Research & Development Engineer

Vector Solutions•Tampa, FL

8d•$110,000 - $140,000

About The Position

Vector Solutions is seeking an experienced individual contributor to help establish its Research & Development function. Under the direction of senior engineers and R&D leadership, the engineer will build, test, and refine AI-powered features for Vector's SaaS product suite. The role focuses on hands-on execution of assigned technical tasks and does not set technical direction, architecture, or strategy.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
At least 5 years of professional software development experience.
Hands-on experience with AI/ML-related projects.
Several years of hands-on development experience with at least one modern programming language commonly used in AI/ML development, such as Python or JavaScript.
Solid understanding of machine learning concepts and practical experience with common AI/ML frameworks or APIs, such as OpenAI, Hugging Face, TensorFlow, or PyTorch.
Ability to take direction and requirements from senior engineers and R&D leadership and independently translate them into working, well-tested code.
Strong attention to detail and ability to test and validate technical work before hand-off.
Effective written and verbal communication skills for documenting work and collaborating with cross-functional teams.
Ability to manage time and prioritize tasks within a clearly defined project scope.
Familiarity with version control systems such as Git.
Willingness to learn and adapt to new tools, frameworks, and AI techniques.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with LLM APIs, such as OpenAI or Anthropic, or open-source ML frameworks.
Experience in a SaaS product development environment.
Prior experience integrating AI/ML capabilities into production applications.

Responsibilities

Build, test, and refine prototypes and features applying AI and machine learning models, including large language models, to Vector's SaaS products under senior guidance.
Write, debug, and maintain application code integrating AI/ML APIs and services into existing product workflows.
Support data preparation, labeling, and pipeline tasks for training, fine-tuning, or evaluating AI models.
Execute experiments designed by senior engineers, document results, and summarize findings for team review.
Collaborate with QA to test AI-driven features for accuracy, reliability, and performance before release.
Help monitor deployed AI features for performance issues and escalate problems to senior engineers as needed.
Contribute to internal documentation of AI workflows, model usage guidelines, and known limitations.
Participate in code reviews and incorporate feedback from senior engineers and technical leads.
Stay current on emerging AI tools and techniques relevant to assigned project work.
Perform other duties as assigned.