Ascensus

Senior Software Engineer, IT Software Engineering

Ascensus$100K — $130K *
US-AnywhereRemote in Iowa, US
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 3-7 years of software engineering experience
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field
  • Proficiency in Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, or SQL
  • Experience in building production applications and APIs
  • Familiarity with LLM-powered systems or prompt engineering
  • Strong software engineering fundamentals like clean code and CI/CD
  • Excellent problem-solving and communication skills

Responsibilities

  • Develop AI-powered applications and agents
  • Build retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines
  • Orchestrate agent workflows
  • Implement prompt strategies and tool integrations
  • Ensure secure enterprise system integrations
  • Maintain observability and reliability in production
  • Leverage AI-assisted tools for software development

Benefits

  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Supportive learning environment
  • Opportunities for professional growth
  • Access to advanced AI tools and resources
  • Collaborative and innovative team culture
Full Job Description
Section 1: Position Summary

As aSoftware Engineerin the Ascensus AI Program, you will help turn modern LLM capabilities into reliable, observable, production-grade software used by real business teams every day.

This is amid-level software engineering rolefor someone who is strong in core engineering fundamentals and excited to build practical AI-powered systems.

Section 2: Job Functions, Essential Duties and Responsibilities

You will work on:

  • AI-powered applications and agents


  • Retrieval-augmented generation, or RAG, pipelines


  • Agent workflows and orchestration


  • Prompt strategies and tool integrations


  • Secure integrations with enterprise systems


  • Observability, testing, and production reliability


  • AI-assisted software development using tools such as Cursor, Claude Code, or similar platforms


We are looking for engineers who:

  • Move quickly


  • Take ownership


  • Learn fast


  • Communicate clearly


  • Care about quality


  • Build secure, maintainable software


  • Are excited to work in a fast-moving AI environment


You do not need to be an expert in every part of the AI stack on day one, but you should be curious, technically strong, and motivated to grow.

Section 3: Experience, Skills, Knowledge Requirements

Required Qualifications

  • 3-7 years of professional software engineering experience.


  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Information Systems, Business Information Systems, a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.


  • Strong experience with one or more modern programming languages, such as:


  • Python


  • JavaScript / TypeScript


  • SQL


  • Similar modern development platforms


  • Experience building production applications, APIs, integrations, backend services, workflow logic, or similar software components.


  • Familiarity with LLM-powered systems, such as:


  • RAG


  • Chatbots


  • Agent workflows


  • Tool use


  • Prompt engineering


  • AI-enabled application development


  • Strong software engineering fundamentals, including:


  • Clean code


  • Source control


  • Unit testing


  • CI/CD


  • Refactoring


  • Design patterns


  • Maintainability


  • Working experience with SQL for data inspection, analysis, troubleshooting, or integration.


  • Ability to read application logs, traces, and telemetry to investigate issues and identify root causes.


  • Strong problem-solving skills.


  • Clear communication skills with technical and non-technical audiences.


  • Comfort working in ambiguous, fast-moving environments.


  • Curiosity, ownership, and the ability to learn new technologies quickly.


Preferred Qualifications

Experience with one or more of the following is helpful, but not required:

  • Building or contributing to AI/LLM-based systems


  • RAG pipelines


  • Chatbots or conversational AI products


  • Agentic applications


  • Prompt strategies


  • Tool-calling workflows


  • Agent orchestration


  • Durable workflows or platforms such as Temporal


  • Model Context Protocol, function calling, or enterprise tool integrations


  • REST APIs, service-oriented architectures, or event-driven systems


  • Azure, Azure AI Foundry, Azure DevOps, or related Microsoft cloud tools


  • Salesforce or other enterprise platforms


  • Observability tools such as Langfuse, New Relic, OpenTelemetry, or similar platforms


  • AI-powered development tools such as Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, or similar tools


  • Technical documentation, diagrams, decision records, or design notes


  • Working with quality engineers, SDETs, operations engineers, support teams, and product owners


What Success Looks Like

You will be successful in this role if you:

  • Turn ambiguous business needs into simple, working software.


  • Use AI-assisted development tools to move faster without sacrificing quality.


  • Build AI systems that are observable, testable, and reliable enough for production use.


  • Care about retrieval quality, prompt behavior, tool accuracy, user experience, and measurable business outcomes.


  • Learn unfamiliar systems quickly.


  • Communicate clearly and ask good questions.


  • Make practical technical recommendations.


  • Take ownership from idea through design, implementation, deployment, monitoring, and improvement.


  • Help the team improve how it builds, tests, operates, and evolves enterprise AI software.


Be aware of employment fraud. All email communications from Ascensus or its hiring managers originate from @ascensus.com or @futureplan.com email addresses. We will never ask you for payment or require you to purchase any equipment. If you are suspicious or unsure about validity of a job posting, we strongly encourage you to apply directly through our website.

For all virtual remote positions, in order to ensure associates can effectively perform their job duties with no distractions, we require an uninterrupted virtual work space and there is also an expectation of family care being in place during business hours. Additionally, there is an internet work speed requirement of 25 MBps or better for individual use. If more than one person is utilizing the same internet connection in the same household or building, then a stronger connection is required. If you are unsure of your internet speed, please check with your service provider. Note: For call center roles specifically, it is a requirement to either hardwire your equipment directly to the internet router or ensure your workstation is in close proximity to the router. Please ensure that you are able to meet these expectations before applying.

About Ascensus

Ascensus is a financial services company that provides retirement, health, and education savings plans to individuals and businesses. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Dresher, Pennsylvania. Ascensus has over 4,000 employees and serves more than 12 million customers nationwide. The company offers a wide range of retirement plan solutions, including 401(k), 403(b), and IRA plans. Ascensus is committed to helping its customers save for retirement and achieve their financial goals. The company has received several awards for its excellent customer service and innovative products.
Learn more about Ascensus
Size
4,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1980

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