Senior AI Engineer

About Blank Metal
Blank Metal is an AI-native engineering company that partners with enterprises to deliver production AI fast. We blend strategic insight with hands-on execution — shipping high-impact systems that turn AI initiatives into measurable business results.

We’re builders, not theorists. Our team of seasoned engineers, designers, and strategists work across industries to create AI applications that actually get used — and make a difference.

About the Role
We’re growing and looking for a Senior AI Engineer to join our Minneapolis team. This is a senior, full-stack engineering position that sits at the intersection of software architecture, applied AI, and product development.

You’ll design and ship real-world AI applications, not just prototypes, using a mix of modern software engineering, data architecture, and emerging AI tooling. You’ll collaborate directly with clients to translate business needs into technical solutions and help shape the next generation of AI-enabled products.

This is an opportunity for someone who thrives in variety, loves to learn, and enjoys working end-to-end, from backend design and data pipelines to model integration and front-end experiences.

What You’ll Do

• Architect and build production-grade AI systems spanning backend, frontend, and data layers

• Design scalable technical architectures: services, databases, caching, authentication, observability

• Implement AI model-based systems, integrate them into products, and deploy to
  production

• Experiment with and apply emerging AI tools (e.g., LLM frameworks, agents, generative models, code copilots)

• Build full-stack applications — from clean APIs to front-end experiences

• Establish metrics to determine system performance and align with stakeholder
  expectations (e.g., evals, KPIs, volume/latency, etc.)

• Collaborate with other Blank Metal team members (e.g., AI Strategist, Design/UX, Account Leads, Engagement Lead) to deliver client solutions

• Collaborate directly with customers to uncover needs and translate them into functional solutions

• Drive technical quality through thoughtful code reviews, testing, and documentation

• Mentor engineers and contribute to team-wide standards, patterns, and reusable
  components

• Bring creative, customer-focused thinking to everything you build; we solve for impact, not hype
  

About You

• 5-8 years of experience in software engineering, including at least one system deployed in production

• Strong technical architecture skills; comfortable designing from database schema to API contract

• Full-stack experience (modern web frameworks, APIs, cloud services, and CI/CD
  pipelines)

• Strong data and database design experience (SQL/NoSQL, schema design, data
  modeling, ETL)

• Familiar with machine learning and AI tools (e.g., OpenAI API, LangChain, vector
  databases, PyTorch)

• Solid understanding of security, performance tuning, and API versioning best practices

• Comfortable experimenting with new technologies including generative AI and agentic systems

• Experienced in at least one of the following hyperscalers for building and deployment: AWS, GCP, Azure

• Passionate about craftsmanship, maintainability, and user experience

• Strong communicator; able to discuss architecture, tradeoffs, and design decisions with both engineers and customers

• Thrives in an open, collaborative environment; enjoys variety and problem-solving
  across industries
  

Why You’ll Love It Here

• Build AI that ships — every project ends in a live deployment, not a slide deck

• Craft meets velocity — we obsess over quality while delivering at startup speed

• Outcome-driven model — our projects align with client success, not billable hours

• AI-native culture — you’ll work with peers who deeply understand modern AI’s potential and limits

• Backed to build — supported by $3M in seed funding from Rally Ventures, Traction
  Capital, and PurePlay Partners

• Real collaboration — open conversations, shared ownership, and space to bring your voice and creativity
  

Equal Opportunity

Blank Metal is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all backgrounds and perspectives. Diversity makes our work better and our team stronger.