Applied AI Engineer, Federal

About xAI

xAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge.

Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity.

We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important.

All engineers and researchers are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.

About the Role

Applied AI Engineers work directly with our end customers, including federal government and enterprise partners, to own strategy and execution of mission-critical AI solutions. This role mirrors the responsibilities of a hands-on AI startup CTO: you’ll collaborate in a small, agile team to deliver high-stakes projects, often in secure or regulated environments. A typical day may include:

• Drive the development and enhancement of the core product and underlying model, while collaborating cross-functionally to deliver end-to-end AI solutions.
• Identifying pain points, scoping product specifications, and designing and building LLM-powered software for government or enterprise use cases.
• Benchmarking models and developing evaluation frameworks to assess performance and address weaknesses, ensuring compliance with customer standards.
• Enhancing model performance through system prompt tuning or fine-tuning, with an eye toward secure and scalable deployment.
• Analyzing request logs, prompt data, or system outputs to ensure reliability and auditability.
• Building internal tooling to streamline workflows and automate repetitive tasks in secure environments.
• Refining xAI SDKs or developer documentation based on customer feedback, with an emphasis on usability for government or enterprise developers.

Focus

• A passion for solving complex, real-world problems—particularly those tied to government missions or enterprise objectives—delivering measurable impact through AI.
• Proven ability to ship high-quality, secure code and complete projects in challenging, regulated, or ambiguous environments.
• Adaptability to shifting priorities and requirements in a fast-paced, mission-driven startup setting.
• Exceptional communication skills to interface with customers—including government stakeholders—clarifying technical requirements and driving projects to completion.
• Expertise in designing, implementing, and maintaining robust, scalable, and secure AI-driven solutions that meet stringent compliance and operational standards.

Minimum Requirements

• Government Partnership Experience: Demonstrated success working with government agencies, DoD, or federal contractors on AI, software, or data projects.
• Clearance Preferred: Active U.S. security clearance (e.g., Secret, Top Secret) or eligibility to obtain one is highly desirable.
• 6+ years of software engineering experience, ideally in environments requiring high reliability or security.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, with experience documenting technical solutions for diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to translate business, product, or mission needs into engineering solutions, particularly for government or enterprise clients.
• Proven experience implementing AI or machine learning products with APIs, back-end systems, and front-end interfaces.
• Proficiency in Python and/or TypeScript.
• Strong understanding of the HTTP protocol and secure API design.
• Robust engineering background, preferably in fields such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics, or Data Science.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building evaluation frameworks for AI systems and assessing capabilities in regulated or high-stakes contexts.
• Deep understanding of machine learning fundamentals—model evaluation, training, and fine-tuning—with a focus on production-ready deployments.
• History of deploying machine learning models to production, ideally in secure or cloud-based government environments.
• Expertise in writing developer documentation or maintaining SDKs for technical audiences, including government developers.
• Ability to work with massive datasets, optimize system performance, and scale solutions for high-throughput, mission-critical workloads.
• Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code tools like Pulumi or Terraform, particularly in secure or government-aligned deployments.

Interview Process

After submitting your application, the team reviews your CV and statement of exceptional work. If your application passes this stage, you will be invited to a 15 minute interview (“technical phone interview”) during which a member of our team will ask technical questions about your background or specialization. If you clear the initial phone interview, you will enter the main process, which consists of four technical interviews:

**Please note that the Statement of Exceptional Work is a key deciding factor for consideration.**

1. Virtual: Coding assessment in a language of your choice.
2. In-person: Coding assessment in a language of your choice.
3. In-person: Systems hands-on: Demonstrate practical skills in a live problem-solving session.
4. Meet and greet with the wider team.

Our goal is to finish the main process within one week. All interviews will be conducted via Google Meet or in-person.

Benefits

• Competitive cash-based compensation
• xAI equity
• Private health and dental insurance
• Unlimited time off subject to prior approval

Annual Salary Range

$180,000 - $440,000 USD

xAI is an equal opportunity employer and does not unlawfully discriminate based on race, color, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, medical conditions, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other applicable legally protected characteristics. 

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act. 

For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:

xAI reasonably believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: 

• Access to information technology systems and confidential information, including proprietary and trade secret information, and/or user data;
• Interacting with internal and/or external clients and colleagues; and
• Exercising sound judgment.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Notice