, and test autonomous workflows with human-in-the-loop checkpoints, monitor performance, and iterate based on operational data to improve agent

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering experience building AI/ML systems in production.
• Hands-on experience with large language models, agentic frameworks (LangChain/LangGraph), and prompt engineering.
• Strong backend engineering skills in Python, Java, or Go.
• Experience with event-driven architectures and building integrations across enterprise systems
• Ability to evaluate trade-offs between automation accuracy, latency, and cost in production AI systems

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and operate AI-powered automations and agentic workflows that help Customer Care Agents resolve issues faster and more consistently
• Build and maintain integrations between LLM-based systems and our care technology stack, including Salesforce, Amazon Connect, and iPaaS platforms
• Prototype and iterate on agentic solutions that can take autonomous actions with human-in-the-loop checkpoints
• Write automated tests and participate in code reviews to maintain code quality and reliability
• Monitor AI system performance, respond to incidents, and iterate based on data and feedback
• Partner with software engineers, Salesforce developers, and operations to translate care workflows into intelligent automated solutions
• Leverage AI-augmented development tools to increase velocity and code quality

Skills

AI/ML systems

LangChain / LangGraph

Python/Java/Go

Event-driven

Trade-offs evaluation

Education

Bachelor's in CS or related

Tools

Salesforce Service Cloud

Amazon Connect

iPaaS platforms

Workato

RAG architectures

Vector databases

AWS SageMaker / Bedrock

Job description

Toast creates technology to help restaurants and local businesses succeed in a digital world, helping business owners operate, increase sales, engage customers, and keep employees happy.

The Care Automation team builds the systems and automations that power how Toast supports its customers. Our work connects the platforms, workflows, and integrations that our Customer Care Agents rely on every day to resolve issues quickly and deliver a great customer experience.

We are looking for an AI/Agent Engineer to join this team and help define how intelligent automation changes the way care operations work at Toast. You will be at the center of building the AI layer across our care systems, bringing together large language models, agentic frameworks, and workflow automation to reduce manual effort and improve outcomes for both agents and customers.

In this role, you will design and build AI-powered automations that work across our Care tool suite, including Salesforce Service Cloud and Amazon Connect. You will partner closely with software engineers, Salesforce developers, and operations stakeholders to ship production-grade AI systems that make a measurable difference for our Customer Care teams and customers.

A Day In The Life (Responsibilities)

• Design, build, and operate AI-powered automations and agentic workflows that help Customer Care Agents resolve issues faster and more consistently
• Build and maintain integrations between LLM-based systems and our care technology stack, including Salesforce, Amazon Connect, and iPaaS workflow automation platforms
• Prototype and iterate on agentic solutions that can take autonomous actions across care systems, with appropriate human-in-the-loop checkpoints
• Write automated tests and participate in code reviews to maintain code quality and system reliability
• Monitor AI system performance, respond to incidents, and iterate based on operational data and agent feedback
• Partner with software engineers, Salesforce developers, and operations stakeholders to translate care workflows into intelligent, automated solutions
• Leverage AI-augmented development tools to increase development velocity and code quality

What You'll Need To Thrive (Requirements)

• 5+ years of software engineering experience, with meaningful hands‑on experience building AI/ML systems in production
• Practical experience with large language models, agentic frameworks (such as LangChain, LangGraph, or similar), and prompt engineering
• Strong backend engineering skills in Python, Java, or Go
• Experience with event‑driven architectures and building integrations across enterprise systems
• Ability to evaluate trade‑offs between automation accuracy, latency, and cost in production AI systems
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent practical experience

Bonus Ingredients (Nice to Have)

• Experience with contact center platforms such as Salesforce Service Cloud or Amazon Connect
• Experience with Workato or another iPaaS platform
• Hands‑on experience with RAG architectures and vector databases
• Familiarity with AWS AI/ML services (Bedrock, SageMaker, Lambda)

AI at Toast

At Toast, one of our company values is that we're hungry to build and learn. We believe learning new AI tools empowers us to build for our customers faster, more independently, and with higher quality. We provide these tools across all disciplines, from Engineering and Product to Sales and Support, and are inspired by how our Toasters are already driving real value with them. The people who thrive here are those who embrace changes that let us build more for our customers; it’s a core part of our culture.

Our Total Rewards Philosophy

We strive to provide competitive compensation and benefits programs that help to attract, retain, and motivate the best and brightest people in our industry. Our total rewards package goes beyond great earnings potential and provides the means to a healthy lifestyle with the flexibility to meet Toasters’ changing needs. Learn more about our benefits at https://careers.toasttab.com/toast-benefits.

The base salary range for this role is listed below. The starting salary will be determined based on skills, experience, and geographic location. In addition to base salary, our total rewards components include cash compensation (overtime, bonus/commissions if eligible), equity, and benefits. You can learn more about how we align pay with local labor markets in our Geographic Pay Zone Philosophy.

Zone A

$193,000—$309,000 USD

Zone B

$168,000—$269,000 USD

Zone C

$151,000—$242,000 USD

How Toast Uses AI In Its Hiring Process

Throughout the hiring process, our goal is to get to know you. We use AI tools to support our recruiters and interviewers with tasks like note-taking, summarization, and documentation of interviews to ensure they can be fully focused on your conversation. All hiring decisions are made by people. We ask that you complete interviews and assessments on your own, without real‑time AI tools, recording, or transcription bots, unless we tell you otherwise in advance. To learn more: https://careers.toasttab.com/ai-in-hiring

Our Approach to Hybrid Working

We embrace a hybrid work model that fosters in-person collaboration while valuing individual needs. Our goal is to build a strong culture of connection as we work together to empower the hospitality community, regardless of location. Please visit the Locations page on our career site to learn more about our in‑office expectations by region: https://careers.toasttab.com/locations-toast

People Are the Secret Ingredient in Our Recipe for Success

At Toast, our employees are our secret ingredient—when they thrive, we thrive. The restaurant industry brings together people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and we value that same breadth at Toast. We strive to build a culture grounded in authenticity, respect, and humility, where every Toaster has a real opportunity to grow, contribute, and do their best work—raising the bar in delivering exceptional experiences for our customers and each other.

For roles in the United States, it is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.