Early-Career Software Engineer - AI Applications

RTI International•Durham, NC

3d•$73,000 - $90,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking an Early-Career Software Engineer who is excited about building the next generation of AI-powered applications and research solutions. This role is ideal for someone with strong software engineering fundamentals who wants to grow into an AI-native engineer. You will work alongside experienced engineers to design, build, and deploy production systems that leverage large language models (LLMs), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), AI agents, cloud services, and modern software engineering practices. Success in this role requires curiosity, sound engineering judgment, and a desire to continuously learn as AI technologies evolve. This position may be based remotely within the United States. Candidates located near RTI’s headquarters in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, are preferred due to opportunities for in-person collaboration.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent experience).
Academic or professional software development experience.
Strong programming skills in Python or another modern programming language.
Understanding of object-oriented programming, algorithms, and data structures.
Experience using Git and collaborative software development workflows.
Familiarity with REST APIs.
Strong debugging and problem-solving skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to learn new technologies quickly.
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B visa status, etc.).

Nice To Haves

Experience or coursework involving Large Language Models (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, etc.)
Experience or coursework involving Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
Experience or coursework involving Vector databases
Experience or coursework involving LangChain or LangGraph
Experience or coursework involving FastAPI
Experience or coursework involving Docker
Experience or coursework involving AWS cloud services
Experience or coursework involving SQL and NoSQL databases
Experience or coursework involving Automated testing
Experience or coursework involving CI/CD pipelines
Experience or coursework involving Machine learning fundamentals
Experience or coursework involving Prompt engineering
Experience or coursework involving Open-source software contributions
Experience or coursework involving Personal AI projects or hackathons

Responsibilities

Develop production software using Python and modern development frameworks.
Build AI-powered applications using large language models and AI APIs.
Help develop retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines and agent-based workflows.
Build and consume REST APIs and cloud-native services.
Write clean, maintainable, well-tested code using AI coding assistance like Claude Code and GitHub Copilot CLI.
Participate in code reviews and architectural discussions.
Assist with deployment, monitoring, and troubleshooting production applications.
Learn how to evaluate AI systems for quality, accuracy, reliability, and cost.
Work with researchers and technical staff to understand requirements and translate ideas into software solutions.
Contribute to improving development standards, documentation, and engineering practices.

Benefits

Competitive base salary
Generous paid time off policy
Merit based annual increases
Bonus opportunities
Robust recognition program
Competitive range of insurance plans (including health, dental, life, and short-term and long-term disability)
Access to a retirement savings program such as a 401(k) plan
Paid parental leave for all parents
Financial assistance with adoption expenses or infertility treatments
Financial reimbursement for education and developmental opportunities
Employee assistance program
Numerous other offerings to support a healthy work-life balance