Senior Software Engineer, AI

About SandboxAQ

SandboxAQ is a high-growth company delivering AI solutions that address some of the world's greatest challenges. The company’s Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) power advances in life sciences, financial services, navigation, cybersecurity, and other sectors.

We are a global team that is tech-focused and includes experts in AI, chemistry, cybersecurity, physics, mathematics, medicine, engineering, and other specialties. The company emerged from Alphabet Inc. as an independent, growth capital-backed company in 2022, funded by leading investors and supported by a braintrust of industry leaders.

At SandboxAQ, we’ve cultivated an environment that encourages creativity, collaboration, and impact. By investing deeply in our people, we’re building a thriving, global workforce poised to tackle the world's epic challenges. Join us to advance your career in pursuit of an inspiring mission, in a community of like-minded people who value entrepreneurialism, ownership, and transformative impact.

About The Role

SandboxAQ's AI Generation Engine (SAIGE) team is seeking a highly accomplished software engineer to design and rapidly prototype AI-first SaaS products incorporating Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) and agentic frameworks. A successful candidate must be comfortable owning the end-to-end lifecycle of both internal and external facing software systems and applications and have significant industry experience bringing products from conception to production and deployment.

We are looking for a hands-on engineer who is passionate about quickly building and testing new AI capabilities - not just refining existing ones. This person will be one of the founding engineers to join the SAIGE team and will be the bridge between cutting-edge AI concepts and functional, real-world MVPs.

As a Senior Software Engineer on the SAIGE team, your primary goal will be to rapidly prototype and iterate on different potential solutions to explore new AI use cases, focusing on speed and tangible outcomes. You'll work with AI researchers and engineers to test feasibility, de-risk ideas quickly, and enable the next generation of SandboxAQ's technologies through high-velocity development.

Core Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and test complex software systems for AI-first SaaS products incorporating LQMs and agentic frameworks as part of a small but highly-functioning team of engineers and scientists
• Architect and Implement highly scalable and robust systems by integrating Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) and advanced agentic frameworks into functional, real-world applications within our production environment
• Act as the critical bridge between cutting-edge AI concepts from researchers and tangible engineering solutions
• Collaborate closely with AI researchers and product managers to translate high-level objectives into actionable, high-velocity development plans
• Champion and enforce exceptional engineering standards for code quality, system efficiency, and security in a prototyping environment
• Establish best practices and conduct rigorous code reviews to uphold team quality and efficiency standards even under rapid development constraints
• Drive technical execution with high autonomy, making critical design and implementation decisions independently
• Lead the effort to research and introduce industry best practices in both AI development and production software engineering to continuously elevate the team's capabilities

Minimum Qualifications

• BS in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent field of study
• 6+ years of postgraduate experience in software development
• Experience developing highly-available, performant, scalable web applications
• Strong expertise in programming languages such as Python or TypeScript. Experience with other languages (e.g., Java, C++, Rust, etc.) preferred
• Long, successful history of bringing software from initial conception through to architecture, development, testing, and release into production
• Proficiency in software development methodologies and best practices (e.g., Agile practices, CI/CD, test-driven development)
• Strong Linux fundamentals (bash scripting, operating system configuration) and familiarity with common developer and devops tools such as Terraform, Git, Github, and the Atlassian suite tools Jira and Confluence

Preferred Qualifications

• MS or PhD in Software Engineering, Computer Science or equivalent experience
• Equivalent experience includes tech leadership in a complex space, driving technical design and execution cross-collaboratively across multiple teams and organizations
• Experience working with AI and machine learning frameworks (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch)
• Knowledge of cloud computing platforms (e.g., GCP, AWS)
• Experience with software development and interfaces on the cloud (e.g., GCP, AWS)

Interview Process

At SandboxAQ, our team and interview process want to help you show your best self, and we believe that happens in live interviews. We'll dive into past projects and simulate working together via coding exercises and system design, and talk through technical decisions (no leetcode or whiteboard exercises).

• 30-minute introduction call with Recruiting

• 30-minute introductory interview with the hiring manager

• 60-minute live coding interview with a potential team member

• A virtual on-site of 3.5 hours total (can be split across two days)

• You’ll meet engineers and cross-functional partners (with 15 minutes in each interview to ask them questions). If we don’t give an offer, we’ll provide feedback!

• Finalists will have a 30-minute introductory call with their skip level leader

Technology Stack

• Our stack includes Python, Postgres, Redis, TypeScript, and React. We're looking for experienced engineers who can demonstrate a deep understanding of these technologies, especially when deployed and scaled within major cloud environments (such as AWS, GCP, or Azure). The ability to rapidly learn new technologies and cloud services as needed is essential.

Benefits (United States)

• Competitive salary, equity and annual bonus
• 401k matching at 50% up to IRS maximum contribution
• Unlimited PTO plus a summer and winter break (one week each)
• Twelve weeks of fully paid parental leave in the US, with another 8 weeks for birthing parents
• Family planning support (fertility, surrogacy, adoption) through Carrot
• $750 equipment, software, and office furniture budget
• $100 for wellness (physical or mental) and $100 for home internet/phone expenses reimbursed monthly
• Top-notch medical, dental and vision insurance for you and your dependents with all premiums covered at 95% for employees

_The US base salary range for this full-time position is expected to be $167k - $230k per year. Our salary ranges are determined by role and level. Within the range, individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. This role may be eligible for annual discretionary bonuses and equity.

_SandboxAQ Welcomes All

We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where we have zero tolerance for discrimination. We invest in our employees' personal and professional growth. Once you work with us, you can’t go back to normalcy because great breakthroughs come from great teams and we are the best in AI and quantum technology.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status.

Accommodations: We provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in job application procedures for open roles. If you need such an accommodation, please let a member of our Recruiting team know.

Read: Guidance for candidates on using AI Tools in interviews

Compensation Range: $167K - $230K