Member of Technical Staff, Applied Engineering - Government

2 Weeks ago • 6 Years + • $180,000 PA - $440,000 PA
Software Development & Engineering

Job Description

xAI is seeking a highly motivated Applied Engineer to work directly with federal government and enterprise partners, owning the strategy and execution of mission-critical AI solutions. This role involves driving product development, designing LLM-powered software, benchmarking models, enhancing performance, analyzing data for reliability, building internal tooling, and refining SDKs based on customer feedback, operating in secure and regulated environments. The team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence, operating with a flat organizational structure where all employees are expected to be hands-on.
Good To Have:
  • 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.
Must Have:
  • Drive the development and enhancement of the core product and underlying model, collaborating cross-functionally to deliver end-to-end AI solutions.
  • Identify pain points, scope product specifications, and design and build LLM-powered software for government or enterprise use cases.
  • Benchmark models and develop evaluation frameworks to assess performance and address weaknesses, ensuring compliance with customer standards.
  • Enhance model performance through system prompt tuning or fine-tuning, with an eye toward secure and scalable deployment.
  • Analyze request logs, prompt data, or system outputs to ensure reliability and auditability.
  • Build internal tooling to streamline workflows and automate repetitive tasks in secure environments.
  • Refine xAI SDKs or developer documentation based on customer feedback, with an emphasis on usability for government or enterprise developers.
  • Demonstrated success working with government agencies, DoD, or federal contractors on AI, software, or data projects.
  • 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.
  • 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 Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics, or Data Science.
Perks:
  • Equity
  • Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage
  • Access to a 401(k) retirement plan
  • Short & long-term disability insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Various other discounts and perks

Add these skills to join the top 1% applicants for this job

communication
unity
game-texts
agile-development
terraform
data-science
front-end
back-end
python
typescript
machine-learning

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

About the Role

Applied 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 three technical interviews:

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

1. 15 min Technical Screen

2. 3x 45 min Technical Interviews

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

Annual Salary Range

$180,000 - $440,000 USD

Benefits

Base salary is just one part of our total rewards package at xAI, which also includes equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and various other discounts and perks.

xAI is an equal opportunity employer.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) Notice

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at xAI? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Create alert

Apply for this job

  • indicates a required field

Autofill with Greenhouse

First Name*

Last Name*

Email*

Phone

Country*

Phone*

Resume/CV*

AttachAttach

Dropbox

Google Drive

Enter manuallyEnter manually

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

---

Do you have an active U.S. security clearance (e.g., Secret, Top Secret)?*

Select...

Current company

If you are currently employed in the field, please tell us the name of your employer.

Current title

If you are currently employed in the field, please tell us your role including your seniority level (e.g. Software Engineer II).

LinkedIn Profile

If you have a public LinkedIn profile, please provide its URL.

X Profile

If you have a public X profile, please provide its URL.

Google Scholar

If you have a Google Scholar page, please provide its URL.

What exceptional work have you done?*

In 100 words or less, tell us about a piece of work you are most proud of.

Will you now, or in the future, require sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B visa) to legally work for X.AI LLC in the U.S.?*

Select...

Submit application

Set alerts for more jobs like Member of Technical Staff, Applied Engineering - Government
Set alerts for new jobs by xAI
Set alerts for new Software Development & Engineering jobs in United States
Set alerts for new jobs in United States
Set alerts for Software Development & Engineering (Remote) jobs
Contact Us
hello@outscal.com
Made in INDIA 💛💙