7+ years of software engineering experience, including AI/ML or LLM system development
Proven ability to lead technical projects autonomously
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field; Master's preferred
Strong Python skills; experience in TypeScript/Go is a plus
Hands-on experience with LLM applications in production
Strong foundation in distributed systems and cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred)
Excellent communication skills with a focus on aligning technical work to business objectives
Responsibilities
Lead the design, architecture, and implementation of AI/ML systems for key products
Collaborate with product, design, and data teams to address business challenges with AI solutions
Build and scale LLM systems, implementing complex functionalities like retrieval-augmented generation
Implement security, reliability, and safety features for AI products
Contribute to the engineering practice's evolution with new AI development tools
Mentor and foster a culture of technical excellence and rapid execution among engineers
Benefits
Direct impact on the work seen by advisors and clients
Small team structure where individual decisions matter
Mission-driven focus on democratizing financial guidance
Competitive compensation and equity opportunities
Flexible hybrid work arrangement in Kendall Square
Support from the Link Ventures ecosystem
Full Job Description
Please note: We are only accepting applications from candidates in the Greater Boston area, as this is a hybrid role with 4 days a week in office. The Role We're looking for Senior Software Engineers with deep AI/ML expertise to join a small, high-impact engineering team. This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You'll architect and build the AI systems that power our advisor-facing and consumer-facing products, working directly with the CTO and product leads to bring ambitious ideas from whiteboard to production.
If you're energized by real-world AI problems, thrive in a startup-pace environment, and want to see your work directly shape outcomes for financial advisors and the clients they serve, then this is your role.
What You'll Do
Set Direction: Lead the design, architecture, and implementation of AI/ML systems powering Datalign's core products, including Halo (our agentic AI framework) and RelationshipAI
Collaborate: Work closely with product, design, and data teams to turn ambiguous business problems into measurable, shippable AI capabilities
Deliver: Build and scale LLM systems including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), tool use/function calling, multi-agent orchestration, and real-time inference services
Keep It Secure: Implement reliability, safety, and security guardrails for AI products, including PII handling/redaction, access controls, prompt-injection defenses, auditability, and pragmatic human-in-the-loop workflows where needed
Innovation: Contribute to evolution of our engineering practice with the rapid adoption of AI tools in software development
Culture: Mentor other engineers and help build a culture of technical excellence, curiosity, and rapid execution
What You Bring Required
7+ years of software engineering experience, including experience building and operating production AI/ML or LLM-powered systems
Proven ability to lead technical projects end-to-end with high autonomy and low oversight
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field. Masters preferred
Strong experience working in Python. Additional experience with TypeScript and/or Go is a plus
Hands-on experience shipping LLM applications in production (e.g., RAG, tool use/function calling, agentic workflows, fine-tuning/LoRA where appropriate)
Strong foundation in distributed systems and cloud infrastructure (AWS preferred), including building scalable inference/services and production observability (logs, metrics, traces)
Strong communication and product sense: you can explain tradeoffs (quality vs latency vs cost vs risk) and align technical work to business goals
Preferred
Experience in fintech, wealth management, or other regulated environments; comfort partnering with compliance/legal on data and AI controls
Track record of shipping software in fast-moving, resource-constrained startup environments with high ownership
Experience with AI security/safety practices: prompt-injection resistance, data exfiltration prevention, policy enforcement, and audit logging
Familiarity with building systems that have high-signal feedback loops from user behavior
Why Datalign
Direct impact - your work will be seen and felt by advisors and clients from day one
Seat at the table - small team means your voice and decisions really matter
Mission-driven - we're democratizing access to quality financial guidance
Competitive compensation with equity - we're building something that will be worth owning a piece of
Flexible hybrid environment in Kendall Square, one of the world's great innovation hubs
Backed and supported by the Link Ventures ecosystem
