Applied AI Engineer

Applied AI Engineer at Kaizen to build and own internal AI systems end to end, enabling faster research and routing and supporting an external analytics layer.

Responsibilities

• Own internal tools end to end, from problem discovery through architecture, build, rollout, and post-release week two fixes.
• Build AI-powered internal systems including document parsing and analysis, agentic workflows, and automated research and routing.
• Create tooling that reduces manual effort from hours to minutes.
• Partner with leads across Proposals, Customer Ops, Sales, Design, and Engineering to identify where time is going and convert ambiguous asks into buildable scope.
• Drive AI enablement across the company so teams know how to get the most out of Kaizen’s tools.
• Support the external analytics layer within Kaizen’s platform to provide customers clear, actionable data.
• Back up the deployment team during implementations.

Requirements

• 2 to 5 years of engineering, data, or applied AI experience, or work that makes years irrelevant (slope matters more than seniority).
• Have shipped something end to end that a team uses today (an internal application, automation, or tool that changed how people work), not a prototype or demo.
• Demonstrated fluency with AI tools, including having shipped with them and understanding where they fail and how you addressed it.
• Strong SQL and enough data modeling skill to work in an existing warehouse and ship a model when needed.
• Ability to take a vague problem from a non-technical stakeholder and return with the right scope, not the requested one.
• Low ego, high output, including comfort with rollout work that makes the build matter.

Technologies

• SQL
• N8N
• Zapier

Location and Schedule

• New York, NY (hybrid)
• Commute requirement: candidates must commute to NYC office at least four times per week (Monday to Thursday).

Compensation

• USD 150,000 - 200,000 per year

Benefits

• 100% medical coverage (Oxford/United Gold and Platinum PPO plans) for employees, with 100% coverage for dependents.
• 100% dental coverage via Guardian PPO for employees, with 100% coverage for dependents.
• 100% vision coverage via Beam for employees, with 100% coverage for dependents.
• $100,000 fully paid life insurance.
• FSA and Dependent Care FSA.
• One Medical membership included (same-day primary care, 24/7 virtual visits, offices across the city).
• Fertility and family-building support through Carrot.
• 401(k) through Guideline with a 2% company match.
• Parental leave: 16 weeks fully paid for birthing parents and 10 weeks fully paid for non-birthing parents.
• Unlimited PTO with a two-week minimum.
• Closed for all federal holidays.
• Company-wide winter break the week of Christmas.
• Company offsites throughout the year.
• Home office/desk setup stipend: up to $750 one-time for NYC employees; $500 for remote employees.
• $50/month commuter benefit (company contribution).
• Expensed lunch when in the office.
• Dinner and Uber rides home expensed if working in the office past 7pm.
• Company-provided laptop of choice.
• Fitness reimbursement: NYC employees receive a fully covered gym membership at Grindhouse (and in Williamsburg), valued at $225/month; non-NYC employees receive $100/month.
• $100/month utility stipend.
• $250/quarter home cleaning stipend.
• $500/year professional development.
• $250/year recreation.
• $300/quarter pet care stipend.

Strong Candidates May Also Have

• Experience building internal tooling where the hard part was driving adoption across hundreds of people.
• Background from forward deployed or solutions engineering at an AI or developer tools company.
• Deep knowledge of N8N, Zapier, or similar tools, including when not to use them.
• Experience building in government, healthcare, or other high-stakes environments.