Senior AI Engineer

About the Role

We are seeking a skilled Senior AI Engineer to join our innovative Data Science team at Alpas AI in Berlin. Your core mission will focus on fully automating the supplier search process using advanced machine learning models and architectures. You'll play a critical role in enhancing model inference efficiency and creating automated retraining systems to ensure stellar performance and reliability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and support the team to successfully automate decision-making during supplier searches, overseeing AI and agentic architecture from training to inference phases.
• Ensure stable, high-quality model performance integrated seamlessly with internal software components while continuously improving models based on stakeholder feedback.
• Design and build scalable AI agents utilizing Langgraph and natural language processing (NLP) pipelines.
• Develop retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems leveraging vector database technology.
• Adopt system design principles for end-to-end AI solutions and implement agentic workflow patterns.
• Integrate AI components smoothly into the Alpas platform, optimize model inference efficiency, and maintain robust MLOps pipelines.
• Manage and maintain the AI codebase adhering to best software engineering practices.
• Train and evaluate PyTorch-based NLP models.
• Research emerging AI technologies to incorporate as appropriate and benchmark models and solutions rigorously.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior engineers on the team.
• Maintain AI agent failure rates below 1% and ensure scalable, reliable integration between agents and backend systems.
• Build monitoring pipelines for large-scale AI agents and carefully manage agentic workload costs to meet quality and efficiency targets.

Candidate Profile and Requirements

If you do not meet every single requirement, we encourage you to apply if you have the eagerness to learn and grow.

• Professional experience of 4 to 6 years in roles such as Machine Learning Engineer, MLOps Engineer, Backend Engineer with ML/AI focus, Software Data Engineer, ML Platform Engineer, or AI Engineer.
• Strong proficiency in Python and PyTest for development and testing.
• Experience with tools and services like Argo, PubSub, CI/CD pipelines, Docker, and FastAPI for containerization and deployment.
• Familiarity with data manipulation and scientific computing libraries including Pandas, Scikit-learn, PyTorch, and SciPy.
• Hands-on knowledge of MLOps tools such as MLFlow, Kubeflow, KServe, or related platforms.
• Excellent soft skills including ownership of projects from start to finish, creative problem-solving capabilities, strong research aptitude and eagerness to rapidly learn, strategic thinking, effective teamwork, clear communication, and time management skills.
• English language fluency at the C1 level or higher is required.
• Desirable additional experience includes natural language processing (NLP), large language models (LLMs), familiarity with cloud platforms like Google Cloud Platform (Vertex AI, Cloud Run, Cloud Functions), Microsoft Azure AI, Kubernetes, and Terraform.
• Understanding of software engineering best practices and both backend and frontend concepts is a plus.

Benefits and Work Environment

• Opportunity to contribute to an AI-centered product by developing state-of-the-art ML and NLP models that directly impact supplier search automation.
• High degree of ownership and responsibility for managing your projects.
• Work closely with the Product team to see your work deliver tangible results promptly.
• Dynamic, challenging work environment ensuring continuous learning and no monotony.
• Accelerated professional development with a steep learning curve.
• Engaging company culture featuring inclusive values and diverse team events.
• Hybrid working options and a modern office located in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg district.
• Open, honest, and fast-paced collaboration emphasizing strong communication.
• We hire you as a subject-matter expert, valuing your ability to challenge conventional approaches.
• Commitment to producing measurable impact and meeting goals.
• We seek self-driven individuals with high standards, sharp attention to detail, intrinsic motivation, and a passion for continual learning.
• Proactive approach with enthusiasm for customer-facing responsibilities.
• Join a passionate team excited about our mission and cutting-edge technology.