Metropolis

Senior AI Engineer

Metropolis$170K — $200K *
Enterprise Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 6+ years in software engineering, with 2+ years focused on LLM-based or AI-powered applications in production.
  • Strong Python skills for writing clean, maintainable code along with API and data pipeline development.
  • Experience with LLM APIs (like OpenAI), prompt engineering, and agentic patterns.
  • Familiar with SQL and data engineering concepts, preferably with cloud data warehouses (Snowflake).
  • Knowledge of workflow tools (Airflow, Prefect) and cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred).
  • Instinct for product quality, focusing on user utility rather than just technical functionality.
  • Ability to work autonomously in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities.

Responsibilities

  • Design and build AI-powered automation tools transforming manual business processes.
  • Architect and maintain LLM-based systems, including relevant pipelines and workflows.
  • Build and maintain data pipelines linking source systems with AI workflows, ensuring quality.
  • Collaborate with Process Analysts to translate business needs into engineering specifications.
  • Ensure production reliability through monitoring and iterating on AI outputs.
  • Integrate emerging AI tools and capabilities into development processes.
  • Establish internal standards for AI development practices.

Benefits

  • Access to healthcare benefits and a 401(k) plan.
  • Short-term and long-term disability coverage.
  • Basic life insurance included.
  • Participation in a lucrative stock option plan.
  • Eligibility for bonus programs.
Full Job Description
Who you are

Metropolis is seeking a Senior AI Engineer to join our Applied AI organization, a team purpose-built to rebuild how the company operates from an AI-first perspective. You will be the builder at the heart of this transformation, designing and shipping AI-powered tools and automation pipelines that replace manual, repetitive work across finance, operations, revenue, and beyond. This is a hands-on engineering role with enormous scope: you will own systems end-to-end, from the LLM prompt layer through to production deployment, working side-by-side with Process Analysts who understand the business deeply. If you want to see your work directly change how a company functions - not someday, but now - this is the role.
What you'll do
  • Design, build, and ship AI-powered automation tools and internal applications that transform manual business processes into AI-first workflows
  • Architect and maintain LLM-based systems, including prompt pipelines, agentic workflows, tool-calling integrations, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) setups
  • Build and maintain data pipelines that connect source systems (Snowflake, internal APIs, SaaS tools) to AI workflows, ensuring data quality and reliability
  • Partner with Process Analysts to understand how business functions work today, translate requirements into engineering specifications, and iterate based on real user feedback
  • Own production reliability for the systems you build - monitoring, alerting, and iterating on AI outputs to maintain quality over time
  • Evaluate and integrate emerging AI tooling (models, frameworks, APIs) to ensure Metropolis is always leveraging the best available capabilities
  • Contribute to internal standards for AI development: prompt management, evaluation frameworks, model selection, and system architecture
What we're looking for
  • 6+ years of software engineering experience, with 2+ years of hands-on experience designing, building, and deploying LLM-based or AI-powered applications in production
  • Strong Python skills - you write clean, maintainable code and are comfortable building APIs, data pipelines, and backend services
  • Practical experience with LLM APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, or similar), prompt engineering, and agentic patterns (function calling, multi-step reasoning, tool use)
  • Familiarity with data engineering fundamentals: SQL, data transformation, working with cloud data warehouses (Snowflake preferred)
  • Experience with workflow orchestration tools (e.g., Airflow, Prefect, or similar) and cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred)
  • A strong instinct for product quality - you care about whether the tools you build are actually useful, not just technically functional
  • Ability to work autonomously in a fast-moving environment, manage competing priorities, and ship iteratively rather than waiting for perfection
While not required, these are a plus:
  • Experience with vector databases, embeddings, or semantic search is a plus
Our Stack
  • Languages + Frameworks: TypeScript, React, Scala (principally), Java (limited)
  • Datastores: MySQL, PostgreSQL, Snowflake
  • Cloud: AWS
  • Version control: Git & GitHub
  • AI Tooling: Copilot on GitHub and Claude Code
  • Observability: Datadog

4 Days in Office: Metropolis values in-person collaboration to drive innovation, strengthen culture, and enhance the Member experience. Our corporate team members hold to our office-first model, which requires employees to be on-site at least four days a week, fostering organic interactions that spark creativity and connection

When you join Metropolis, you'll join a team of world-class product leaders and engineers, building an ecosystem of technologies at the intersection of parking, mobility, and real estate. Our goal is to build an inclusive culture where everyone has a voice and the best idea wins. You will play a key role in building and maintaining this culture as our organization grows. The anticipated base salary for this position is $170,000.00 USD to $200,000.00 USD annually. The actual base salary offered is determined by a number of variables, including, as appropriate, the applicant's qualifications for the position, years of relevant experience, distinctive skills, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and the location of residence and/or place of employment. Base salary is one component of Metropolis' total compensation package, which may also include access to or eligibility for healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan, short-term and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance, a lucrative stock option plan, bonus plans, and more. #LI-CM1 #LI-Onsite

About Metropolis

Metropolis is an architecture and construction firm that specializes in sustainable design and building practices. The company's projects include commercial, residential, and institutional buildings, as well as urban planning and development. Metropolis is committed to using environmentally responsible materials and methods in its projects, and has won numerous awards for its work. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
Learn more about Metropolis
Size
100 employees
Industry
Net Income
$1 million
Founded
1989
5 Year Trend
+20%
Revenue
$5 million

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Metropolis

More Enterprise Technology Jobs

Find similar Senior AI Engineer jobs: